Cleanup of graffiti, damage begins in Los Angeles as anti-ICE protests continue
June 9 (Reuters) - Even as protests against raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement stretched into a fourth day Monday in Los Angeles, city workers began a cleanup of graffiti and other weekend damage across the city.
Maintenance workers could be seen removing anti-ICE graffiti spray painted on City Hall as other workers covered up messages in the city's Arts District. Burned out shells of Waymo autonomous vehicles remained on the city street where they had been engulfed in flames a day earlier.
Spray painted messages with expletives aimed at ICE and anti-police, and pro-migrant statements could be seen across downtown Los Angeles, including at the Roybal Federal Building where protesters continued to gather on Monday afternoon.
The cleanup efforts come after protesters clashed with the Los Angeles Police Department, other law enforcement personnel and ICE agents amid ongoing immigration sweeps in Southern California.
The protests reached a boiling point on Sunday as multiple vehicles, including a California Highway Patrol cruiser, were set on fire. Police fired tear gas into the crowds.
Los Angeles television station KTLA reported several businesses in the downtown area, including a cell phone retailer and a clothing store, were looted and vandalized overnight and in the early morning hours.
Los Angeles Public Library said it would close its branches in downtown, Chinatown and Little Tokyo due to the protests.
"We're closing to ensure the safety of patrons and staff in DTLA," the library said on Monday in a post on X.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News
14 minutes ago
- Sky News
Diddy trial - day 20 recap: Ex-girlfriend 'Jane' says she still loves Combs - and reveals 'hotel night' nicknames
Warning: The updates below contain graphic details of alleged sex trafficking. An anonymous former girlfriend and alleged victim of Sean "Diddy" Combs - known only as Jane - says she still loves him on day 20 of his trial, despite testifying against him.
Reuters
15 minutes ago
- Reuters
Los Angeles, progressive beacon at center of anti-Trump backlash
LOS ANGELES, June 10 (Reuters) - Protests in Los Angeles against raids on suspected undocumented immigrants have turned into the strongest domestic backlash against President Donald Trump since he took office in January. Here is how the Democratic-leaning city and state of California vary from Trump's Republicans and his support in the U.S. heartland. Nationwide, Trump won around 2.5 million more votes than his Democratic rival Kamala Harris in the November presidential election but in Los Angeles, Harris won by a margin of roughly two to one. Of the 50 U.S. states, California backed Harris by the fifth largest margin. California is also home to several top-level Democrats, including Harris herself, and long-time former Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi. Governor Gavin Newsom is a Democrat, as is the mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass. Both have complained about Trump's tactics this week. The party raises millions in the state from wealthy donors and grassroots supporters, sometimes in a single day. At 27.3%, California has the highest foreign-born population of any U.S. state, compared to 13.9% of the total U.S. population, according to a 2024 Census report. Nearly half of Angelenos are Hispanic or Latino and some 35% of the city's total population is foreign-born, according to the American Community Survey, with many cultural and business ties to Mexico, which is only about a two-hour drive south. Faced with persistently bad air quality, especially in cities with strong driving cultures such as Los Angeles, California has developed some of the strictest environmental regulations in the country, opposed by many Republicans. A landmark plan to end the sale of gasoline-only vehicles by 2035 in California is in the crosshairs of a battle between its Democratic leadership and the Republican-run federal government, also because many other states replicate California's first-in-the-nation action. In May, the Republican-run Senate in Washington voted to ban the plan and it is now awaiting Trump's signature. He is expected to sign it this week, according to industry officials. American movies and television are one of the most visible U.S. exports, emanating from an LA-based industry that had been hailed by liberals for boosting diversity but criticized by some conservatives for creating films that include LGBT stories. In May, Trump suggested a tariff on movies produced in foreign countries to protect a domestic industry that he said was "dying a very fast death." But when China retaliated by saying it would curb American film imports, he prompted laughter at a cabinet meeting by a response that signaled his derision for Hollywood: "I think I've heard of worse things."
The Independent
22 minutes ago
- The Independent
Federal agencies were reportedly tracking foreigners visiting with Musk afraid they were trying to influence the mogul
Federal agencies were tracking foreign nationals who visited Elon Musk over concerns that they could influence the tech billionaire, according to a report. Agencies, including the FBI and Department of Homeland Security, were reportedly among the agencies surveilling foreigners who met with Musk at his U.S. properties in 2022 and 2023, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter. Officials at the FBI and others were briefed on the investigation, The Journal reports, which focused on overseas visitors from Eastern Europe and elsewhere 'who might have been trying to influence him.' The investigation, which predates the second Trump administration, did not result in any charges, the outlet reports. The Department of Homeland Security declined to comment when approached by The Independent. The FBI and representatives for Musk did not immediately respond. Concern surrounded sensitive contracts Musk's five companies hold with the U.S. government and the 'unprecedented access' he has to top government officials, according to The Journal. Musk's own companies have been promised or awarded nearly $21 billion by the U.S. government since 2008, according to data analyzed by The Independent. The vast majority of the funding comes from federal contracts with SpaceX, the private space company Musk founded back in 2002. The company holds Defense Department contracts for satellite launches, including for the country's secretive National Reconnaissance Office. Reports surrounding Musk's foreign associates being tracked follow his dramatic exit from Washington, D.C., which saw his relationship with President Donald Trump implode last week. Musk helped re-elect the president by launching his super PAC last year. Eyebrows were raised by staffers within the America PAC over Musk's association with foreign nationals, according to The Journal. Sources familiar with the PAC's inner workings told the outlet that they brought in extensive vetting to 'keep foreigners out.' The Journal reported last October that Musk raising security concerns. Musk was said to have spoken to the Russian president on the phone about business and geopolitical matters, officials with knowledge of the alleged conversations told The Journal. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed one telephone call took place between Musk and Putin where they discussed 'space as well as current and future technologies,' the outlet reported, but denied there had been regular conversations. When reached for comment from Musk at the time, a SpaceX spokesperson told The Independent the claims in the Journal were 'misleading' and 'unsubstantiated.'
