Downtown L.A. is under curfew after protest turmoil: What to know
Following four days of escalating protests that defaced landmarks and damaged property in downtown L.A., Mayor Karen Bass imposed a regional curfew on Tuesday in an effort to restore order.
The curfew is in place from 8 p.m. until 6 a.m. across most of downtown Los Angles.
The curfew footprint is from the 5 Freeway to the 110 Freeway and from the 10 Freeway to where the 110 and 5 freeways merge. The remainder of the city is not subject to the curfew.
There are limited exceptions to the curfew for those living and working in downtown L.A., credentialed members of the media, law enforcement and emergency personnel.
Bass said that she expects the curfew to remain in place for several days and will consult with law enforcement and elected leaders before lifting it. She said it was necessary to curb the actions of 'bad actors who do not support the immigrant community.'
Mayor Bass and L.A. Police Chief Jim McDonnell have both said that the curfew will be strictly enforcement and those in violation will be arrested.
'I am exercising my mayoral powers to implement a curfew within Downtown Los Angeles,' said Bass. 'If you do not live or work in Downtown L.A., avoid the area. Law enforcement will arrest individuals who break the curfew, and you will be prosecuted.'
As of 9 p.m. Tuesday, 25 protesters had been arrested in downtown L.A. on suspicion of violating curfew, according to an LAPD spokesperson. The spokesperson said she anticipated further arrests taking place throughout the night as officers worked to clear remaining protesters from the area.
The curfew comes as arrests have continuously increased since protests began on Friday in response to the Trump administration's immigration crackdown in Southern California.
Although no demonstrators were arrested by local law enforcement Friday, tensions escalated over the course of the weekend, leading to larger gatherings punctuated by episodes of violence, theft, graffiti, and property destruction.
L.A. police made 27 arrests on Saturday, 40 on Sunday and more than 100 on Monday, police said. A further 205 protesters were arrested Tuesday before Bass declared the curfew at 5:30 p.m.
People were arrested for an array of alleged crimes including failure to disperse, throwing a Molotov cocktail at an officer, driving a motorcycle into a line of officers, destruction of property and looting.
'Many businesses have now been affected by vandalism,' said Bass on Tuesday. 'Last night there were 23 businesses that were looted. If you drive through downtown, the graffiti is everywhere and has caused significant damages to businesses and a number of properties.'
A citywide curfew from 8 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. was implemented by then-Mayor Eric Garcetti during protests in May and June 2020 following George Floyd's murder. Then-L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva followed suit, announcing a countywide curfew beginning at 6 p.m. and ending at 6 a.m.
The curfews came after several days of largely peaceful demonstrations that were broken up by burglaries, fires and clashes with police. The move marked the first time since the 1992 Rodney King uprising that such a sweeping curfew had been enacted in Los Angeles.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
20 minutes ago
- Yahoo
'I call it a rebellion': Maxine Waters' history of enflaming crowds, from Rodney King to today
Eighteen-term Democrat Rep. Maxine Waters resurfaced in the news after several run-ins with federal authorities during the ongoing illegal immigration riots in California, just as her House tenure began amid prior Angeleno unrest. In 1992, as she was finishing her first term in Congress, the not-guilty verdict against White LAPD officers seen beating a Black motorist named Rodney King sparked a similar conflagration in Los Angeles, and Waters was in the midst of it then as well. The riots greatly affected her South Los Angeles district, and Waters was quoted at the time as appearing to downplay the violence not as a "riot" but as "just a bunch of crazy people who went out and did bad things for no reason." "I maintain it was somewhat understandable, if not acceptable. So I call it a rebellion," she said, according to the Los Angeles Times. Maxine Waters Torched By Feds For 'Taunting' Guardsmen And 'Spewing Lies' About Riots, Trying To Enter Jail Waters had joined the Rev. Jesse Jackson in trying to convince the Justice Department to file civil rights charges against the acquitted officers, blaming the rioting on Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Chief Daryl Gates and President George H.W. Bush, according to famed journalist Robert Novak. Read On The Fox News App When Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., attempted to have Waters expelled from Congress in 2021 for "inciting violence and terrorism," the Democrat claimed some of her past remarks were taken out of context. "I am not worried that they're going to continue to distort what I say," she told The Grio after Greene led her resolution with Waters' Rodney King-era statements. Greene said Waters violated House Rule 23's clause regarding conduct by members "at all times in a manner that shall reflect creditably on the House." At a 2007 anti-war protest, Waters declared she was "not afraid of George Bush" and also pledged to "get rid of" then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. She later drew the ire of Greene and other Republicans when she told an LGBTQ gala, "I will go and take out Trump tonight." Defenders said she was speaking rhetorically and politically and not threatening the mogul. Later in Trump's first administration, Waters was filmed on a California street corner shouting at supportive demonstrators and instructing them to be disruptive toward Trump allies. Maxine Waters Taunts Armed Agents After Feds Slam Door On Her During La Riots: 'You Better Shoot Straight' "If you see anybody … in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out, and you create a crowd, and you push back on them. And you tell them that they are not welcome." She later said she did not physically threaten Trump supporters, though then-White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders had earlier been run out of a