LAPD Deployed Drones to Spy on No Kings Protest
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LAPD deployed drones to surveil "No Kings" and "ICE Out" protests, raising privacy concerns.
How This Affects You
Your First Amendment right to protest may be monitored by law enforcement drones, even for nonviolent activities.
AI Summary
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) deployed drones, intended for public safety, to surveil a "No Kings" rally and an "ICE Out" protest against the Trump administration's anti-immigrant campaign. Flight data tracked by software engineer John Wiseman shows DFR drones were launched 32 times over the March 28 "No Kings" protest and 31 times for the January 31 "ICE Out" protest. This raises questions about whether the city is operating an aerial surveillance program against nonviolent, constitutionally protected activity, despite the LAPD's assurance that the program protects individual privacy. LAPD Lt. Matthew Jacobs stated drones are deployed at protests at the request of an Incident Commander to look for specific people, not to record First Amendment activity. However, drones were orbiting the "No Kings" protest hours before a dispersal order was issued, and the LAPD did not answer follow-up questions about data capture or monitoring.
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