Govind Tekale
Close to 30,000 people joined the “No Kings” protest in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday before police enforced an overnight curfew, leading to tense confrontations between protesters and law enforcement.
The large demonstration started peacefully in the morning at Gloria Molina Grand Park. Protesters filled the area outside City Hall and nearby streets in what Mayor Karen Bass described as a peaceful gathering. The atmosphere was festive for most of the day, with creative signs, music, and even a performance by the LA band Ozomatli.
“I had the opportunity to go up in the helicopter with our Chief of Police and I went over all of the locations and every protest was peaceful, as was the one downtown,” Bass told KCAL News.
The situation changed after the official protest ended at 2 p.m. Some protesters moved to the Federal Building on Temple Street, which houses a federal detention center. By late afternoon, police began using tear gas and flash-bang devices after issuing a dispersal order around 4 p.m.
LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell explained why police took action: “About mid-afternoon or so it got violent, when you had agitators in the group start assaulting officers with missiles, rocks, bottles, fireworks.”
Police enforced an 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew in parts of downtown LA. Officials said the curfew would likely continue through the weekend. Mounted police units pushed crowds away from federal buildings as the curfew time approached.
Many protesters came to voice opposition to President Trump’s decision to deploy Marines and National Guard troops to LA in response to immigration enforcement protests. A federal judge had ruled this deployment illegal, but an appeals court put that ruling on hold until at least June 17.
“Donald Trump cannot claim power that our Constitution does not give him,” said John Perez, a former farmworker who attended the protest. “For the military to be turned on its own people is just totally against everything this country stands for.”
The “No Kings” protests were organized nationwide by a group called 50501, which stands for “50 states, 50 protests, one movement.” The LA demonstration was one of about 40 events across LA County and 200 across California on Saturday.
Police have not yet released official numbers on how many people were detained or arrested during Saturday’s events. The weekend curfew remains in effect to prevent further clashes between protesters and law enforcement.
