LA braces for stronger winds as fires continue to burn
LOS ANGELES — Residents of Los Angeles are bracing for further destruction as weather forecasts indicate that winds helping fuel the flames might pick up again.Three fires continue to blaze. The largest, the Palisades Fire, has burned more than 23,000 acres and remained at 14% contained as of Monday evening.LA Mayor Karen Bass said "urgent preparations" are being made in advance of near hurricane-force winds predicted to peak on Tuesday.At least 24 people have died in the fires and 23 others are missing in the Eaton and Palisades fire zones.On Monday, authorities also announced nine people were arrested for looting and one for arson.At a news conference, LA District Attorney Nathan Hochman showed videos of some looting and outlined maximum sentences if the accused are convicted.In some of the cases the suspects could face life in prison under California's "three strikes" law – under which repeat offenders can be sentenced to 25 years to life after a third conviction.The one arson suspect was arrested in the nearby city of Azusa, around 20 miles (32km) east of downtown Los Angeles.The arson is not linked to any of the major fires but was allegedly started in a local park.Law enforcement also warned against price gouging, internet scams, and flying drones, which can interfere with firefighting aircraft.They said a number of ongoing investigations means more charges could be filed.Blake Chow, the assistant chief of the Los Angeles Police Department's office of special operations, issued a stern warning to looters: "You're not going to get away with it."Also on Monday, two lawsuits were filed against power company Southern California Edison (SCE) by property owners who lost homes in the Eaton fire.They alleged the company failed to de-energise its electrical equipment despite warnings of high winds.A company spokesperson said that SCE had not yet been served with the complaint but that would review it once received."The cause of the fire continues to be under investigation," the spokesperson said.A separate lawsuit was filed against the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) by residents of the Pacific Palisades, accusing the utility company of failing to supply enough water to fight the fire there.The complaint, filed by law firm Robertson & Associates in Los Angeles Superior Court, claims a reservoir that had been drained should have been maintained."The Palisades Fire has been a traumatic event for its victims, who through no fault of their own, went from homeowners to homeless in a matter of hours," the complaint said, according to Reuters news agency.The BBC has asked LADWP for comment.In a statement on its website last week, LADWP said: "The water system serving the Pacific Palisades area and all of Los Angeles meets all federal and state fire codes for urban development and housing."It said it was launching its own investigation into water resiliency.The Eaton Fire, the second-largest of the series of blazes that broke out across the city last week, has burned more than 14,000 acres, and is 33% contained, authorities said.There had been "very little fire growth" of the Palisades blaze on Monday, said Jim Hudson, deputy chief of CalFire.The BBC Weather Centre says Santa Ana winds — blowing in from the east or north-east — could reach gusts up to 70mph (112km/h) on Tuesday, potentially stoking further fires.Weather officials say lighter winds are forecast to develop after Wednesday, bringing an opportunity for firefighters to further contain the blazes.A curfew remains in place in evacuation areas between 18:00 and 06:00 local time.Adam Schiff, the newly elected Democratic senator for California, told the BBC that he hoped that the incoming Trump administration would move quickly to provide disaster relief.When asked whether wildfires had become increasingly politicised, Schiff said: "There has been people doing that since the moment the fires started.""It's not helpful right now, let's just focus on putting these fires out, getting people the help that they need."President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly planning to visit the area in the coming days.Federal lawmakers are set to meet on Tuesday morning to discuss disaster aid for the state.President Joe Biden said he has directed hundreds of federal personnel, aerial and ground support to California, and his team will "respond promptly" to any request for more help."Our hearts ache for the 24 innocent souls we have lost," he said.Meanwhile, as city fire crews continue to try to contain the blazes, local residents joined in relief efforts.Actor and comedian Will Arnett told the BBC that he has friends who lost their homes."I think that everybody should help in ways they can," said Arnett, who was helping to distribute water to those affected by the fires."It is nice seeing people coming together and volunteering the way that they are."Fardad Khayami, a 24-year-old restaurant owner in Pacific Palisades, was delivering hundreds of meals to people affected by the fires.He told BBC Newsday: "If you look, outside, it seems to offer a normal city where we are. But if you drive five minutes to the west, it seems like a different world."He hoped to provide locals with 500 meals a day "for as long as they need them".Altadena resident Michael Storc, who lost his family home, said "rents have gone up a lot.""I grew up a poor kid who was renting, so going back to renting is a bit gutting," he said.His family wonders if they will ever be able to rebuild on the land where their home once stood, he said."We don't know if it will ever be safe," he told the BBC.While many expensive mansions were lost in the fires, Pete Brown, a spokesman for a local council member in Pacific Palisades, said many owners bought the homes some 50 years ago, some for prices around $25,000 (£20,500).He said those elderly homeowners are now left with nothing.
