John Phillips: The police need to stop protesters from disrupting our freedom of movement

Right in the thick of the Christmas travel season, a slew of pro-ceasefire rioters blocked access to Los Angeles International Airport for about an hour, with the hopes of creating enough commotion to convince travelers to join them in demanding a ceasefire in Gaza.

According to the Los Angeles Police Department, 36 people were arrested and booked for rioting, with at least one individual arrested for battery on a police officer.

The LAPD said that “protest(e)rs threw a police officer to the ground, used construction debris, road signs, tree branches, and blocks of concrete to obstruct Century Blvd., while attacking uninvolved (passersby) in their vehicles.”

As soon as I heard about the miscellaneous debris, road signs, tree branches, concrete blocks, and a mob of belligerent pedestrians, I thought the same thing as you, “Oh goodie, another homeless encampment under the 10 Freeway.”  But no, it was definitely a demonstration.

Rumor has it that another group of pro-ceasefire demonstrators decided to go on a hunger strike at the airport, so they all booked flights on Spirit.

At the same time, at New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, 26 individuals were arrested for disorderly conduct and impeding vehicular traffic as travelers were forced to push their way through the protest line to gain access to the airport.

On December 15th, at South Sepulveda Blvd. and 92nd St., just outside of the LAX entrance, hundreds of protestors blocked access to the airport for several hours.

Great. I just booked a flight out of LAX in June. So just to be on the safe side I’m leaving for the airport the day after tomorrow.

Anyhow, two days before that, activists shut down traffic on the 110 Freeway in downtown LA during rush hour.

Silly me, I thought if you want to block motorists’ access to a major roadway, you’re supposed to do it the responsible way: turn most of the road into a bike lane.

The one bright spot is that with LAX blocked, the number of people fleeing California for better lives elsewhere has dropped slightly.

These demonstrators really missed the boat on this one.  If the ceasefire crowd really wants to get our attention they should block access to marijuana dispensaries.

If that doesn’t work, try vape stores.

First-world nations can’t operate like this; and you can’t overreact enough to a riot.

Everyone has the First Amendment right to have their voice heard. Write a letter to the editor, call in to your local talk radio show, write your congressman, go wild on social media, picket on the sidewalk…the possibilities are endless.

But, you don’t have the right to assault police officers, attack random motorists, block freeways, or shut off access to transportation hubs.

Blocking access to U.S. airports is actually a violation of our basic rights, and should be dealt with in the harshest way possible.

Except for Newark International – that one they can have.

Many Americans today have no idea that they have a Constitutionally-protected human right to freedom of movement. For example, people living in North Dakota…

As early as in the Articles of Confederation, the Congress has recognized the rights of citizens to move freely about the country.

I cannot stress enough: freedom of movement under United States law is governed primarily by the Privileges and Immunities Clause of the United States Constitution, and has been judicially recognized as a fundamental Constitutional right.

Also, these tantrums are an unbelievably narcissistic way to make your point.  The implication is that forcing you to stop what you’re doing and listen to their argument is no big deal, because they’re accomplishing nothing other than making life difficult for holiday travelers trying to get home after celebrating Christmas.

But that’s just an assumption.

The fact is people use airports for countless different reasons.  Sometimes for vacation, but others might be traveling to visit a sick relative who doesn’t have long to live, or to receive a medical procedure that needs to be done in a timely manner.

If you’re going to block access to air travel, there should be certain exceptions, like medical personnel, law enforcement, or people with Taylor Swift tickets.

Additionally, those freeways and airports are used to transport goods from California to the rest of the country and world.  By shutting them down, these protesters are blocking interstate commerce.

These protestors’have no respect for the people around them, or for the Constitution. You might even infer they hate both.

Blocking access to the freeways or airports should result in the state coming down on you like a ton of bricks.

John Phillips can be heard weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on “The John Phillips Show” on KABC/AM 790.