Day of protest, night of violence, the Century City peace march

This was the official ACLU report on the largest (and bloodiest) police riot in the history of Los Angeles. Unlike the earlier, largely anti chicano "zoot suit" riots of the forties - the LAPD was not merely standing back as violence occurred, but pro-actively participated in a well-organized, physical, bloody assault on what was to be a peaceful demonstration against the war in Vietnam. For the first time police violence was openly directed against largely, white middle class marchers in an act of open repression against popular political dissent. Of all the protests in Los Angeles, this one in particular marked a tipping point in the anti-war movement not only in California, but across the nation.