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US protesters defend ex-cop as victim of police brutality, racism

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Scores of American protesters rallied outside the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) in support of an ex-cop, accused of murder, that was killed after police set the cabin he barricaded himself in on fire.

During the Saturday rally in downtown Los Angeles in sympathy with the racism allegations invoked by former LAPD police officer Christopher Dorner, who allegedly killed four out of revenge for his 2009 dismissal from the police force, protester insisted they were not condoning Dorner’s killing but censuring the corruption and bigotry within LAPD that led to his firing and the tactics police employed in the massive manhunt launched in his pursuit.

Protesters emphasized that “they believed Dorner’s claims that he was unfairly fired from the department in 2009 – grievances described in a lengthy online manifesto that has been attributed to him” and that he was the victim of racism that LAPD has long been reputed for, according to a Sunday report in The Los Angeles Times.

Protesters further expressed disgust about the level of police brutality employed while on the massive pursuit of Dorner, during which they fired multiple times at passengers in two separate trucks that did not in any way resemble the suspect.

One of them was a woman that the police shot in the back, and the other was a rather skinny white male. This is while Dorner was a heavy-built African American.

The protesters also expressed outrage at how police set the cabin Dorner was in on fire and claiming that it was unintentional.

Although LAPD officials said Dorner died from a self-inflected gunshot wound after a shootout with police on Tuesday, there is wide belief that he may have shot himself after being surrounded with blazing fire.

“How the police handled this — they were the judge, the jury and the executioner,” said one of the protesters, 30-year-old Michael Nam, who is a former Marine and a current member of the US Army’s National Guard. “As an American citizen, you have the right to a trial and due process by law.”

Nam further said he was disturbed by the burning of a mountain cabin near the Big Bear area, where Dorner barricaded himself. The blaze started shortly after police fired “pyrotechnic” tear gas into the cabin; the canisters are known as “burners” because the intense heat they emit often causes a fire.

Nam insisted that it was “pretty obvious” the police wanted Dorner dead. “What I saw was a complete disregard for the Bill of Rights,” he said.

Protesters on Saturday said they organized the rally through a Facebook page called “I support Christopher Jordan Dorner,” according to the Times report.

The Facebook page further adds, “This is not a page about supporting the killing of innocent people. It’s supporting fighting back against corrupt cops and bringing to light what they do.”

As the protesters stood on Saturday, chanting “LAPD you are guilty,” drivers passing by honked, waved and gave thumbs up in support, the report notes.

Protesters held signs expressing anger at police and support for Dorner. “Clear his name! Christopher Dorner,” read one sign.

Liliana Alaniz, 40, came with her family — her mother, sister, nieces and daughters — from Long Beach to join the protest, which she said was her first.

“I really, really believe he was innocent in the firing case,” Alaniz said of Dorner.

“Murder is never right, but neither is the law when it’s unjust,” said another, 18-year-old protester, who further added that police need to know they “can’t get away with everything.”

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