"Their wealth was in that home," said Brown. — BBC
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Arab News
3 days ago
- Arab News
Police detain more than 20 people during Los Angeles protest curfew
LOS ANGELES: Police detained more than 20 people, mostly on curfew violations, on the first night of restrictions in downtown Los Angeles and used crowd-control projectiles to break up hundreds of protesters demonstrating against President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, officials said Wednesday. But there were fewer clashes between police and demonstrators than on previous nights, and by daybreak, the downtown streets were bustling with residents walking dogs and commuters clutching coffee cups. Officials said the curfew was necessary to stop vandalism and theft by agitators after five days of protests, which have mostly been concentrated downtown. Demonstrations have also spread to other cities nationwide, including Dallas and Austin in Texas, and Chicago and New York, where thousands rallied and more arrests were made. LA's nightly curfew, which the mayor said would remain in effect as long as necessary, covers a 1-square-mile (2.5-square-kilometer) section that includes an area where protests have occurred since Friday in the sprawling city of 4 million. The city of Los Angeles encompasses roughly 500 square miles (1,295 square kilometers). 'If there are raids that continue, if there are soldiers marching up and down our streets, I would imagine that the curfew will continue,' Mayor Karen Bass said. The tensions in LA and elsewhere emerged as immigration authorities seek to dramatically increase the number of daily arrests across the country. Bass said the raids spread fear across the city at the behest of the White House. 'We started off by hearing the administration wanted to go after violent felons, gang members, drug dealers,' she told a news conference. 'But when you raid Home Depots and workplaces, when you tear parents and children apart, and when you run armored caravans through our streets, you're not trying to keep anyone safe. You're trying to cause fear and panic.' Referring to the protests, she added: 'If you drive a few blocks outside of downtown, you don't know that anything is happening in the city at all.' Some 2,000 National Guard soldiers are in the city, and about half of them have been protecting federal buildings and agents, said Army Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman, head of Task Force 51, which is overseeing the deployment of National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles. About 700 Marines will soon join the Guard troops, but they are still undergoing training and will not be mobilized Wednesday, Sherman said. Another 2,000 Guard troops should be on the streets by Thursday, he said. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has accused Trump of drawing a 'military dragnet' across the nation's second-largest city with his escalating use of the National Guard, which Trump activated, along with the Marines, over the objections of city and state leaders. Newsom asked a court to put an emergency stop to the military helping federal immigration agents. The assistance includes some guardsmen now standing protectively around agents as they carry out arrests. A judge set a hearing for Thursday, giving the administration several days to continue its activities. The change moves the military closer to engaging in law enforcement actions such as deportations, as Trump has promised as part of his immigration crackdown. The Guard has the authority to temporarily detain people who attack officers, but any arrests would be made by law enforcement. The president posted on the Truth Social platform that the city 'would be burning to the ground' if he had not sent in the military. Meanwhile in New York City, police said they took 86 people into custody during protests in lower Manhattan that lasted into Wednesday morning. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the vast majority of demonstrators were peaceful. A 66-year-old woman in Chicago was injured when she was struck by a car during downtown protests Tuesday evening, police said. Video showed a car speeding down a street where people were protesting. In Texas, where police in Austin used chemical irritants to disperse several hundred demonstrators Monday, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's office said Texas National Guard troops were 'on standby' in areas where demonstrations are planned. Guard members were sent to San Antonio, but Police Chief William McManus said he had not been told how many troops were deployed or their role ahead of planned protests Wednesday night and Saturday. Authorities announce arrests in protests Two people accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at police during the LA protests over the weekend face charges that could bring up to 10 years in prison, the Justice Department announced Wednesday. No one was injured by the devices. One of the suspects is a US citizen, and the other overstayed a tourist visa and was in the US illegally, authorities said. 