Thousands of angry protestors denouncing Donald Trump and his aggressive immigration policies marched peacefully through downtown Los Angeles on Saturday with the day marred by L.A. police who fired tear gas and rubber bullets into the crowd.
U.S. Marines and California National Guardsmen, controversially deployed by Trump to counter the protestors were not seen during the downtown march, which started at City Hall and ended peacefully with speeches at Pershing Square.
However, about three hours later roughly 100 protestors surrounded the U.S. federal building downtown. Trump’s U.S. marines were deployed there ostensibly to protect federal property.
The LAPD said on X: “People in the crowd are throwing rocks, bricks, bottles and other objects. Less lethal has been approved. Less lethal may cause discomfort and pain. It is advised that all persons leave the area.”
The police then charged on horseback into the crowd firing tear gas and rubber bullets to clear the area in front of the building.
Neither the Marines nor Guardsmen took part in the violence. Both the governor of California and the mayor of Los Angeles oppose Trump’s deployment.
A federal court this week ruled that Trump had to return control of the National Guard to the governor but that order was paused by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. A hearing is slated for Tuesday.
Curfew Enforcement
The mayor has declared an 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew, and riot police were in the downtown streets to enforce it. A standoff ensued after 8 p.m. in front of the hotel where I am staying, with just a handful of remaining protestors facing two rows of helmeted police.
The standoff ended when police entered a 7-11 convenience store to remove people inside. A lone, homeless man slouched shirtless on a curb outside the store was totally ignored even though he too was in violation of the curfew.
The sounds of helicopters and sirens continued into the night.
The downtown L.A. protest — the ninth consecutive day of such demonstrations — was just one of more than a dozen in Southern California and part of about 2,000 around the United States on Saturday.
The protests coincided with a military parade Trump organized in Washington for his 79th birthday.
Source: Consortium News.
