Los Angeles police arrested multiple protesters Friday after tensions escalated outside the Metropolitan Detention Center — turning what were peaceful demonstrations earlier in the day into an aggressive display between law enforcement and civilians.
Demonstrators met in front of City Hall before marching to the federal prison. After issuing a dispersal order in the evening, the Los Angeles Police Department said some protesters threw bottles and rocks at the officers.
“We had hoped that demonstrations today would be peaceful, however, as you can see in this video, the violent agitators invited LAPD due to their actions,” the department said.
Police also placed the city of Los Angeles on tactical alert and declared an unlawful assembly at the jail.
“Protestors are actively fighting with Officers after multiple dispersal orders were issued,” LAPD said in a statement. “Metropolitan Division is now on scene. Less than lethal has been authorized due to the violence against officers.”
Protests in parts of the country erupted after two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were fatally shot by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis.
The Friday demonstrations — a part of “ICE Out Everywhere” protests — called for a pseudo-national shutdown, urging people to stay home from work and school, refrain from shopping and stage walkouts.
During a news conference Friday evening, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said five arrests had been made for failure to disperse. LAPD said one person was arrested after allegedly using a slingshot to fire hard metal objects at officers.
Ms. Bass asserted that violent protests are “exactly what I believe [the Trump] administration wants to see happen,” adding a warning: “Don’t be surprised if the military reenters our city.”
She added, “I think the protests are extremely important, but it is equally important for these protests to be peaceful, for vandalism not to take place. That does not impact the administration in any kind of way that is going to bring about any type of change.”
Rep. Maxine Waters, California Democrat, appeared at the protest, chanting, “ICE out of L.A.”
“What I see here at the detention center are people exercising their constitutional rights,” she said. “And, of course, they’re now trying to tear-gas everybody. It’s in the air, but people are not moving.”