'We are looking at hundreds of people,' US Attorney Bill Essayli said. 'If you took part in these riots and were looking to cause trouble, we will come looking for you.' Trump, Newsom locked in a war of words Trump has called the protesters 'animals' and 'a foreign enemy' and described Los Angeles in dire terms that the governor says is nowhere close to the truth. Newsom called Trump's actions the start of an 'assault' on democracy. 'California may be first, but it clearly will not end here. Other states are next,' he said. The protests began Friday after federal immigration raids arrested dozens of workers in Los Angeles. Protesters blocked a major freeway and set cars on fire over the weekend, and police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades. Thousands of people have peacefully rallied outside City Hall and hundreds more protested outside a federal complex that includes a detention center where some immigrants are being held following workplace raids. Despite the protests, immigration enforcement activity has continued throughout the county, with city leaders and community groups reporting US Immigration and Customs Enforcement present at libraries, car washes and Home Depots. School graduations in Los Angeles have increased security over fears of ICE action, and some have offered parents the option to watch on Zoom. Los Angeles police detained 200 people related to the protests throughout the day on Tuesday, including 67 who were occupying a freeway, according to the city's chief. The majority of arrests since the protests began have been for failing to disperse, while a few others were for assault with a deadly weapon, looting and vandalism. At least seven police officers have been injured.
Al Arabiya
4 days ago
- Al Arabiya
Nighttime curfew in protest-hit LA as Trump vows to ‘liberate' city
A nighttime curfew was in force in Los Angeles on Tuesday as local officials sought to get a handle on protests that Donald Trump claimed were an invasion by a 'foreign enemy.' Looting and vandalism have scarred the heart of America's second-biggest city as largely peaceful protests over immigration arrests turned ugly after dark. 'I have declared a local emergency and issued a curfew for downtown Los Angeles to stop the vandalism, to stop the looting,' Mayor Karen Bass told reporters. One square mile (2.5 square kilometers) of the city's more than 500-square-mile area will be off-limits until 6:00 am (1300 GMT) for everyone apart from residents, journalists, and emergency services, she added. One protester told AFP that the arrest of migrants in a city with large foreign-born and Latino populations was the root of the unrest. 'I think that obviously they're doing it for safety,' she said of the curfew. 'But I don't think that part of the problem is the peaceful protests. It's whatever else is happening on the other side that is inciting violence.' Small-scale and largely peaceful protests — marred by eye-catching acts of violence — began Friday in Los Angeles as anger swelled over ramped-up arrests by immigration authorities. At their largest, a few thousand people have taken to the streets, but smaller mobs have used the cover of darkness to set fires, daub graffiti, and smash windows. Overnight Monday, 23 businesses were looted, police said, adding that more than 500 people had been arrested over recent days. Protests have also sprung up in cities around the country, including New York, Atlanta, Chicago, and San Francisco. 'Provide protection' Trump has ordered 4,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles, along with 700 active-duty Marines, in what he claims is a necessary escalation to take back control — despite the insistence of local law enforcement that they can handle matters. A military spokeswoman said the soldiers were expected to be on the streets later Tuesday or sometime on Wednesday. Their mission will be to guard federal facilities and to accompany 'federal officers in immigration enforcement operations in order to provide protection.' Demonstrators told AFP the soldiers 'should be respected' because they hadn't chosen to be in LA, but Lisa Orman blasted the move as 'ridiculous.' 'I was here for the Dodger parade,' she said, referring to the LA team's World Series victory. 'It was 100 times bigger. So the idea that the Marines [are] here — it's a big show. The president wants a big show.' The Pentagon said the deployment would cost US taxpayers $134 million. Photographs issued by the Marine Corps showed men in combat fatigues using riot shields to practice crowd control techniques at the Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach. 