Latest news with #LosAngelesRiots
Washington Post
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
When have presidents called in the National Guard to quell domestic unrest?
In the spring of 1992, Los Angeles was on fire. Dozens of people were killed, more than 1,500 people were injured and property damages were estimated to be about $500 million, as protests spread throughout the city after a jury acquitted police officers who beat Black motorist Rodney G. King. President George H.W. Bush said he saw 'the brutality of a mob, pure and simple.' Pledging to 'use whatever force is necessary to restore order,' he ordered thousands of National Guard troops to Los Angeles to quell one of the city's worst ever riot.
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
California sheriff blasts Harris' statement on LA anti-ICE riots
A California sheriff slammed Kamala Harris for her 'embarrassing' statement attempting to blame Donald Trump for the outrageous Los Angeles riots. The former vice president released a statement condemning the president for deploying the National Guard, which she called a 'dangerous escalation.' Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco (pictured), who has announced his candidacy for California governor in 2026 and could theoretically face Harris in that showdown, accused Harris and Gavin Newsom of gaslighting. 'President Trump didn't start these riots. He's not out there lighting cars on fire, hurling projectiles at law enforcement or blocking freeways. This statement is an embarrassment and does nothing to diffuse the violent riots taking place across the city,' Bianco wrote on social media. He said that Democratic leaders the likes of Harris, Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass 'own this.' The one-time presidential nominee then went on to express her support for the protests - which she called 'overwhelmingly peaceful.' 'In addition to the recent ICE raids in Southern California and across our nation, it is part of the Trump administration's cruel, calculated agenda to spread panic and division,' she wrote. Bianco made another post quote-tweeting a video from the riots that made fools of that statement. ' Gavin Newsom , Kamala Harris, Karen Bass and the Democrats want you to think this is a 'peaceful protest,' Bianco said. 'Don't let them gaslight you. This is Gavin's Lawless California. Our state deserves better.' Riverside is about 50 miles southwest of Los Angeles but Bianco said he is watching the situation. 'An adherence to law is an absolute requirement if we are to remain a civilized society,' he said in a statement. Donald Trump sent in 2,000 National Guard troops and placed 500 Marines on standby, while the LAPD has authorized the 'use of less lethal munitions' to regain control of the city. The reaction and the battle for control in the city has largely gone down party lines, having sparked a war of words between Trump and Newsom, who accused him of intentionally inflaming tensions. Trump hit back with a Truth Social post on Sunday demanding both Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass apologize for the LA riots, insisting those involved are not 'peaceful protesters' as the duo had claimed, but instead 'troublemakers and insurrectionists.' Trump issued an extraordinary directive on Sunday vowing to 'liberate Los Angeles' from illegal aliens which have 'invaded and occupied a once great American city.' A combined effort led by Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth , and Attorney General Pam Bondi will restore order, Trump said. He has directed his key personnel to 'to take all such action necessary to liberate Los Angeles from the Migrant Invasion, and put an end to these Migrant riots. 'Order will be restored, the Illegals will be expelled, and Los Angeles will be set free,' Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday afternoon. Trump lamented the current state of the city, expressing concern that 'a once great American City, Los Angeles, has been invaded and occupied by Illegal Aliens and Criminals. 'Now violent, insurrectionist mobs are swarming and attacking our Federal Agents to try and stop our deportation operations.' But he vowed 'these lawless riots only strengthen our resolve' as images emerge of troops on the ground in the downtown area of the city ready to defend the city from more violent demonstrations. The president congratulated the National Guard on doing a 'great job' in the city in the early hours of Sunday morning, although they hadn't arrived yet. But Governor Newsom shared a very different perspective just hours later, revealing he has urged Trump to ' rescind the order [and] return control to California.' 'We didn't have a problem until Trump got involved,' Newsom said in his extraordinary rebuke. 'This is a serious breach of state sovereignty — inflaming tensions while pulling resources from where they're actually needed.
