Los Angeles (LA) citizens began a series of both peaceful and violent protests against immigration raids, June 6, after United States (US) Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) carried out sweeps throughout the county.
The downtown LA area quickly delved into chaos as the tensions between the city and the federal agents were ever growing.
At around 3 p.m, June 6, ICE agents were spotted taking two people in handcuffs into a white van outside an apparel manufacturing business. Protestors unsuccessfully tried to stop them. A large group of protesters later gathered outside the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building and US. Courthouse to call for an end to immigration sweeps. Protesters vandalized buildings, heckled police and threw objects at them. In response, police used batons and tear gas launchers against the crowd.
Demonstrators continued to express their outrage. It did not take long for U.S President Donald J. Trump to deploy nearly 2,000 National Guard members to LA. CA Governor Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass expressed disdain against this decision, stating that it would make the situation even more tense.
The protests were nonstop from there on out. People gathered every day outside the Metropolitan Detention Center, where undocumented people were held. People were demonstrating their outrage, some going as far to take advantage of the situation to raise havoc. Protesters looted stores, set fire to cars and blocked roads. Guards responded with equal violence, using items such as tear gas and flash-bang grenades at crowds.
One major protest was the No Kings Protest, June 14. When Trump had a military parade costing anywhere from $25 million to $45 million for his 79th birthday, people of all walks of life came out to protest his policies and position in office, comparing his leadership to a king or tyrant; alternate titles included No Tyrants and No Dictators day.
These protests were widespread over the US and even in foreign countries such as Canada and Mexico. The LA protests turnouts were high, especially with the ongoing ICE raids. Although media coverage on the protests is dwindling with time, many protesters stand strong and persistent; the protests are continuing to this day.
