ICE Raids, the Los Angeles Protests & Resisting Fascism in the United States
Trump's military crackdown in Los Angeles signals a darker turn in an already dark moment and we all need to fight back.
On June 6, raids by ICE, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, resulted in protests in Los Angeles.
And on June 7, Donald Trump ordered 2,000 National Guard troops into Los Angeles, defying the state’s governor, Gavin Newsom. President Trump sent the military to crush protests which are a right enshrined within the Constitution.
Sending the military to deal with protests is not normal.
Separating families is not normal.
Terrorizing communities is not normal.
Protests in L.A. have escalated further, as Angelenos stood in solidarity to protect their neighbors, and as LAPD officers deployed tear gas and pepper spray into crowds. There were multiple accounts, including on video, of journalists being attacked by police officers while covering the protests.
Protests have spread to other cities throughout California and across the nation.
Here in San Francisco, ICE are showing up to court appointments and arresting adults and children. That happened on June 5 and happened again yesterday morning.
On Tuesday, my friend in Austin happened across a peaceful protest downtown in which Austin police deployed tear gas against peaceful protestors.
These scenes are playing out around the country - New York, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta - the list goes on.
This is what state sanctioned violence is.
This is how a police state operates.
And it is unacceptable - this is not how a democratic state functions; it is how a fascist and authoritarian state functions.
It’s coming for our neighbors now and we need to stand with them in this moment, because if we do not, it will be sure to come for each and every one of us next.
More than 1,500 protests are planned across the country this weekend in response to Trump’s authoritarian actions in Los Angeles. Go to the protests, post on social media about them, take friends and family.
Now is not the time to be silent or sit this one out. It’s time to show up in the streets and fight for our rights and the rights of our neighbors.