As night falls, downtown protests continue—while LAPD trails curfew violators through the streets
On the inaugural night of the downtown Los Angeles curfew this week, many resisted by continuing to protest through the streets, while multiple police agencies pursued them and made arrests for curfew violations.
Mayor Karen Bass declared a state of emergency for Los Angeles on Tuesday, and imposed a curfew downtown. The area is off-limits to pedestrians from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., and the curfew is in effect from June 10 until further notice.
The purpose of the curfew, as expressed by Bass, is to curtail “bad actors” who claim to originate from the peaceful protests in the area, but “do not support the immigrant community.”
The curfew does not apply to police, the National Guard, or other military personnel deployed to the area. Firefighters, emergency service personnel, residents, people travelling to or from work or seeking medical treatment, utilities or public works personnel, people experiencing homelessness, and “credentialed media representatives engaged in news gathering” are also exempted from the curfew.
At the same time the mayor’s office announced the curfew, Bass was attending an interfaith vigil co-hosted by several religious organizations in solidarity with L.A.’s immigrant community. An estimated thousand people gathered in Gloria Molina Grand Park to pray and “call for nonviolence.” Many lit candles and echoed hymns sung by interfaith leaders onstage.
By 7:30 p.m., the congregation left Grand Park and marched to the Federal Building, swarming the steps and filling Los Angeles Street. The building entrance was blocked by a team of National Guardsmen. Others spilled over onto Aliso Street, where East Aliso was blocked by the California Highway Patrol (CHP).
While outside the federal building, protesters chanted, knelt in prayer and raised their fists.
As 8 p.m. rolled around, many dispersed, abiding by the curfew. A distilled crowd remained and were escorted out by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), including mounted units. Officers deployed less-lethal munitions at the crowd of protesters to enforce the curfew.
While most protesters cleared from the area by 9 p.m., other factions remained in the downtown area and continued marching and protesting. They ran through downtown, circling and cutting through different blocks while LAPD and Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD) units stayed on their trail.
By 11 p.m., downtown L.A. was mostly dispersed.
On Tuesday, LAPD made arrests for possession of a firearm, assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer, and discharging a laser at a LAPD airship. LAPD also arrested 203 people for failing to disperse on Tuesday, and an additional 17 people for violating curfew.