Federal agents in tactical gear armed with military-style rifles threw flash-bang grenades to disperse an angry crowd near downtown Los Angeles on Friday as they conducted an immigration raid on a clothing wholesaler, the latest sign of tensions between protesters and law enforcement over raids carried out at stores, restaurants and court buildings.
The raid at the clothing wholesaler began about 9:15 a.m. in the Fashion District, less than two miles from Los Angeles City Hall.
It was an extraordinary show of force. Dozens of federal agents wearing helmets and green camouflage arrived in two hulking armored trucks and other unmarked vehicles, and were soon approached by a crowd of immigrant activists and supporters. Some agents carried riot shields and others held rifles, as well as shotguns that appeared to be loaded with less-than-lethal ammunition.
Agents cleared a path for two white passenger vans that exited the area. A short time later, as officers boarded their vehicles to leave, a few agents lobbed flash-bang grenades at groups of people who chased alongside the slow-moving convoy. Some protesters had thrown eggs and other objects at the vehicles. At one point, the vehicles snagged and crushed at least two electric scooters that protesters had used.
Hours after the raid, a second clash between protesters and federal agents broke out outside a federal detention center in downtown Los Angeles, where those who were detained were taken. At one of the entrances, protesters chanted and approached the building as officers fired less-than-lethal projectiles and squirted what appeared to be pepper spray. Some protesters threw a chair and other objects, and appeared to spray-paint anti-ICE graffiti on the building.
Agents at the scene were wearing patches on their uniforms identifying themselves as being with the F.B.I., Homeland Security Investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Officials did not detail any injuries. One man on the street said he was injured by a flash-bang grenade.
By 7 p.m., the Los Angeles Police Department declared an unlawful assembly, ordered demonstrators to disperse and a line of police in riot gear started to clear the area.
The Los Angeles police have had a policy in place since 1979 that bars officers from initiating police action for the sole purpose of determining someone’s immigration status. California law also prohibits state and local resources from being used to help with federal immigration enforcement.
Chief Jim McDonnell of the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement that his agency was not involved in civil immigration enforcement efforts.
“While the LAPD will continue to have a visible presence in all our communities to ensure public safety, we will not assist or participate in any sort of mass deportations,” Chief McDonnell said, adding that the department would not attempt to determine anyone’s immigration status.
Summer is going to be lit. Hope the class traitor nazi officers feel it all summer
Why are these fucktard military wannabes wearing camo
“military style force”? So…airstrikes, artillery,machine guns, and armor?
Because it seems like they were using police-style force (pepper spray, beanbag rounds, and batons) while wearing camo.
Not saying anything they did was okay - I’m just sick of exaggerated, fear-mongering media. Just report the shitty things they are doing, accurately.
Airstrikes and artillery, no.
But if semi or automatic rifles count as machine guns, then yes. Armoured vehicles and armoured personnel, yes.
Flashbangs, night vision goggles, none of these things are normal for police forces to have or to use.
Only in America is this amount of militarisation of the police argued as being normal.
This image doesn’t illicit “police force” in most peoples’ minds, it illicits “military”.
Edit: https://50501.chat/post/302388 does this video look like a police force in action to you?
Because it seems like they were using police-style force (pepper spray, beanbag rounds, and batons) while wearing camo.
“Citizen under military-style police state sees militarized enforcement action as normal police engagement”
Man, shit is wild here in the US when even our citizens are effectively defending the military style deployment tactics of ‘civilian’ police forces. Don’t focus on the “less lethal” weaponry they have, look at the rest of the kit. If you think this isn’t a boiling water situation where they’re never going to switch out that kit for the lethal variants…
police wear police uniforms when doing police activity. the military wears military uniforms when doing military activity
Valid points, but I think there’s also value in keeping the the public aware of the escalation of police force. I’m not sure which verbiage normalizes it more though tbh
