May Day Mayhem and California's Attempt to Blacklist Border Builders
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May Day marches in the western U.S. turned into riots Monday, with a protest in Portland, Oregon escalating from a peaceful demonstration against deportation of undocumented immigrants into a violent outburst.
Many of those marching were obeying the law, but others started fires, threw rocks at businesses and a federal building, and started damaging cars and other property.
Portland police told the peaceful protestors with family and children to leave for their safety. Officers then had to shut down the march and arrested 22 adults and three juveniles.
Over in Seattle, five more protesters were arrested, one for hurling a rock as pro- and anti-Trump demonstrators faced off.
In Washington state's capital, Olympia, police ordered rioters to disperse, calling them "members of a mob" as some threw bottles, used pepper spray and fired marbles from slingshots at officers. Objects struck nine officers and nine people were arrested.
While some anti-Trump forces resort to violence, lawmakers in California are considering a different, shocking method of protest.
They're threatening to ban builders from doing business in their state if they get involved in building President Donald Trump's new border wall.
The bill is being proposed by Democratic state Sen. Ricardo Lara who represents Los Angeles County.
"If you're a business that wants to do work with Trump's proposed wall, then quite frankly, California doesn't want to do business with you," Lara told NPR.
Lara went on to compare the border wall to "internment camps" and "segregated schools."
"This is precedent-setting," Todd Bloomstine of the Southern California Contractors Association told The Mercury News. "What next unpopular project would we blacklist for contractors?"
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