Los Angeles entered a fifth straight day of unrest over federal immigration enforcement Tuesday, after another long day and night that saw protesters and law enforcement personnel filling the streets of downtown.
Monday’s demonstrations featured more vandalism, violence and arrests, with some protesters throwing fireworks and other objects at law enforcement, and authorities responding with tear gas and other less-lethal munitions. Some demonstrators remained on the streets into the early hours Tuesday.
A window was smashed at an Apple Store downtown during the unrest, with some items stolen and graffiti painted on the shop’s windows. An Adidas store was also hit by looters, along with a jewelry store, a pair of pharmacies, a shoe store and a marijuana dispensary.
Los Angeles Police Department Officer Chris Miller told City News Service one woman was arrested at the scene of the Apple Store burglary. At least two other people were seen being taken into custody by police for looting. It was unclear exactly how many arrests were made.
Local authorities have frequently condemned the presence of “agitators” who take advantage of political protests to engage in looting and other crimes.
Earlier Monday, federal officials announced that hundreds of U.S. Marines from Twentynine Palms were being deployed to the city to assist National Guard troops protecting federal facilities, although it was unclear when they would actually arrive.
Despite the unruly crowds, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said federal reinforcements were not needed, and she laid blame for the unrest at the feet of the Trump administration, saying it was sparked by the immigration raids that began Friday, and was escalated with the deployment of National Guard troops.
“Last Thursday, there was nothing happening in this town that called for the raids that took place Friday,” Bass told reporters at a downtown news conference Monday evening. “Nothing was happening. Nothing warranted the raids.”
“Stop the raids,” she said. “This is creating fear and chaos in our city and it is unnecessary.”
The mayor said local law enforcement — most notably the Los Angeles Police Department — was fully equipped to deal with the protests. She noted that despite claims by President Donald Trump, National Guard troops have played no role in quelling violence in the streets over the past four nights, since their mission is strictly to protect federal assets, such as the federal buildings in downtown Los Angeles and in Westwood.
Trump federalized as many as 2,000 National Guard troops to deploy them to the city, and on Monday, he authorized an additional 2,000 troops, and they will be backed by the 700 U.S. Marines being sent into the area.
LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said his agency had been given no formal notice about Marines being deployed to the city, and he said without better coordination, their arrival could present “a significant logistical and operational challenge for those of us charged with safeguarding this city.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom, meanwhile, announced that hundreds of state and regional law enforcement officers were being shifted into the area to support the Los Angeles Police Department and county Sheriff’s Department to quell potential unruly protests.
According to Newsom’s office, nearly 400 California Highway Patrol officers will be deployed in Los Angeles in support of the LAPD. The CHP also issued a tactical alert, moving more than 250 other officers additional officers into the area to assist with road and highway safety.
Another 240 officers will also be moving into the area from sheriff’s departments in San Bernardino, Orange, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, and from police departments within Los Angeles County.
Monday’s protests began peacefully, with a small group gathering in an intersection near the federal Metropolitan Detention Center at Temple and Alameda streets. The crowd grew steadily through the morning, while others gathered in front of the federal building on Los Angeles Street south of Aliso Street.
The federal building houses the offices of U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement.
Around midday Monday, hundreds of union members attended a large rally in support of arrested union leader David Huerta, president of SEIU California, who was detained Friday and appeared in federal court Monday afternoon, facing an obstruction charge. Huerta was released from custody on bail after that appearance.
After rallying at Gloria Molina Grand Park, the union protesters marched several blocks away, with many joining the group outside the federal building and others marching to Olvera Street.
At the federal building, the protesters were met by a line of National Guard troops positioned to ensure protesters remained outside the building.
Law enforcement officers maintained a major presence in the Civic Center area, in some cases preventing protesters from marching along certain streets and setting up skirmish lines to block access to freeway on-ramps.
The LAPD declared a tactical alert, allowing it to keep officers on duty beyond their normal shifts if needed to respond to growing protests.
Early Monday evening, police declared the gathering outside the federal building an unlawful assembly and ordered the crowd to disperse. LAPD officers in a skirmish line then pushed the crowd south on Los Angeles Street, effectively clearing the street between Aliso and Temple streets. As the skirmish line pushed the crowd, some protesters hurled rocks and water bottles toward officers, and police fired what appeared to be flash-bang devices to keep the group moving.
The crowd diminished in size dramatically, but some remained in the streets well into the night.
The skirmishes dragged on throughout the night, with a large swath of the downtown area virtually off-limits to the public as protesters and law enforcement personnel filled the streets. News video showed a parked vehicle defaced with graffiti and consumed with flames as police officers stood by about 40 yards away.
Some of the most intense activity Monday evening took place in Little Tokyo and the Arts District, where people threw fireworks and other objects at police in riot gear, who responded with flash bangs and rubber bullets.
Video showed some demonstrators being placed on police buses with hands zip-tied behind their backs.
City News Service contributed to this article.
