More than four dozen Marines refused to abandon their post as hundreds of protesters in front of the federal building in downtown Los Angles chanted in unison for them to go home.
The soldiers bad been dispatched early in the week by President Donald Trump along with the National Guard to help quell violent riots that broke out last week over Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations to arrest and deport criminal illegal aliens in the city.
According to reporting by Reuters, Los Angeles attorney Jesus Arias spearheaded Sunday’s confrontation, wielding a bullhorn as he tried to convince the Marines to leave.
“We are not your enemy, we are the people!” Arias shouted through the bullhorn. “You are breaking the oaths you took to be Marines. Wake up! Wake up!”
The large crowd protesters nearby were not so polite. Fifteen feet away from the Marines a crowd chanted, “Marines go home!” and “Shame! Shame!”
Others hurled insults at the Marines, who stood stoically in the face of the verbal onslaught. No physical altercations between the crowd and the protesters were reported, according to the Reuters account on the Sunday confrontation.
The deployment stood guard at the top of steps leading to the entrance of the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building. It contains the immigration offices where ICE has held some of the illegal detainees. The building has been a focal point for protesters.
The Marines, as well as the National Guard, were deployed to the city over the objections of California Governor Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass who claimed their presence would only provoke violence.
President Trump countered the Los Angeles would be “burning to the ground” had he not ordered the deployment.
Some 200 Marines were also deployed to the massive Federal Building on Wilshire Boulevard on the city’s west side. No violent activity was reported at that location Sunday as part of the national “No Kings” day protests organized by left wing groups opposed to the president.
Downtown, the Marines were outfitted with rifles, face shields and shin guards as a protection against projectiles like rocks, water bottles and fireworks that some rioters have been throwing all week.
Protest activity against police in other parts of downtown Los Angeles on Sunday went well beyond chants and shouted epithets.
Fox News reported the gathering became violent in the late afternoon. Projectiles were thrown at police from the street and high buildings. The Los Angeles Police Department ordered the crowd to disperse. Police in riot gear used tear gas and rubber bullets to deal with the attacks.
As Breitbart News reported, Los Angeles County Sheriff revealed on Friday ten of his deputies had been injured by projectiles in the week of protests.
No injuries have been reported by the Marines.
Los Angeles based contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the best-selling author of Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more
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