Skid Row Sting Erupts Into Violence

Violence Breaks Out on Skid Row

James O’Keefe said he and members of the O’Keefe Media Group were violently attacked on Skid Row while confronting petitioners in Los Angeles. He said camera crew members were punched in the neck and face, pepper-sprayed, and forced to flee, with some team members running about 10 blocks to get out. It is a grim reminder that when a public process gets tangled up with street-level chaos, the people in charge usually discover the problem only after someone is hit, sprayed, or filmed for later outrage.

What the Undercover Footage Claims

The group says its undercover work found petitioners offering cash for signatures and voter registration forms, with pay reportedly ranging from $7 to $10 per signature and some workers claiming they could make up to $1,000 a day. O’Keefe Media Group said it recorded 28 instances of cash changing hands and alleged that homeless people were told to use fake addresses, including the line, “You can just put Pinocchio Lane.” The team also posted its footage here:
https://twitter.com/JamesOKeefeIII/status/2035119136947523824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/JamesOKeefeIII/status/2033986614599569554?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Justice Department Puts Elections Law in Play

U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli responded by citing federal law that makes it a crime to provide false information on a voter registration form or to pay someone to complete one. He said the Justice Department, under Attorney General Pam Bondi, will aggressively pursue anyone involved in violating federal election laws. That is the usual government promise: the rules matter, the camera matters, and the paperwork matters most of all, at least until a sting leaves everybody scrambling for the nearest press statement.

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