Charges Dropped Against Activist Who Gave Out Face Shields During LA Protests

LOS ANGELES, CA — Federal charges have been dropped against an activist accused of aiding civil disorder by passing out protective face masks to anti-ICE protesters in Downtown Los Angeles.

Alejandro Orellana, 29, of Boyle Heights, was indicted by a grand jury in June on federal charges of conspiracy and aiding and abetting civil disorder. He was facing up to 10 years in federal prison if convicted of the charges.

The decision comes as U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli has struggled to get cases connected with anti-ICE protests in Southern California to move forward, according to the Los Angeles Times. At least 38 people have been arrested and accused of misconduct during the June protests or near immigration sites, but many of those cases have either been dismissed or had charges reduced, according to the Times.

In Orellana's case, federal prosecutors accused him of using the masks to effectively aid in obstructing or interfering with law enforcement officers trying to disperse crowds during unlawful protests. The masks, Uvex Bionic face shields, are designed to protect from chemical splashes and flying debris.

The 29-year-old was taken into custody on June 12, and a search warrant was served at his home. There, law enforcement personnel found a notebook containing violent language towards law enforcement, masks and a slingshot, according to federal authorities.

The arrest, according to federal prosecutors, was a breakthrough for law enforcement trying to unmask the networks behind downtown Los Angeles' protests.

But Chicano leader Carlos Montes called the allegations against Orellana a "theater."

"He's a longtime pro-immigrant rights activist," Montes said at a press conference in June. "He's a former Marine born and raised in East L.A. He's done nothing wrong."

Centro CSO, Boyle Heights group that traces its roots to the organization that trained César Chávez and Dolores Huerta, of which Orellana is a part, called his arrest "political repression."

On Wednesday, a federal judge dismissed the charges against Orellana. However, at the request of the U.S. Attorney's Office, U.S. DistrictJudge Serena Murillo on Wednesday issued a judgment of discharge in the case, dismissing the charges against Orellana without prejudice — meaning they can be refiled — and ordering his bond exonerated.

No reason was given for the decision to dismiss the case, and a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office declined to comment.

"Protecting our community is not a crime,'' Orellana said in a statement after the charges were dropped. Thanks to all those across the country who mobilized to demand that the charges (be dropped). We won because our cause is just."

City News Service and Local Editor Chris Lindahl contributed to this report.