San Diego County Board of Supervisors to consider banning weapons at border wall protests

SAN DIEGO (KUSI) — The San Diego County Board of Supervisors will consider Tuesday a proposal banning certain items that could be used as weapons
in unincorporated areas where border wall prototypes are set to be constructed.

If the urgency ordinance is approved, it would take effect immediately. This would mean that people who attend protests or rallies near specified border wall building areas would not be able to bring items that include knives, baseball bats, pepper spray, sticks or poles. Those who disobey would face a minimum $100 fine.

The ordinance would also allow authorities to set up perimeters in certain locations. The public would be notified at least 24 hours in advance of such restrictions.

The proposed action states the deadly demonstration in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the violent protests in Berkeley, California, as examples of why
the enforcement is needed.

"Extensive media coverage, ranging from local to international coverage, makes it a near certainty that persons opposed to and supporting the construction of the border wall will arrive in San Diego County and converge on certain locations in the unincorporated area to express their views,” the ordinance said.

President Donald Trump’s border wall promise has already been a magnet for debate in the region, which has a large unauthorized immigrant population.
About 170,000 residents in San Diego County are in the country illegally, according to a report by Pew Research Center,

The San Diego City Council last week took action against the wall — along party lines — when it passed a resolution that expressed the city’s intention to divest from companies involved in the construction, financing and/or design of the wall. The resolution also states the wall is detrimental to San Diego’s environment and its tourism industry.