Hearing our national leaders tell this, Los Angeles is in chaos, our governor and mayor have lunch with police, and are very ignoring reality when the city is burning.
Shortly after ordering the National Guard to land on our streets, President Trump wrote on social media: “These radical left-wing protests by inciteers and often paid troublemakers will not be tolerated.”
“To some extent, protest or violence directly inhibits the enforcement of the law, which constitutes a form of insurgency against the authority of the U.S. government,” he wrote in a memo on Saturday.
Put your hand latte latte in the birdstocks to exchange for boots, guys. Obviously, we are revolutionary, so only an experienced army can stop us. The only problem, of course, is that Los Angeles is not in chaos on this particular sunny Sunday, and the vast majority of Angelens is just trying to enjoy the weekend without becoming a federal prisoner.
Trump’s memo will enter history books, a time when presidential power expands to control his own military power. Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the law school at UC Berrekley, said it was “amazing.”
More importantly, because the deployment is based on lies. Yes, in the past few days, it has been completely deported by federal immigration authorities as criminals and ordinary people. If you hold your camera angle tightly at these protests like many media do, it does look horrible.
Throw rocks, even a Molotov cocktail. Masked protesters hammered on concrete pillars outside the federal building in downtown. The car caught fire.
All of this is terrible and should be arrested by our local police and sheriffs, who can handle more than just a few hundred protesters.
But as usual, 99% of the city’s business comes with brunch, beach walks, churches and yoga classes. Even in the few pockets of protests, like Sunday parade downtown, this is Los Angeles – I saw more chaos after the Lakers game.
Jessica Levinson, a law professor at Loyola Law School, told my colleague Seema Mehta that while it is very unusual for the president to accept federal control of the troops, it is not unprecedented and perhaps not illegal. It happened during the Los Angeles riots following the 1992 Rodney King’s verdict.
“One of the exceptions is when violence occurs and the federal government is unable to enforce federal laws,” Levinson said. “This is exactly what is happening with the president’s argument.”
My colleagues on the ground have been on this article since the beginning of the first protests, as their reports show, most of the things that happened are peaceful and isolated.
Even the police agreed. Seriously, when the police agreed there was no riot – there was no riot.
“The demonstrations in the city of Los Angeles remain peaceful and we commend all those who exercise First Amendment rights,” LAPD wrote in a statement Saturday night.
Still, by Sunday morning, the troops arrived with guns (presumably deadly ammunition, I hope). The 79th Infantry Brigade’s combat team had some members on the ground in Los Angeles, and more, the U.S. Northern Command tweeted.
“These actions are crucial to stop and reverse the entry of illegal criminals into the United States. After this violence, California’s ruthless Democratic leaders completely gave up their responsibility to protect citizens,” White House news reporter Karoline Leavitt explained further before they arrived.
Also, when you plan your own week, there is now a dress code – at least for civilians and not for authorities to hide their identity.
“(f)ROMs are not allowed to wear masks at protests now. What must these people hide, why??” Trump wrote.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said it was all “not meeting unmet needs, but creating a crisis.”
He’s right – Los Angeles played the lead role in Trump’s war against the Brown People. This makes a lot of sense. We are an immigrant city of all colors, and a democratic and democratic city. What don’t hate it?
Mayor Karen Bass told my colleague Rachel Uranga that her office tried to talk to the White House, telling them that “there is absolutely no need to have troops on the ground” but there is nowhere to be found.
“It’s a pose,” Bass said.
“They want violence,” Newsom added in an email on Sunday. “Don’t give them the wonders they want.”
I’m not sure this is possible. In any protest, there will always be bad actors, violent actors. Again – they should be arrested.
But Trump will use laser as a minority to take the city as an example and improve his own strength.
Because while this “riot” is a fantasy, his dream of more power seems to be real.