'Behaving like a tyrant' Two dozen miles (40 kilometers) north, the sprawling city of Los Angeles spent the day much as it usually does: tourists thronged Hollywood Boulevard, tens of thousands of children went to school, and commuter traffic choked the streets. But at a military base in North Carolina, Trump was painting a much darker picture. 'What you're witnessing in California is a full-blown assault on peace, on public order, and national sovereignty,' he told troops at Fort Bragg. 'This anarchy will not stand. We will not allow an American city to be invaded and conquered by a foreign enemy.' California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat who has clashed with the president before, said Trump's shock militarization of the city was the behavior of 'a tyrant, not a president.' 'Sending trained warfighters onto the streets is unprecedented and threatens the very core of our democracy,' he said. In a live-streamed address, Newsom called Trump a 'president who wants to be bound by no law or constitution, perpetuating a unified assault on American tradition. 'California may be first, but it clearly will not end here.' In a filing to the US District Court in Northern California, Newsom asked for an injunction preventing the use of troops for policing. 'Incredibly rare' Trump's use of the military is an 'incredibly rare' move for a US president, Rachel VanLandingham, a professor at Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles and a former US Air Force lieutenant colonel, told AFP. US law largely prevents the use of the military as a policing force — absent the declaration of an insurrection, which Trump again mused about on Tuesday. Trump 'is trying to use emergency declarations to justify bringing in first the National Guard and then mobilizing Marines,' said law professor Frank Bowman of the University of Missouri.
Arab News
4 days ago
- Arab News
Los Angeles mayor imposes curfew on downtown following increased nighttime violence
LOS ANGELES: Mayor Karen Bass issued a curfew for downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday 'to stop the vandalism, to stop the looting.' She said in a news conference that she had declared a local emergency and that the curfew will run from 8 p.m. Tuesday until 6 a.m. Wednesday. 'We reached a tipping point' after 23 businesses were looted, Bass said. The curfew will be in place in a 1 square mile (2.59 square kilometer) section of downtown that includes the area where protests have occurred since Friday. The city of Los Angeles encompasses roughly 500 square miles (2,295 square kilometers). The curfew doesn't apply to residents who live in the designated area, people who are homeless, credentialed media or public safety and emergency officials, according to Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell. McDonnell said 'unlawful and dangerous behavior' had been escalating since Saturday. 'The curfew is a necessary measure to protect lives and safeguard property following several consecutive days of growing unrest throughout the city,' McDonnell said. Earlier Tuesday, National Guard troops began protecting immigration agents as they made arrests in Los Angeles on Tuesday, an expansion of their duties that had been limited to protecting federal property. Photos posted Tuesday by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement show National Guard troops standing guard around officers as they made arrests. ICE said in a statement that the troops were providing security at federal facilities and protecting federal officers 'who are out on daily enforcement operations.' The change moves troops closer to engaging in law enforcement actions like deportations as President Donald Trump has promised as part of the administration's immigration crackdown. The agency said Guard members are also providing support with transportation. The Guard has the authority to temporarily detain people who attack officers but any arrests ultimately would be made by law enforcement. National Guard troops and Marines deployed to LA California Gov. Gavin Newsom had asked a federal court to block the Trump administration from using the National Guard and Marines to assist with immigration raids in Los Angeles, saying it would only heighten tensions and promote civil unrest. Newsom filed the emergency request after Trump ordered the deployment to LA of roughly 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines following protests of the president's stepped-up enforcement of immigration laws. The federal government said Newsom was seeking an unprecedented and dangerous order that would interfere with its ability to carry out enforcement operations. A judge set a hearing for Thursday. The Marines and another 2,000 National Guard troops were sent to LA on Monday, adding to a military presence that local officials and Newsom do not want and that the police chief says makes it harder to handle the protests safely. Marine Corps Gen. Eric Smith said Tuesday that the Marines had not yet been called to respond to the protests and were there only to protect federal officials and property. The Marines were trained for crowd control but have no arrest authority, Smith told a budget hearing on Capitol Hill. Marines were not seen on the streets yet, while National guard troops so far have had limited engagement with protesters. Trump says he's open to using Insurrection Act Trump left open the possibility of invoking the Insurrection Act, which authorizes the president to deploy military forces inside the US to suppress rebellion or domestic violence or to enforce the law in certain situations. It's one of the most extreme emergency powers available to a US president. 