‘Revolt runs through streets of downtown LA’: eyewitness report

Protesters are facing down the might of the US state in Los Angeles (Picture: Alex Brittenham)

Downtown Los Angeles is alive with resistance. On Thursday afternoon, protesters roamed around in disparate groups hundreds strong, swelling to thousands.

They march, block traffic, march, stop outside city or federal buildings, hurl insults at police, and then march again.

Amy, whose mother is a Mexican migrant, told Socialist Worker, “We just came downtown. We knew the protest would be in this area. We walked until we found it.

“We built this country while underpaid, underfed and underprivileged. Immigrants made this country and we still make this country. We just want our rights.”

From “Fuck Ice” graffiti to anti-Trump posters, revolt is etched into every street in the area.

Thursday was the seventh day of demonstrations. There isn’t one single demonstration, but many different groupings and marches of people—a fluid mass that goes from street to street, always on the move.

Rage at Trump exploded onto the streets after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) launched a “military style” operation to round up migrants last Friday.

Juan Jose Gutierrez is executive director of the Full Immigrants Rights Coalition. He told Socialist Worker, “The vast majority of people protesting are US citizens who are the children of migrants.

“They are sick and tired of the abuse, the racism and elitist policies. That is why people are on the streets.”

Another protester told Socialist Worker that Ice is “just coming into Hispanic communities and chasing people down”. “They just look at skin colour and take them,” he said.

He argued that the protests “are exactly what we need”, saying, “You are surrounded by people who support you.”

The protests are young and angry—and draw in people who weren’t politically active.

Ale, a UCLA university student who was on her first protest on Thursday, argued that “the police are kidnappers”. “It is just people running around kidnapping migrants,” she told Socialist Worker.

“The police are the ones who instigate the violence and then make us out to be the enemies.”

Student Alazer spoke to Socialist Worker while blocking a highway. It was his first day joining the demonstrations. “If you feel like it doesn’t affect you and you let it pass by, it will be your community next,” he said.

“Who will be left standing? Nobody,” he said. “I’m not that politically aware. But if we don’t stand up for each other then who knows what will happen.”

“The fact that permanent residents have been attacked by Ice proves this is a racial issue.”

From the cars driving by, there isn’t any hostility but a constant siren of beeps of support. Many cars passed adorned with Mexican flags.

Outside the city hall, Erin from north Hollywood, told Socialist Worker, “We have to hit the streets. Get out and protest—it is right to push back.”

Another protester added, “It is beyond necessary to resist. We shouldn’t give into Trump—no relenting.”

Their interview with Socialist Worker was cut short after police fired a smoke grenade at protesters, forcing them to flee.

The protests are concentrated in parts of downtown LA where the city and federal buildings are.  

There are on and off stand-offs with police who block the routes of the protesters and stand guard outside of the city and federal buildings. At different points when the protests were stationary, the police would charge and then retreat.

The Democrats are using the police against the uprising (Picture: Alex Brittenham)

The resistance is taking place largely in three ways. The first is the protests in downtown LA.

The second is rapid response confronting Ice raids. And the third is finding out where Ice officers are staying and trying to get them kicked out of hotels.

“With the rise of Trump’s authoritarian turn, it is the people that will fight back,” Victor Fernandez, a migrant rights activist, told Socialist Worker.

“If you are in the protests, it is enlivening, but there is a lot of fear where the raids are happening. There is an air of apprehension in the whole city.”

Victor explained that the Ice raids largely happen in a few specific areas of the city—and there are limitations to Ice’s capacity. “Ice can’t deport that many people, even though there is a heavy presence,” he explained.

Protesters aren’t just angry with Trump, but Democratic politicians who want to quell the uprising on the streets.

Amy thought that the Democrats “haven’t been doing enough”. “We need more from them. That is why we are on the streets. We are going to keep hitting the streets until we get equality.

“We have to dismantle the Trump administration and dismantle the billionaire system that is destroying our society.”

The Democratic governor of California Gavin Newsom implemented an 8pm curfew for downtown LA on Wednesday.

Victor said, “The cops are always going to attack the protests, but the curfew has given them the legal authority to do so.

“Trump is trying to be authoritarian but the Democrats are also trying to show they can shut down the protests.”

“And most of the violence has been coming from the local LA Police Department (LAPD). They are the ones attacking people and instigating the violence.”

Solidarity and defiance on the streets of Los Angeles (Picture: Alex Brittenham)

There is a shifting dynamic between organised and spontaneous demonstrations.

On the first night, there were thousands of people surrounding some of the detention centre, where Ice is holding people hostage. That came out of two organised marches.

Victor said, “One was called by an NGO, Coalition For Humane Immigrant Rights, and the other by the Community Self Defense Coalition.

“They both have a rapid response network—a whole network of people that they used to organise resistance.

“But this gave an impetus for other people to self-organise. Now people are doing their own thing and a lot of the mobilisations since have been spontaneous.”

LA is home to nearly a million undocumented migrants and has a vast, multiracial working class population.

Mario, a member of the Full Immigrants Rights Coalition, told Socialist Worker that Trump is taking the model of far right leader Victor Orban in Hungary. “He is repressing the media, university, sites of education and even congress people,” he said.

Mario added that Trump is “becoming a dictator” who’s scapegoating black and brown people. “At one time it was Jews and now it is migrants,” he said.

As we stopped outside the federal court house, a young woman took to the megaphone. “We are doing it for the dads, mums and kids that are currently sitting in cages,” she told the protest.

“I am a daughter of an immigrant. Let us never forget what the police are doing to our communities.”

One student from Long Beach City College said that she has been protesting since the start of the week. “I come from a family of immigrants who got their citizenship,” she told Socialist Worker.

“I’m coming out for them. I have grown up in a Hispanic community. I am standing for them.”

Car washer Fernando told Socialist Worker, “Our people are not getting treated fairly. This is supposed to be a free society.

“But it brings me peace to know how many people have our back. We can make a change as long as we stay together.”

At 7.45pm—15 minutes before the curfew—huge numbers of police cars arrived to kettle the last of the protesters, whose numbers had started to dwindle.

Protesters fled the scene. But they will be back on Friday—and the following day protests are planned across the US.

Trump is determined to crush the uprising using the National Guard and Marines. And he plans a military parade in Washington DC on Saturday as a show of strength and warning to those on the streets.

But there is a defiant mood on the streets. “Trump wants to separate us and isolate us, but together we are powerful,” said Amy, 

“The power of the people is greater than the people in power. This is how change happens.”

A protesting social worker said, “I don’t want to live in a world where I fear for my life because of the colour of my skin. The police are trying to build fear.”

She pointed to where the armed police were standing— “just look at them”. “But we are together and are united—we can win,” she said.