The LAPD made one mistake when they decided to abuse demonstrators at the May Day immigrants's rights rally. They beat reporters as well as demonstrators. And these weren't your leftie type reporters, they were mainstream local and national news reporters and camerapersons. It wasn't easy to get the national media to do their job, but the LAPD did it. Even with the media being treated like regular citizens, they (the media) still remain somewhat reserved. The two videos are from network news stations, one national, the other local.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFdNkXJMH9A

St. Thomas Aquinas wrote about laws that certain of them have moral authority in and of themselves. Such things as murder, and assault have moral force because the actions are repugnant, and an affront to the other, God as he might say. Other laws have moral authority because of our living in a community. (The exact terms that Aquinas uses escape me.) These laws forbid actions that are benign in themselves but are morally wrong when done in certainly situations, specifically within a community with agreed upon codes.