Downtown Los Angeles entered its second night under curfew Wednesday as protests over immigration raids by federal agencies continued to ignite tension. Since late last week, unprecedented federal intervention has occurred – with thousands of National Guard and Marine personnel deployed across Los Angeles County to maintain order and safeguard federal facilities.
Mayor Karen Bass issued an 8 p.m.-6 a.m. curfew across an approximately one-square mile area of downtown L.A. until federal raids and military presence abate (https://en.wikipedia.org/8/18/20727385 cbsnews.com 8/18/2072781).
Most protests have been peaceful; however, tensions have flared at certain events; over 400 arrests had been made by Wednesday (WashingtonPost +6 and The Guardian +6)
Federal authorities have responded with force; police tactics include using mounted units, less-lethal munitions and tear gas after declaring gatherings illegal.
NYPost.com + The Guardian + Wikipedia for details.
National Guard and Marine forces, numbering over 4,700, are now operating under Title 10 orders to secure federal property and support ICE operations, but also possess limited authority to detain civilians who interfere with them (WashingtonPost.com/TheGuardian/en.wikipedia/Org)1.
President Donald Trump has justified the deployment of federal forces by asserting it was essential to prevent Los Angeles from “burning to the ground”. On this subject, see here and here (enwikipedia.org for additional references).
His actions have sparked a wider national dialogue, with California Governor Gavin Newsom denouncing it as an abuse of federal power and potential erosion of civil liberties.
As part of his security policy, L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman noted that most residents–99.99 percent–are not engaging in illegal activity. Hochman added that the curfew has proven highly successful at preventing widespread looting or violence on its first night; for more on that topic please check Indiatimes, Washingtonpost or The Guardian.
Protests began on June 6, in response to Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids on Fashion District businesses, Home Depot stores and farms outside Los Angeles. Quickly evolving from targeted demonstrations into wider acts of civil resistance; such events were recorded by WashingtonPost.com as “civil disobedience”. Whilst originally intended as targeted demonstrations against these raids (WashingtonPost.com > Wikipedia), over time these actions became broad acts of civil resistance with several individuals turning up arrested due to raids enforcing various contracts as “civic resistance”, eventually spreading beyond Southern Californian boundaries into multiple acts of civil disobedience actions by groups such as “anti”
Though mostly nonviolent, recent clashes have involved concrete throwing, fireworks and attempts to block major freeways–acts that prompted law enforcement’s more robust response (en.wikipedia.org and nbclosangeles.com for example) [*9]. For further reading see: theguardian.com].
Humanitarian concerns are rising amid reports from detained immigrant families that reveal overcrowded conditions at federal facilities with insufficient food and water – sparking public outrage on The Guardian website and The New York Post website.
Dozens of local mayors have issued statements condemning Trump administration raids as they disrupt immigrant communities and food supplies in regions, and could threaten regional agriculture labor needs (APnews.com).
As the curfew entered its second night, federal agents took an arrest in Boyle Heights following incidents such as vehicles driving into police lines–demonstrating its instability. For more information visit en.wikipedia.org; +6 in NBCLOSANGELES | the Guardian for additional news coverage
Mayor Bass defended the initial night of curfew as successful, noting no looting, violence or vandalism occurred and stressing that this policy will continue until stability is restored (cbsnews.com/1 and indytimes.com/1).
The federal deployment has also caused significant political blowback. A lawsuit from California challenging its deployment remains outstanding while protests have spread to cities such as New York, Chicago, San Antonio and Seattle; many have even instituted curfews within their borders as a show of support for Los Angeles
City officials now face the delicate balancing act of keeping public order while safeguarding constitutional rights and responding to community concerns. Federal immigration enforcement actions may inadvertently further deepen societal divisions; as long as their presence continues, downtown L.A. will likely remain tightly controlled zone, leaving residents, activists and authorities ready for whatever may come their way in terms of unpredictable outcomes.