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Aussie reporter breaks her silence on the traumatic moment she was shot by police during LA riots
An Australian news reporter covering the Los Angeles riots has spoken about the terrifying moment she was shot with a rubber bullet fired by a tactical police officer. Lauren Tomasi was reporting on the 'rapidly deteriorating' situation in the famous Californian city on Sunday evening, local time, when she was hit in the leg. 'I'm okay. My cameraman Jimmy and I are both safe,' she said. 'This is just one of the unfortunate realities of reporting on these kinds of incidents.' After addressing the incident, an impressively professional Tomasi then gave an updated report on the unfolding events in the city. 'It has been a really volatile day on the streets of Los Angeles, and I do want to show you the scene here tonight,' she told Nine News. Tomasi revealed she was in downtown Los Angeles, an area that had been cleared out by police. A warning has been issued that 'if anyone moves through here, they will be arrested on the spot'. 'There has been a lot of tempers flaring here today and certainly tonight there is a lot of anger in the city of angels,' she added. Tomasi had been telling viewers that 'the LAPD are moving in on horseback and firing rubber bullets at protesters' when the incident was caught live on air. The US correspondent for Nine said police were 'moving them (protesters) on through the heart of LA' while several loud bangs could be heard in the distance. Moments later a policeman was seen turning his gun towards Tomasi. A cloud of smoke appeared and she doubled over in pain. 'You just f***ing shot a reporter,' a protester yelled at nearby police as several other protesters stopped to ask the journalist if she was okay. Tomasi could be heard yelling back: 'I'm good, I'm good', and Nine confirmed the reporter was 'left sore but otherwise unharmed' by the close-range shot. Greens media and communications spokesperson Sarah Hanson-Young said the deliberate shooting of a journalist was shocking and 'must be called out in the strongest terms'. She said the incident must be investigated and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese should call Donald Trump and ask for an urgent explanation or speak to him about when the pair meet in coming days. 'Trump is a threat to journalistic freedom and to democratic values and we cannot afford, as Australians, to sit by and see an attack on those values by US authorities shooting at one of our journalists,' senator Hanson-Young said. 'The Prime Minister needs to be very clear here, Australia is not going to stand by and see our journalists attacked for simply doing their job.' Mr Albanese has yet to speak publicly on the incident. Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles declined to comment on US immigration policy under Mr Trump, but said he was glad to hear Ms Tomasi was OK. 'At the end of the day, how America operates its own immigration system is really a matter for the United States, and how it manages its own internal law enforcement is a matter for the United States,' he told Sky News. Protesters in the city are marching against President Donald Trump 's crackdown on illegal migrants and raids by ICE, Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Horrifying scenes showed cars erupting into flames and emitting toxic gases as rioters chained themselves to furniture and created blockades to grind Downtown Los Angeles to a complete halt as violence stretched into a third day. Trump sent in 2,000 National Guard troops and placed 500 Marines on standby, while the LAPD has authorized the 'use of less lethal munitions' to regain control of the city. The conflict has sparked a war of words between Trump and California Governor Gavin Newsom, who accused him of intentionally inflaming tensions. Trump hit back with a Truth Social post on Sunday demanding both Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass apologise for the LA riots. The president insisted those involved are not 'peaceful protesters' as the duo had claimed, but instead 'troublemakers and insurrectionists.' Earlier in the evening, authorities faced an uphill battle to contain violence on the 101 Freeway, where more than 2,000 protesters commandeered northbound and southbound traffic. Motorists were trapped in standstill traffic as the group marched with flags and signs high above their heads. Officers in nearby Alameda and Temple reported 'people in the crowd are throwing concrete, bottles and other objects.' At least two officers were injured after motorcyclists ploughed through rioters and ran straight over the top of authorities. Both of the riders were detained by police as the officers received treatment from medical personnel on the scene. Elsewhere, officers were reportedly struck by fireworks as they worked to break up a violent crowd. As the riots continue, protesters were also filmed brandishing 3D creations of Trump's severed head on a pole. At the Los Angeles City Hall, authorities on horseback were locked in a tense standoff with even more demonstrators, sparking fears from local law enforcement officers that they were in for a 'rough night.' Further arrests were made throughout the Civic Center area of Downtown LA.
