LA MESA
Amaurie Johnson does not want to think about how differently things could have turned out if a friend had not recorded his arrest on video last May 27.
Johnson, who is Black, was waiting for his friends at a La Mesa transit center when Officer Matthew Dages, who is White, approached him and accused him of illegally smoking. Johnson was not smoking, and he complied with Dages, giving him his name and date of birth, though he also questioned and protested against what he viewed as a discriminatory stop.
During the encounter, the friends Johnson had been waiting for pulled up in a car, and a passenger began recording on a cellphone. The video showed Dages grabbing and shoving Johnson as he detained and later arrested the San Diego man on suspicion of assaulting an officer and resisting arrest.
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Security remained tight around state houses throughout the country as fears of major protests by armed, far-right supporters of President Trump outside the Capitol and at state capitols Sunday proved unfounded, with only small groups, some carrying weapons, gathering in a handful of cities.