In California, many law enforcement agencies are not complying with state law requiring them to report the use of weapons during protests. This issue came to light after David Ramirez, a peaceful protester at a pro-Palestinian encampment at UCLA, was injured by a less-lethal projectile on May 2, 2024. Ramirez, who was shot in the head, described his experience at a news conference, stating, “My first instinct was to remove the foreign object, but it triggered profuse bleeding” as reported by LAist.
The incident highlights gaps in the enforcement of Assembly Bill 48, a law passed in 2021 to prevent such injuries. AB 48 forbids law enforcement from targeting peaceful protesters with chemical agents and less-lethal projectiles, and mandates that agencies report their use of these weapons. However, Ramirez and three others are suing the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and California Highway Patrol, claiming they violated this law. Despite the law’s requirements, Ramirez still does not know who fired the projectile that hit him, and neither agency has reported any injuries from the event.
According to LAist, hundreds of agencies do not document the use of less-lethal weapons as required. The California Department of Justice is responsible for posting these reports online but does not ensure they are written or evaluate their content. Compliance is left to the agencies, many of which claim they lack the resources to manage this task.
Cristina Garcia, a former state Assembly member and primary sponsor of AB 48, emphasized the importance of enforcement, stating, “If we don’t have enforcement, do we really have a law?” The law was enacted following the police response to protests in 2020 after George Floyd’s murder, aiming to regulate the use of crowd control tools only in response to violence or dangerous situations.
Despite these regulations, civil rights lawyers have pointed out violations by agencies like the LAPD, which missed deadlines for reporting their use of force during protests. The LAPD is one of only 32 out of 624 agencies in California that have submitted reports to the Department of Justice, highlighting the widespread lack of compliance with the law.
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