'If there's an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it. We'll see,' he said from the Oval Office. Later the president called protesters 'animals' and 'a foreign enemy' in a speech at Fort Bragg ostensibly to recognize the 250th anniversary of the US Army. Trump has described Los Angeles in dire terms that Mayor Karen Bass and Newsom say are nowhere close to the truth. The protests began Friday after federal immigration raids arrested dozens of workers in Los Angeles. Protesters blocked a major freeway and set cars on fire over the weekend, and police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades. The demonstrations have been mostly concentrated downtown in the city of 4 million and have been far less raucous since the weekend. Thousands of people have peacefully rallied outside City Hall and hundreds more protested outside a federal complex that includes a detention center where some immigrants are being held following workplace raids. Several businesses were broken into Monday, though authorities didn't say if the looting was tied to the protests. Nejdeh Avedian, general manager at St. Vincent Jewelry Center in the Los Angeles Jewelry District said the protesters had already left, and 'these guys were just opportunists,' though St. Vincent's had armed guards and was left alone. Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement Tuesday that protesters have hurled rocks and Molotov cocktails at law enforcement, set vehicles on fire, defaced buildings and public property and set fire to American flags. The Los Angeles Police Department said there have been more than 100 arrests. The vast majority were for failing to disperse, while a few others were for assault with a deadly weapon, looting, vandalism and attempted murder for tossing a Molotov cocktail. Seven police officers were reportedly injured, and at least two were taken to a hospital and released. On Tuesday, a few dozen protesters gathered peacefully in front of the federal complex, which was quickly declared an unlawful assembly. Police issued a dispersal order and corralled the protesters, telling members of the media to stay out to avoid getting hurt. Officers with zip ties then started making arrests. Obscene slogans directed at Trump and federal law enforcement remained scrawled across several buildings. At the Walt Disney Concert Hall, workers were busy washing away graffiti Tuesday. In nearby Santa Ana, armored Guard vehicles blocked a road leading to federal immigration and government offices. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested Tuesday that the use of troops inside the US will continue to expand. 'I think we're entering another phase, especially under President Trump with his focus on the homeland, where the National Guard and Reserves become a critical component of how we secure that homeland,' he said on Capitol Hill. Los Angeles officials say police don't need help The mayor and the governor say Trump is putting public safety at risk by adding military personnel even though police say they don't need the help. Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said he was confident in the police department's ability to handle the demonstrations and that the Marines' arrival without coordinating with police would present a 'significant logistical and operational challenge.' Demonstrations have spread to other cities nationwide, including San Francisco, as well as Dallas and Austin, Texas, Chicago and New York City, where a thousand people rallied and multiple arrests were made. LA response takes stage on Capitol Hill The Pentagon said deploying the National Guard and Marines costs $134 million. Meanwhile, Democratic members of California's congressional delegation on Tuesday accused the president of creating a 'manufactured crisis.' On Monday, California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit seeking to halt the deployment. Trump said the city would have been 'completely obliterated' if he had not deployed the Guard. The deployment appeared to be the first time in decades that a state's National Guard was activated without a request from its governor, a significant escalation against those who have sought to hinder the administration's mass deportation efforts.
