In Los Angeles, the sight isn’t the cinematic glitz and glamor of Hollywood, but rather a dramatic showdown between law enforcement and a group of protesters who seem to have confused civil disobedience with sheer chaos. At the heart of this street-theater production are the protests against the Trump administration’s deportation efforts. As tensions escalate, with protesters engaging in a symphony of cursing and shouting, the stage is set for a confrontation that is anything but peaceful.
Outside the federal building, the protesters have turned graffiti into an unwelcome art form and hurled epithets like confetti at a political rally. As the crowd swells to three or four hundred strong, the National Guard swoops in to join local law enforcement in a desperate attempt to “protect and serve”—terms that here might as well be synonyms for “babysit” and “nanny.” Interestingly, the presence of 300 National Guardsmen across Los Angeles has been deemed necessary to restore some semblance of order. The White House, in its no-nonsense approach, insists that this step is vital to reclaim the streets from a wave of what it calls “lawlessness.”
Indeed, the city has seen its fair share of pyrotechnics, both literal and figurative. Those nostalgic for the ‘good ol’ days’ of civility are likely wincing at the sight of rioters waving Mexican flags while fire blazes in the streets during their anti-ICE protests. Tear gas was employed as an equalizer, temporarily dispersing the unruly masses, yet some folks apparently mistook the canisters for boomerangs, flinging them back at law enforcers in a rather backwards tribute to Australia, perhaps.
What adds another layer of irony to this spectacle is the protesters’ demands—for the release of individuals detained by ICE who, according to recent DHS reports, have rather colorful criminal backgrounds. We’re talking second-degree murder and sexual battery among other, shall we say, ‘enthusiastically anti-social’ behaviors. Yet, amidst the shouting and singing for “freedom,” one struggles to reconcile this plea for release with the severity of their alleged crimes. It’s as if the protesters must believe these accusations are fairy tales, spun by an administration they distrust more than holiday fruitcake.
While the protesters shout that “this is home,” officials remind everyone that there are rules of the house. President Trump isn’t sitting idly by, tapping his watch, waiting for the moment to just blow over like the Santa Ana winds that occasionally grace LA with their presence. With 2,000 California National Guard troops ready to swoop in, one has to wonder how much more of this melodrama is tolerable before the curtain falls, and reality sets in.
Amidst all the rhetoric and chaos, one thing is clear: everyone’s definition of “protect and serve” seems to be undergoing a severe identity crisis. As law enforcement officers and Guardsmen stand resolute in defense of federal property and bystanders shake their heads wondering how it all came to this, there’s a sense of waiting for cooler heads to prevail. Until then, the theater continues, with each side apparently ready for the next act.
