Snoop Dogg, The Game join peaceful protest outside LAPD headquarters
LOS ANGELES -- A group of protesters that includes rappers Snoop Dogg and The Game peacefully marched out to Los Angeles police headquarters Friday morning in the wake of the Dallas shootings.
More than 100 people gathered outside near West First Street around 8:30 a.m. and they remained quietly behind barricades.
Snoop Dogg said the group of protesters were there to create a dialogue between the Los Angeles Police Department and the African-American community. He said an open conversation between the two communities would lead to less confrontation and violence between them.
"We all come from different neighborhoods so don't profile us, don't look at what we look like. Look at what we're here for. We're here for a cause - the right cause - we're not here being violent. We're not loud, we're respectable," Snoop said.
The demonstration sent a clear message about the way to handle what many say is a volatile time for any person of color.
Several officers came out to greet and speak with people in the group.
During the graduation ceremony, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck spoke about the Dallas killings, which left at least five officers dead. Beck told the 37 graduates that they were starting their career at a difficult time.
"We have separated. We have broken into tribes. We must move beyond that. This is about America," he said.
He also told the recruits family members not to be afraid for their loved ones' lives, but to be proud that they have become members of the police force.
Beck and Mayor Eric Garcetti also invited Snoop Dogg and The Game into the graduation ceremony. The pair also met with the two rappers before they all addressed the media at a mid-morning press conference.
The Game and Snoop Dogg called for the city of L.A. to unite instead of divide and to be an example to other cities across that country that peace between the communities can be achieved.
"I think that we need to take responsibility as a human race and accept the role as peace givers and people that distribute love and change throughout this city," The Game said.
Garcetti said the violence must stop and Angelenos can do the hard work necessary to end the cycle.
