LA police make ‘mass arrests' as protesters break curfew

Telegraph

a day ago

Los Angeles police are making 'mass arrests' after hundreds of protesters defied an emergency curfew in the city's downtown area.
An 8pm curfew was put in place after Karen Bass, the Los Angeles mayor, said the city had reached a 'tipping point' on the fifth day of immigration protests.
It came as anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) demonstrations spread to cities across the US including Seattle, Chicago and New York, where more than 80 protesters were arrested.
Greg Abbott, the governor of Texas, said the state would deploy its National Guard to 'maintain order' after police used chemical irritants to disperse several hundred demonstrators in Austin.
Riots first erupted in Los Angeles last Friday after ICE officers carried out a string of raids at Home Depot parking lots and local businesses.
The demonstrations have at times descended into violence, with protesters throwing Molotov cocktails, rocks and fireworks at police, who had shot rubber bullets and tear gas into the crowds.
The protests have become a political touchstone, with President Donald Trump making the unprecedented move to send 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles.
Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, accused Mr Trump of drawing a 'military dragnet' across the city and called him a 'deranged fantasy of a dictatorial president'.
Mr Trump and his 'border czar' Tom Homan threatened to arrest him if he got in the way.
Mr Newsom asked a court to put an emergency stop to the military helping federal immigration agents, as some guardsmen were seen standing in protection around agents as they carried out arrests.
On Tuesday Ms Bass declared a curfew from 8pm Tuesday to 6am Wednesday after 23 businesses were looted on Monday night.
The curfew covers a 1 square-mile section of downtown which includes the area where protests have occurred since Friday.
On Tuesday night, Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers quickly began arresting protesters who ignored the curfew.
But hundreds of protesters defied the restrictions and marched through the downtown area for several hours as a police helicopter circled above.
A procession of cars joined the on-foot protesters, driving slowly with the Mexican flag hanging from their windows. They honked their horns and did donuts to rapturous cheers from the crowd.
Residents came out onto their balconies to shout in support as the protesters passed their homes, with one woman coming outside waving the stars and stripes.
Masked demonstrators sprayed graffiti on walls as they moved with the crowd, while others threw fireworks.
A police presence was largely absent throughout for the first hour of the March, but at around 10pm dozens of police cars zoomed through the streets and officers began piling out in preparation to arrest those who had defied the curfew.
Jacob Garcia, 23, who attended the protest on Tuesday, said people are still demonstrating because 'there's a lot to fight for.'
Mr Garcia's father and step-father were both previously deported back to Mexico after living in the US for several years.
'I've never seen so many people get so scared living here in my lifetime... I've never seen my friends and family be so worried,' he said.
John Parker, 46, walked up to the police and waved a large flag with his six-year-old son shortly after the curfew came into effect.
'I'll keep having my voice heard,' he told The Telegraph.
'They want to arrest me, and that's what they will do. I need to have my voice heard,' he added.
Another protest is planned for 5pm on Wednesday in Los Angeles's downtown area.