Los Angeles, a city known for its glitz and glamour, has recently been plunged into chaos as anti-ICE riots have taken over the streets.
Over the past few days, the city has witnessed a surge in violence, with rioters attacking a federal detention facility, pelting rocks at agents in vehicles, obstructing their movement, damaging property, and even setting vehicles ablaze while brandishing a foreign flag.
According to RedState, the response from local officials has been less than satisfactory. Mayor Bass's initial statement on Friday seemed to embolden the rioters rather than condemn their actions. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported that their building was besieged, and it took the police an astonishing two hours to respond to their distress calls.
In response to the escalating disorder, President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that he would be deploying the National Guard to restore peace, as California had failed to do so. However, instead of expressing gratitude, California Governor Gavin Newsom reacted with indignation, claiming that such a move would "erode trust" in the Guard.
Late on Saturday, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) issued a statement that seemed to be in stark contrast to the reality on the ground. "Today, demonstrations across the city of Los Angeles remained peaceful, and we commend all those who exercised their First Amendment rights responsibly," the LAPD stated. They thanked participants and organizers for their "cooperation" in ensuring public safety and claimed that the protests concluded "without incident."
The LAPD's statement drew a flurry of reactions from people who were incredulous at the department's apparent tone-deafness. While most of the unrest on Saturday was concentrated in Paramount and Compton, areas not under the LAPD's jurisdiction, the department's portrayal of the situation seemed to suggest a tranquil day at the beach.
Notably absent from the statement was any mention of the violence that had occurred the previous day around the federal detention facility, which is located within the city.
In a move that further alienated the public, the LAPD disabled comments on their statement, effectively silencing any criticism. However, this did not prevent people from expressing their outrage in quote tweets.
Ironically, shortly after the LAPD issued their statement and praised the "participants," they were confronted with a situation they could not ignore. Multiple people were detained for reentering an area that the LAPD had ordered them to vacate. "Those detained will be arrested and booked for failing to disperse from an area where an unlawful assembly was ordered," the departments Central Division announced in a statement posted on social media at midnight.
This incident, occurring on Alameda Street between Aliso and Temple streets, near the local office of the U.S. Justice Department, on the eastern side of Downtown Los Angeles, served as a stark reminder of the city's current state of unrest.
It seems that the LAPD's assurances of "heightened readiness" and "continued safety" may be more challenging to uphold than initially anticipated.
Login