Not too long ago, there was growing consensus that the “Warrior Cop” as described by Radley Balko’s seminal work was a bad thing, creating the mentality of police against citizenry rather than police as protectors of the people. Police carried weapons of war, drove armored vehicles and wore gear best suited to causing fear and loathing. If that was a problem then, what happened in Los Angeles’ MacArthur Park was nothing short of a siege, albeit one without an enemy in sight or a purpose other than to perform for the cameras.
It had been a quiet morning in MacArthur Park, a hub in one of Los Angeles’s most immigrant-heavy neighborhoods. Children at a summer camp were playing outside, but the park was otherwise largely empty.
Then, dozens of armed federal agents began marching over soccer fields and grass berms, based on footage of the incident. Military-style vehicles blocked the street and a federal helicopter flew overhead.
They wore fatigues, masks and helmets and marched in lines. Some were on horseback. Camera crews followed alongside them.
The ICE force came ready for a fight, making a stunning show of force.
Dozens of federal agents were observed in the park, many arriving in armored military vehicles. They were joined by 80 California National Guard troops under the command of President Trump, according to the office of Gov. Gavin Newsom, who criticized the effort and has tried to stop the federalization of Guard members through a lawsuit.
Just in case it became necessary to strafe parkgoers, there was a machine gun mounted atop an armored vehicle. It is unknown whether the bullets were capable of distinguishing between illegal aliens and citizens.
Did they appear because they possessed information that the park would be filled with violent, criminal gangs of illegal immigrants? Not a single arrest was made. Not a single “worst of the worst” undocumented migrant was seized. Not that Homeland Security would admit it was all for show.
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, did not respond to specific questions about the purpose of the operation at MacArthur Park or whether anyone had been detained.
“The operation is ongoing,” she wrote in an email. “So that should be a message in of itself.”
If that reply strikes you as vapid and evasive, then Tricia McLaughlin did her job as well as she could. Mayor Karen Bass went to the park, and condemned her city being invaded by armed federal forces.
“What I saw in the park today looked like a city under siege, under armed occupation,” Mayor Karen Bass said in a news conference on Monday afternoon, adding that she had traveled regularly into conflict zones as a member of Congress. “It’s the way a city looks before a coup.”
Bear in mind, this show of force happened in an American city, where ordinary citizens go about their daily lives without the expectation of running into a heavily armed ICE force who might demand they show their papers or be disappeared. It’s worth noting that in America, citizens are under no duty to carry proof of citizenship, even if ICE doesn’t consider the normal forms of identification like a REAL ID drivers license sufficient to demonstrate the constitutional right to be left alone.
Some will applaud the invasion of MacArthur Park as a show of seriousness about rounding up the X millions of “illegals” who “invaded” the country over the past administration, the purported aliens released from prisons and insane asylums as claimed by Trump. Of course, criminals are hard to find. It’s much easier to round up people working for a living, as they congregate outside Home Depot and 7-Eleven.
Others will note that the vast majority of deportees are neither criminals nor insane, and that many were here legally under programs permitting their entry that has since been reversed by Trump to make their continued presence unlawful. Many worked and paid taxes. Many had been here for decades. Many had children who served in our military.
But migrants aside, Los Angeles faces a force ready to do battle. What of the United States citizens who see this, who wander into this, who are now forced to live among a group of ill-prepared agents and National Guard better suited to fighting a war overseas than a war in MacArthur Park?
“Better get used to us now, cause this is going to be normal very soon,” Mr. Bovino told a Fox News reporter. “We will go anywhere, anytime we want in Los Angeles.”
Should this be the new normal for Americans, to have their cities overtaken by armed (and masked) forces? Does the hatred of migrants justify turning Los Angeles into a war zone for everyone, citizen and alien alike?
Update: Documents leaked to Ken Klippenstein show that this was purely a show of force.
On order, 1-18th Cavalry Squadron provides static interagency site protection, mounted mobile security, and Joint Force Land Component Command (JFLCC) Reserve support to Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) and supporting federal agencies, whose intent at MacArthur Park is to demonstrate, through a show of presence, the capacity and freedom of maneuver of federal law enforcement within the Los Angeles Joint Operations Area (JOA).
Look at what we can do, Ma!
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In fairness, it looks like that’s actually either a designated marksman’s rifle or (I think more likely) a sniper rifle. A generic tripod would not be sufficient for any sort of automatic fire.
Unexplained, of course, is why they look like they’re kitted out for a patrol through fucking Fallujah circa 2005
[Ed. Note: Do you ever wonder why you’re not invited to parties?]
I’m invited to loads of parties.
Never a second time, though, but I don’t see how that’s germaine.
[Ed. Note: True story. We were coming home from Bahamas, and Dr. SJ didn’t feel very well, so she laid down on a few empty seats at the airport. One fellow was sitting in a seat on the end, and he told her she could put her head on his lap. It was Richard Harris.]
I was expecting the usual suspects to cheer ICE for doing what “had to be done” to deport 20 million illegals, no matter what that will do to life in the United States. Maybe they’ve come to realize that that not all undocumented migrants are MS-13 killers, or maybe they don’t want their children to have to navigate around tin soldiers with little discipline. Or maybe they are still sleeping.
This is idiotic and accomplishes nothing. Why are they doing it? Because the donors don’t want anyone deported. A show that makes ICE look bad while kicking out exactly 0 illegals is exactly what they want. It’s likely that they were alarmed by the real work that was done recently that actually did remove large numbers of invaders. That work is stopping now and being replaced by pointless over-the-top shows that will only serve to turn public opinion against mass deportations.
Trump is continuing to reveal himself as just another politician, one with a unique comedy style but utterly mundane behind the scenes. Like every other politician, he will say anything to get elected, and then will do exactly what his donors want, even if it is the opposite of what he promised.
“The donors”. Fascinating. I for one blame the Illuminati and hear they are actually controlling Trump’s stable and genius mind, which is why he says such stupid shit all the time. He’s fighting to resist the shadowy organization’s nefarious influences! That must be why his bill included billions and billions of increased funding to ICE, so they can just drive around all geared up and do nothing but intimidate. Everything is proceeding according to plan, as the Illuminati wills it.
If they weren’t carrying live ammo and a license to kill it would be amusing cosplay. Cops of all stripes love dressing up like “operators”, but still do stuff like mounting gun sights backwards and having their beer bellies poking out of the 3XL tactical vests.
This was a look like we are doing something event. I’m just glad no acorns landed on any vehicles to trigger a firefight.
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I’ve long feared that cops/ ATF seizing firearms under color of “red flag” laws (see what I did there?) would lead to gun battles… and that these might spread.
Now, I fear ICE raiding homes will lead to gun battles,,, and these might spread.
It’s hard to see any way in which this is an improvement.
I think folks are missing the point: This is all about intimidation: Of aliens, Trump’s enemies, and Gavin Newsom, in particular. The message is clear: “I’m prepared to use overwhelming force to get anything I want. And who dares to stand against me?” I’m afraid that is a question we all need to answer for ourselves.