LAPD Chief: Anti-Vaxxers Who Block Clinics Face Arrest

LOS ANGELES, LA — As backlash over an anti-vaxxer protest that briefly shut down the COVID-19 vaccine mass vaccination clinic at Dodger Stadium grows, Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore issued a warning: protestors who block clinic operations face arrest or citation,

At Tuesday's Police Commission meeting. Moore said he's instructed officers to respond swiftly to unlawful disruptions at vaccination clinics.

"Going forward, people that are walking in roadways around or confronting individuals attempting to get a vaccine, it's my expectation and direction, that enforcement will be swift and certain," Moore said. "We are working with the fire department to ensure that there's a designated protest area that protesters can safely gather and express their views and be heard without interfering or having any view of their actions interfering with people who are also lawfully attempting to gain access to such a critical medical resource."

However, an LAPD spokesperson Tuesday could not tell Patch what the charges against protestors might be nor what specific penalties they would face.

It was Saturday's protest at Dodger Stadium, the nation's largest vaccination clinic, that triggered the uproar. For almost an hour Saturday afternoon, Dodger Stadium's gates were closed to keep anti-vaccine protesters out. About 50 protesters were on-hand, blocking access, approaching workers and patients, and chanting about the coronavirus being a hoax.

The delay outraged county leaders and health officials, who are frantically working as quickly as possible to administer all available doses of the vaccine before they expire.

County Supervisor Hilda Solis called the disruption disheartening and she called on support from law enforcement.

"It's hard enough just to get in the queue and then if there's a disruption that takes place that stalls the process, obviously it's a great concern to many of us, because you have people coming from all over the county to locations like Dodger Stadium," she said. "... I feel very strongly they should respect the rights of people who do want to get vaccinated.

"And I understand people have First Amendment rights as well, but when you become disruptive and actually create more problems through congestion, traffic jams and hostility ... then I would want to have our public safety officials involved."

Health officials and county leaders aren't requiring anyone to become vaccinated against their will in Los Angeles. The protesters aren't protesting against vaccine mandates. On Saturday they were protesting against the overall use of vaccines, while many in the crowd claimed the coronavirus is a hoax.

City News Service provided a quote for this story.