Lexington, Va., restaurant and then-Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen was accosted at a Washington, D.C., eatery. In April 2021, Waters rallied in Brooklyn Center, Minn., while ex-Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin was on trial for the murder of George Floyd. Waters was recorded telling protesters to "stay" in the street and warned that if the jury delivered a not-guilty verdict, "We cannot go away … we've got to get more confrontational." The comments caught the attention of trial Judge Peter Cahill, suggesting the comments could lead to a defense appeal and also disrespected the judicial branch. Waters later pushed back on some characterizations, saying, "I am nonviolent. I talk about confronting the justice system. … I'm talking about speaking up." In February, Waters appeared in front of the Department of Education building in Washington along with other House Democrats. A security guard was confronted as lawmakers tried to gain entry to voice concerns about Secretary Linda McMahon's downsizing plans. This week, while riots again raged in Los Angeles, Waters hurried toward a group of National Guardsmen entering the plywood-covered door of the Metropolitan Detention Center. "I just came to use my congressional authority to check on David Huerta," she said, referring to the SEIU union leader arrested during an immigration raid. A Guardsman told Waters to contact "public affairs" and slammed the door in her face. She was later seen asking armed Guardsmen if they planned to shoot her, why they were there and that the conflict was President Donald Trump's fault. Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital after that incident that instead of "taunting" Guardsmen, Waters should have been trying to assuage the unrest. While some of her recent Republican challengers, like Joe Collins and Omar Navarro, have received hefty donations from around the country due to her polarizing comments, the 86-year-old has been re-elected with typically 70% of the vote. Fox News Digital reached out to Waters for comment but did not immediately hear back. Fox News' Leonard Balducci contributed to this article source: 'I call it a rebellion': Maxine Waters' history of enflaming crowds, from Rodney King to today
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Is LA Still Under Curfew Amid Protests?
Law enforcement is seen on duty as more than a thousand anti-ICE protesters gathered at Pershing Square and marched to City Hall on June 11, 2025, in Los Angeles, Calif. Credit - Tayfun Coskun—Getty Images The leaders of Los Angeles are trying to wrangle back control of the city that has now been marked by protest and control of federal troops. Mayor Karen Bass put a curfew in place for a portion of the downtown area of Los Angeles on Tuesday. This came as Bass declared a local emergency as a result of the escalating protests in the city. 'Curfew remains in effect tonight… for downtown Los Angeles to stop bad actors who are taking advantage of the President's chaotic escalation,' Bass said via a social media update on Wednesday evening. 'If you do not live or work in downtown L.A., avoid the area and follow guidance from law enforcement.' 'Vandalism and violence will not be tolerated,' she emphasized. Over 350 people have been arrested in L.A. since protests began on Friday. While reporters on the ground say that many of the protests that have occurred have been peaceful, others have descended into violence. Read More: L.A. Protests Rage On After Curfew Remains in Place for a Second Night The city is now bracing for the arrival of the Marines, deployed by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who are likely to arrive on the streets by Friday, and would be authorized to detain anyone who interferes with immigration officers on raids or protesters who confront federal agents. The active-duty Marines are set to join around 2,000 National Guard members deployed by President Donald Trump. He notably federalized the state officials without a request being made by Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has strongly criticized the move. 'The military's simply not needed. But what he [Trump] is doing is trying to gin things up to create problems,' Newsom said in a new interview on a New York Times podcast, released on Thursday, adding that the arrival of the National Guard flared tensions between authorities and protesters. 'We had to defend the National Guard. We had to use our own law enforcement to protect them… Just think about how perverse that is.' Trump's choice to send in the National Guard has also been challenged legally by the state of California. On Thursday, a federal court is scheduled to hear the case over California's request to block the Trump Administration from using troops in L.A. to quell unrest sparked by ICE raids. The hearing comes after an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order filed by Newsom on Tuesday was denied. As protests continue, with demonstrations since spilling out into other cities across the U.S., here's what you need to know about the curfew in place for L.A. Under Mayor Bass' instruction, the curfew lasts from 8 p.m., local time, until 6 a.m. the following morning. The one-mile-radius curfew covers a portion of downtown Los Angeles. Parts of Chinatown, Little Tokyo, the Fashion District, and the Arts District are within or near the curfew's can see the curfew's parameters in full, below: Read More: Veterans Condemn Trump's 'Misuse of Military Power' Amid L.A. Protests According to Bass' original notice, the order will hold true until the local emergency declaration is terminated—which remains in effect as of June 12. Bass said in a press conference with other local leaders on Wednesday that the curfew's stay will likely be dependent on how long ICE raids continue in the city. 'The emergency declaration that I signed yesterday does not have a time limit to it, and so the curfews will go on as long as they are needed,' Bass said. 'But, it's really kind of interdependent on what the response is from the federal side. If there are raids that continue, if there are soldiers marching up and down our street, I would imagine that the curfew will continue.' Bass also said that there were over a hundred arrests on the first night of curfew, though not for looting or violent charges, just for 'failure to disperse and curfew violation.' Contact us at letters@
