A peaceful protest against the passage of Proposition 8 in Los Angeles last month turned violent when a Georgetown alum was involved in an altercation with police and was subsequently arrested.

Kevin Miniter (COL ’05), a gay rights activist and former member of GU Pride, crossed a police barrier during the protest on Nov. 5 and was repeatedly struck by two Los Angeles police officers, arrested and held for two days on felony charges of resisting arrest, according to the Washington Blade.

While at Georgetown, Miniter volunteered at the Whitman-Walker Clinic, a nonprofit committed to finding a cure for HIV/AIDS and stopping its spread, and later worked for the Human Rights Campaign in Washington, D.C. Miniter currently resides in Los Angeles.

According to the Blade, protesters gathered at 7 p.m. the day after Proposition 8 passed in California, and marched 2.5 miles against the proposition – which outlawed gay marriage in the state.

When the protest continued beyond its slated 10 p.m. end time, the Los Angeles Police Department set up a barricade at the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue, according to the Blade. Miniter told the Blade that he and several others tried to push their way past the officers to continue their march. Only a few, Miniter included, made it through.

KTLA footage, taken from a helicopter circling the scene, shows a police officer falling onto the ground as Miniter, having broken through the line of officers, stumbles into the intersection, his right arm held by an officer. Miniter is then grabbed by another officer, while the first officer proceeds to strike him in the back of the legs with a baton several times. Another police officer then strikes Miniter with his baton until Miniter falls to the ground. He is then handcuffed and taken into custody by L.A.P.D. officers.

initer told the Blade that he submitted to the officers after he broke through the line.

“I completely acquiesced, I didn’t fight back, I didn’t do anything,” he said. “My first instinct was to put my hands over my head and try to crouch down while all of this was happening.”

initer later told the Blade that once he had joined three other protesters in the police car, he noticed that his leg was bleeding and that he had bruises on his legs and back.

He was held in L.A.P.D. custody for the next two days for resisting arrest, a felony, the Blade reports. On the evening of Nov. 7, Miniter was released on $25,000 bail.

Friend and former classmate, Luis Torres (COL ’05), said that Miniter plans to file charges against the L.A.P.D. Torres said he was shocked by the treatment his friend received at the protest.

“[Kevin] is a very good person and what was done to him is just an incredible injustice. He deserves our support,” he said.

initer could not be reached for comment.

Check www.thehoya.com for more updates on this story.

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