Independence Day in L.A: Gospel, fireworks, and “Resistance”
Protesters two-stepped to a band playing salsa, cumbia, and merengue on a stage truck in front of City Hall. Others surrounded a man painting a mural on his van’s back door, listening to Syl Johnson's “Is It Because I’m Black.” Eyes followed the brushstrokes, fingers tapped to the beat and heads nodded as Johnson belted, “Something is holding me back.”
On Independence Day, several demonstrations in downtown Los Angeles continued the “Summer of Resistance,” a month-long collective effort led by the Service Employees International Union 721. The efforts protest what organizers call the “militarization” of L.A. and “overly excessive” immigration enforcement.
“We’re not going to leave until the military and ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) does,” said Right Reverend Littlefield, who held a Catholic mass for the event.
“You can’t separate spirituality from morality. Religion plays a huge part in this because Jesus sought justice and peace. He’s the support of the oppressed and marginalized, and that’s what we’re trying to emulate.”
Since June, President Donald Trump has deployed troops to Los Angeles, issued a memorandum prioritizing denaturalization and allocated $165 billion to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to assist with federal immigration enforcement.
In a press release, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said, the BBB secured a “historic $165 billion in appropriations” to help fulfill Trump’s campaign promise to deport “criminal illegal aliens” and “make America safe again.”
Protesters moved from Littlefield’s morning service to midday tabling events hosted by About Face Veterans and Roofers Union Local 36. They ended the day at Libre L.A.’s 4 p.m. party at Placita Olivera.
“Summer of Resistance” organizers also collaborated with the 50501 Movement for a 9:30 a.m. rally, followed by a mile-long march titled “End the Occupation.”
The march protested the “occupation of ICE in communities around the country, like L.A.,” according to Hunter Dunn, press and media relations director for 50501 SoCal. The 50501 Movement is a growing nationwide coalition of unions, civil rights groups, and anti-war organizations that formed in February 2025 to protest Trump’s policies.
50501 also recognizes occupations in “Gaza, Ukraine, Myanmar, Sudan,” said Dunn. “There are other occupations in the world. And the tactics used there, test run by the military-industrial complex, are being used here.”
Protesters marched through graffiti-filled streets waving multicultural flags, carrying decorative anti-ICE signs and chanting behind a stage truck: “The people united will never be defeated,” “Chinga la migra,” and “Fuck Donald Trump.”
As people looped through downtown, sage smoke drifted through the crowd as the truck’s speaker blasted Calibre 50’s song, “Corrido de Juanito”. Some excited bystanders recorded the crowd, and homeless people tidied their encampments as protesters passed.
“Oops, missed a spot, I’ll get that,” said a hunched-over homeless woman with one shoe, sweeping the sidewalk with a mini whisk broom.
The stage truck controlled the steady pace, blasting emotionally charged songs and leading political chants—until it veered off the organizers’ preplanned course, stopping in front of the Federal Building. Tension immediately spiked and attention shifted towards the armed troops guarding the building’s entrance, standing behind riot shields.
A cluster of weathered street vendors, costumed protesters and angry veterans then crowded the sidewalk. “This is a bullshit mission. You can’t even look us in the eyes,” said a U.S. Army veteran to straight-faced troops avoiding eye contact. “I could see it in your fucking eyes. Shame on you.”
Protesters refused to leave, preferring to protest outside the federal building, which forced organizers to continue the march back to City Hall without the majority of attendees.
Three demonstrations formed afterwards around 12:33 p.m.: at City Hall, the Federal Building steps and outside the Metropolitan Detention Center, according to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Central Division X account.
Emotions flared at the Federal Building, but the demonstration remained calm until Danny Mullen, a right-wing social media provocateur, dressed as Uncle Sam, appeared. As Mullen yelled at the troops, he caught the crowd’s attention.
Someone pointed him out and shouted, “he’s starting shit,” and Mullen immediately denied any wrongdoing. Protesters talked to him before chasing him out, chanting “Peaceful protest.”
Mullen left, but his presence created unrest. “Shoot me. I’m not afraid to die. You have a gun, we don’t,” yelled an elderly Spanish woman at the troops. “Vayanse a la verga, pussies. Shame on you!”
Troops remained at the front steps, while accosted by protesters. Some protesters cursed; others pleaded for them to abandon their posts. “You don’t have to do this,” said a protester with a megaphone offering legal counsel to the troops. “I have a lawyer, and he’ll defend you.”
The crowd size fluctuated throughout the day, with protesters visiting different demonstrations.
According to LAPD Central Division’s X account, most protests remained peaceful, but they made “multiple arrests” across “several demonstrations.”
Around 6:02, federal police deployed less-lethal munitions on protesters after “outside agitators” confronted DHS agents and National Guardsmen at the Detention Center, said LAPD Central Division’s X account. The department later issued a dispersal order around 7:05 p.m., about an hour after they reported deploying less-than-lethals.
Protesters have clashed with law enforcement since early June. Yet despite multiple confrontations at protests and ICE raids, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell maintains that the department does not assist ICE.
“I respect ICE for being a fellow law enforcement agency,” said McDonnell during a press conference on June 8. “They have their mission, what they have to do. We don’t engage in that activity, but again, we can’t preclude them from doing that. They have every right to do that.”
While McDonnell insists the LAPD doesn’t engage in immigration enforcement, some protesters say they’re complicit. “We’re seeing LAPD start to fucking work with ICE. We’re starting to see cooperation,” said one protester, who asked to stay anonymous to keep the focus on the protest.
“Like, what are you even responding to?” the protester said. “It feels dystopic, not gonna lie.”
The protester expressed anger at federal escalation, criticized the local response and challenged legacy outlets’ coverage of the protests.
“You come to the rallies, you see that they’re peaceful, and then you see the way that the media paints a narrative. It’s disorienting to see the real lived experience versus what they’re trying to show,” they said.
Nearly 250 years ago, the Founding Father created a country in pursuit of life liberty and happiness. This year L.A. celebrated Independence Day by praying, dancing, and protesting—on empty streets patrolled by masked federal agents, backed by armed troops and police officers.