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
This is the photo that proves Democrats' ignorance about the LA riots
The image that best captures the Los Angeles riots is not the masked protester standing atop the burning car waving his elephantine Mexican flag. It's the photo of California Highway Patrol Officers — the cops the Democrats control — huddled beneath a freeway overpass, afraid for their lives. These dozens of uniformed cops are held captive in the shade by thugs — yes, that's the appropriate word, 'thugs' — who ring the freeway from above, ready to smash them with large chunks of concrete and huge rocks the moment they step into the sun. The officers know that to leave the shade of the overpass is to imperil their own lives, because their patrol cars — still in the sun — have been smashed by projectiles that now litter the freeway. This is not a picture of protest. This is a picture of attempted murder. It is also a picture of the modern Democratic Party committing suicide. Democrats who defend the rioters or downplay the significance of what is happening in today's Los Angeles expose themselves to a harsh light. They reveal an ignorance only possible if you live your life in an impermeable membrane of groupthink, sealed off from the hard truths obvious to everyone else. Democratic leaders in California, beginning with Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, slow-walked their own law-enforcement response to the lawlessness overtaking the downtown of their state's biggest city. It took Mayor Bass four days to finally call a curfew to try to quell the violence. That was after four days of excusing and seemingly siding with violent protesters who menaced federal officers trying to enforce U.S. immigration law. That would be the same U.S. immigration law that Barack Obama enforced with such gusto that he came to be known as 'The Deporter in Chief' and set records for the American presidency with some 5.2 million returns to sender. The Los Angeles riots have devolved into repeat attacks on federal and local law officers. Protesters have broken up cement bollards and sidewalks and hurled the chunks of concrete at officers. Two protesters dangerously tried to drive their motorcycles through police lines. They have looted businesses in the downtown and set fires, leading to full blocks of the LA commercial district nailing plywood to their storefronts. They have smashed and burned five Waymo cars — the self-driving taxis that cost some $200,000 each. They have aimed commercial fireworks at the police and hurled large rocks at point-blank range at federal immigration vehicles. The latter is not harmless play. That's an act that can kill somebody. They've thrown Molotov cocktails at police and shut down freeways. And the Democrats want Donald Trump and his federal officers to stand down, because they have the situation under control. What does 'under control' look like? It looks like California Highway Patrol officers huddled beneath the freeway overpass afraid for their lives. There are a handful of Democrats who aren't complete automatons who understand what is happening. U.S. Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania tweeted on June 9, 'I unapologetically stand for free speech, peaceful demonstrations, and immigration — but this is not that. This is anarchy and true chaos. My party loses the moral high ground when we refuse to condemn setting cars on fire, destroying buildings, and assaulting law enforcement.' And what do Democrats think of Fetterman? They think he's mentally ill. But he's not alone. On Nov. 8, after Americans elected Donald Trump, CNN published a remarkable story based on interviews with Democratic representatives in swing districts who understand the party's problem. Henry Cuellar, a south Texas member of Congress, said he tried to warn his fellow Democrats. 'I was sensing something after the 2020 election. I said, 'Guys, there's something going on.'' Even 'little old ladies' in church were giving him the what-for for the mass immigration that Democrats leaders had abetted. 'Democrats have lost the working class,' he told CNN. U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres, a New York Democrat, told CNN, 'My basic concern is that we as a party should stop listening to the far left, which is more representative of Twitch, TikTok and Twitter than it is of the real world. And start listening to the working class people of color who increasingly feel alienated from the party.' Former Democratic U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, who led the House Democrats campaign arm in 2020, told CNN that the current party may be unsalvageable. It needs a serious reality check. 'I think it's gotta be a deep, deep, deep dive on the whole Democratic Party, frankly. I almost think we need to start from scratch.' The man Democrats loathe more than any other, Donald Trump — the man whose supporters they believe are interminably ignorant, the man they blame for the Los Angeles riots — is now, according to CNN's data analyst Harry Enten, blowing a hole through the Democratic Party. Tracking polls over the last eight years show Trump's approval rating on immigration has moved some 40 net points in the positive. Opinion: Trump knows what he's doing in LA - declaring war 'No matter what poll you look at, no matter which way you cut it, the American public is with the Republicans,' Enten said. 'The American public is with Donald Trump.' 'And to a much greater extent than they were in term number one. And it's not just on the broad issue of immigration. It's on the specifics as well, in which the American public is with Donald Trump and the Republicans.' Today's Democrats who play the apologists for the violent activists who descend on downtown LA must now face the hardest truth of them all. It isn't John Fetterman who is insane. Phil Boas is an editorial columnist with The Arizona Republic. Email him at Like this column? Get more opinions in your email inbox by signing up for our free opinions newsletter, which publishes Monday through Friday. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: LA riots expose hard truth. Democrats lost the working class | Opinion
