NW LA Times

Glendale Police Chief Manuel Cid blamed small numbers of agitators on both sides for turning peaceful parents-vs.-LGBT demonstrations outside of the Glendale Unified School Board meeting violent on June 6.

The afternoon began with hundreds of protesters, some with American flags and some with pride flags, swarming outside the school board meeting, the Los Angeles Times and other local news media reported. Many were parents, chanting, "Leave our kids alone," protesting the school board's LGBTQ+ policies. On the other side were LGBTQ+ counter-protesters supporting the school board's resolution to declare June as Pride Month for the fourth consecutive year.

"Yesterday evening, the Glendale Police Department professionally facilitated a large protest outside the Glendale Unified School District Board meeting," Glendale Police Chief Manuel Cid said in a statement Wednesday morning, according to an article on Patch. "While passionate and boisterous, the protest was largely peaceful, allowing community members to voice their perspectives on issues surrounding the school district. Unfortunately, a handful of agitators, on both sides of the issue, arrived at the demonstration with a clear desire to confront and incite violence, ultimately engaging in physical assaults. Glendale police officers responded to these fights swiftly and professionally, quickly making arrests and restoring order to the situation."

Rumors circulated on social media about who caused the violence. A self-described journalist, Andy Ngô, who didn't offer any evidence that he was there, blamed Antifa, saying above a video of the brief violence, "Armenian-American men fight against #Antifa & far-left protesters outside the Glendale (CA) school board meeting. Immigrant families have been furious that elementary schools are doing pride events. Antifa have gathered to oppose the parents."  Ngô has been characterized in mainstream media as someone who inflates Antifa's reach and presence. In a similar vein from the left, "Several reports surfaced online that members of the far-right extremist group the Proud Boys were in attendance, with some leaving behind stickers promoting their group," the Los Angeles Times story said.

According to Patch, after the spurt of violence, tensions remained high and the Glendale Police declared the gatherings outside an "unlawful assembly," requiring protesters from both sides to disperse. Three people were arrested. "Moving forward, the Glendale Police Department will use all the investigative tools available to us to identify any persons responsible for acts of violence at yesterday's protest and bring them to justice," the police statement said. "The Glendale Police Department and the Glendale community will continue to honor and protect people's right to free speech and assembly. However, individuals who wish to incite disorder and violence in our community will not be tolerated and will be dealt with swiftly by our police department."

The violence temporarily disrupted the school board meeting. In the meeting, most speakers supported the resolution. A few speakers expressed anger at the board for its policies. “I’m here on the side of parents who want to keep the focus in schools on academics rather than on sexual orientation,” the Los Angeles Times quoted Belissa Cohen, who identified herself as an LGB activist, as saying. Afterward, the board unanimously approved the resolution declaring June as Pride Month, ABC News 7 reported.