The Independent
9 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Donald Trump Jr weighs into LA crisis by suggesting protesters should be shot by ‘Rooftop Koreans'
Donald Trump Jr has attempted to make light of the ongoing tensions in Los Angeles by calling for the city to 'Make Rooftop Koreans Great Again!' Donald Trump's eldest son posted a meme on X of a Korean-American business owner inspecting a rifle on a rooftop in reference to the Los Angeles riots of 1992, which erupted in response to the acquittal of four Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers caught on video beating Black motorist Rodney King. The angry scenes that ensued saw some members of the local Asian diaspora take up arms to defend their businesses from looters and vandals. The Korean-Americans who took action to safeguard their livelihoods were both applauded as symbols of self-reliance and condemned for risking exacerbating existing racial animosity in their neighborhoods. Don Jr's post comes after protesters again took to the streets of the California city over the weekend to rail against his father's crackdown on illegal immigration, scenes that began on Friday when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents met with opposition from the public as they attempted to arrest alleged undocumented migrants living locally. The mass resistance saw vehicles set alight as protesters threw fireworks towards armed law enforcement officers, held aloft placards bearing hostile slogans and shouted 'Shame on you!' Officers in riot gear responded by firing tear gas and flash grenades to attempt to disperse the crowds. ICE operations across Los Angeles County have so far resulted in the arrests of 118 accused illegal immigrants despite the clashes, according to the Department of Homeland Security. President Trump responded to the situation by federalizing the California National Guard on Saturday, a step that was immediately condemned as 'unlawful' by the state's Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, who said the move was unnecessary as there were enough LAPD officers on the streets to control the demonstrations. Newsom accused Trump of attempting to 'manufacture a crisis' to distract from his other domestic controversies and of violating California's state sovereignty. 'These are the acts of a dictator, not a president,' he added. Newsom has since sued the administration and challenged Trump's border czar Tom Homan to arrest him, writing on X on Sunday: 'Come and get me, tough guy. I don't give a damn. It won't stop me from standing up for California.' Trump hit back at him on Truth Social, declaring: 'Governor Gavin Newscum and 'Mayor' [Karen] Bass should apologize to the people of Los Angeles for the absolutely horrible job that they have done, and this now includes the ongoing L.A. riots. 'These are not protesters, they are troublemakers and insurrectionists. Remember, NO MASKS!' More than 2,000 members of the state National Guard duly arrived in the city on Sunday to assist the LAPD in maintaining order. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has meanwhile threatened to send in the Marines if the chaos continues. At least 10 protesters were arrested on Sunday, following on from the 29 taken into custody on Saturday.
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Posse Comitatus Act at center of Trump-Newsom National Guard dispute in LA
President Donald Trump and California Gov. Gavin Newsom are clashing over the deployment of the National Guard amid ongoing Los Angeles riots with different interpretations of the 1878 law that governs the use of the military to enforce the law domestically. The Posse Comitatus Act was signed into law by President Rutherford B. Hayes amid concerns that the military had too much sway over civilian affairs during Reconstruction. It generally bars the use of the U.S. military for civilian law enforcement inside the country, but there are key exceptions. Trump deployed the National Guard early Sunday, but so far, those troops have not participated in any direct law enforcement. Johnson Says Hegseth Possibly Sending Marines To Anti-ice Riots Not Heavy-handed: 'Deterring Effect' Trump sent in the National Guard after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were reportedly attacked on the streets of L.A. as they conducted raids to catch and deport illegal immigrants. Seeing that neither Newsom nor L.A. Mayor Karen Bass were moving aggressively enough to stop the attacks, Trump signed a presidential memorandum to deploy 2,000 National Guard troops to "address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester," the White House said in a statement. Newsom objected immediately even as the riots spiraled. "I have formally requested the Trump Administration rescind their unlawful deployment of troops in Los Angeles county and return them to my command," Newsom wrote on X on Sunday alongside his letter to President Trump. "We didn't have a problem until Trump got involved. This is a serious breach of state sovereignty – inflaming tensions while pulling resources from where they're actually needed." Read On The Fox News App In addition to the Guard, the Pentagon said Sunday night it stands ready to send in 500 active-duty Marines. If the military is to take an active role in suppressing the riots, the 147-year-old law will take center stage. Exceptions to the Posse Comitatus Act that allow the military to enforce the law against U.S. citizens include congressional decree, if an insurrection has been declared under the Insurrection Act, or when state governments prove unable or unwilling to impose law and article source: Posse Comitatus Act at center of Trump-Newsom National Guard dispute in LA
