Loudspeakers at Issue in Weekly Protests

CLAREMONT —  A demonstration outside Claremont City Hall by about 50 supporters of a young black man shot to death by two Claremont police officers was monitored by a police officer with sound equipment Wednesday as city officials expressed concerns about the use of amplifiers at the weekly rallies.

Obee Landrum, the uncle of slain teenager Irvin Landrum Jr., said Wednesday that he will not discontinue the use of the microphones, citing protesters’ 1st Amendment rights.

Several speakers Wednesday accused City Manager Glenn Southard of trying to quell protest by objecting to the loudspeakers.

City ordinances limit sound levels at such events to 65 decibels.

Across the street from protesters Wednesday, a handful of Police Department boosters carried placards to show support for the officers.

The 18-year-old Landrum died on Jan. 17, six days after he was shot three times in the neck and chest on a sidewalk in this quiet eastern Los Angeles County suburb.

One of the officers involved told investigators the shooting was in self-defense, and that Landrum had pulled a pistol from his waistband and opened fire.

However, a subsequent investigation by the Sheriff’s Department showed that the man’s pistol had not been fired.

The U.S. Justice Department is investigating the incident.