Update: On Oct 24, RLN learned that there were about 80 to 100 protesters who started a rally on the beach before arriving to the Santa Monica pier. After the chaos at the pier subsided, the protesters were joined by about 50 additional people in solidarity as they persisted in their march. The protesters along with the additional supporters marched to Third Street Promenade. Chantelle Hershberger with Refuse Facism said that they are not deterred by the Proud Boys and Latinos for Trump groups who showed up on Saturday in counter protest.”
On Oct. 19, a crowd of anti-Trump protesters gathered in Santa Monica, when nearly a dozen right-wing demonstrators carrying American flags and wearing shirts supporting President Trump’s presidential bid greeted them. The Trump supporters pushed their way into the protest. The anti-Trump crowd stood their ground with arms linked and pushed back. Then, a man wearing a backward MAGA cap released bear repellent spray into the crowd. Santa Monica Police Sgt. D. Hicks said, “After about ten minutes of the two groups going back and forth with chants and rants, “everything went to crap.”
The video shows that is when Dempsey pulled out the bear spray
Police confirmed, Oct. 20, that they arrested the MAGA-hat-wearing man on felony charges for violating parole, using a prohibited tear gas weapon, and assaulting the crowd using a chemical. The 32-year-old man’s name is David Nicholas Dempsey, as reported by the Washington Post.
Dempsey, as seen on video, approached an anti-Trump protester, who was being held on the ground by Trump supporters, and sprayed him with the repellent. He also called anti-Trump protesters “f—king libtards” and “commies.”
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The march was planned by a group called Refuse Fascism, which has partnered with the Revolutionary Communist Party and other leftist organizations to plan nonviolent protests since the 2016 election.
The group organizes around issues affecting groups including Muslims, women, LGBTQ people, black and Latino people, children and the elderly.
Refuse Fascism advocates for the removal of the Trump administration, including Vice President Pence and the president’s Cabinet. This march was the launch of a pro-impeachment campaign called “Out Now” Dozens of activists gathered on the beach holding multicolored fabric to spell out “Trump-Pence #OutNow!” Then, the group marched along the boardwalk and onto the Santa Monica Pier to hold a rally.
Police cornered Dempsey shortly after the incident, detaining him in an alcove in front of the police substation on the pier, just steps from where the attack unfolded.
Dempsey and another protester, who told police he was Dempsey’s brother, said they had been attacked by the Refuse Fascism crowd. Protesters denied that story, offering to show the police video of Dempsey spraying people after running up to the group from a few feet away.
Videos of the attack have gone viral. It’s hard to tell who started what—there’s a lot of pushing and chaos at the scene. Police said no protesters suffered severe injuries, although some were treated for exposure to the bear spray.
California has seen numerous violent street attacks and alleged terrorist plots motivated by politics since the 2016 election. Far-right groups have targeted West Coast cities seen as liberal strongholds and left-wing activists have taken to the streets to protest the Trump administration.
Several hate groups have become increasingly active in California, targeting leftist activists and holding public demonstrations. In April, the FBI arrested a San Fernando
Valley man who planned to bomb a right-wing protest in Long Beach, Calif., as revenge for a massacre in March at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Police told the Associated Press that a second man may have also attacked the anti-Trump crowd with pepper spray. Investigators said they are still analyzing video of the clash to identify the other suspect.
Dempsey has a “fairly extensive” criminal record, police told the L. A. Times. KTLA reported that the Southern California man had been previously convicted of burglary twice, as well as larceny and conspiracy. Police said he was on parole on Saturday and would have been prohibited from possessing bear repellent or similar tear gas weapons because of his status as a felon.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office records show that Dempsey is being held in jail without bond. His arraignment was Oct.22.