Los Angeles had its quietest night in a week on Tuesday, as a combination of a city curfew and faith leaders’ calls for nonviolent resistance appeared to quell furious protests against the Trump administration’s sprawling immigration raids, for at least one evening.
Mayor Karen Bass ordered the curfew to be in effect from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. in downtown Los Angeles, which houses City Hall, the main county criminal courthouse, LAPD headquarters and federal buildings that have been the target of protests leading to hundreds of arrests and assorted property damage.
Police reported “at least” 25 arrests for curfew violations as of 10 p.m., according to a department spokeswoman, though that number was expected to grow.
Shortly before the curfew took effect, Bass joined an array of faith leaders in Grand Park to call for stern,but “nonviolent,” resistance to President Trump’s immigration sweeps.
“We will not obey in advance. We will not turn our gaze. We will not fan the flames of extremism. We will not answer violence with violence,” said Rabbi Sharon Brous, in an impassioned speech in which she likened Trump to the “authoritarian” Pharoah who oppressed Jews in the Bible.
Shortly before the curfew went into effect, the Grand Park group marched toward the federal building on Los Angeles Street, walking through an area that had for days been covered in shattered glass, graffiti and spent police munitions. As the faith leaders arrived and asked their group to take a knee and pray on the building’s steps, Department of Homeland Security officers trained pepper ball guns on clergy members, and National Guard members tensed their riot shields.
“We see that you are putting on your masks, you don’t need them,” the Rev. Eddie Anderson said to the officers and guardsmen. “The people have gathered together to remind you there is a higher power. To remind you that in Los Angeles everybody is free, and no human is illegal.”
But while Johnson and the larger group were able to move past the federal building without issue, the wail of police sirens filled downtown Los Angeles as the clock struck 8 p.m. An LAPD helicopter almost immediately declared the gathering an unlawful assembly, just minutes after a group of clergymen said prayers and laid flowers at the feet of a column of California Highway Patrol officers in riot gear.
“We will be back here tomorrow. Nobody needs to get shot today,” Johnson told the crowd.
Los Angeles police soon established a skirmish line at the intersection of Temple and Los Angeles streets, where they confronted a crowd of about 150.
The officers summoned a group of mounted officers, who trampled through traffic and knocked at least one protester down. Shortly after, officers fired less-lethal rounds in the direction of a person who threw a glass bottle from an overhead pedestrian bridge, while another group of officers moved toward protesters who remained in front of the federal building.
Around 8:40 p.m., law enforcement again declared an unlawful assembly both on ground and by helicopter. A high beam from a helicopter shone down on the crowd. Officers forced protesters several blocks up Temple Street, occasionally firing less-lethal munitions and shoving people, but the crowd had dwindled to less than two dozen by that point.
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