Defend Los Angeles
Archival Recordings 40
On Sunday June 8th, a spontaneous demonstration in response to the ICE activity of the previous week occurred in front of the federal detention facility in Downtown Los Angeles. The pictures are all over the internet and social media, sparking all sorts of responses ranging from those voicing support to people criticizing the tactics of the protesters. I made it a point to go document the events of the day myself, in fact it felt like my obligation to do so.
Culturally, Los Angeles is a place that can be confusing to people who are unfamiliar.
It's a dynamic that I've observed for as long as I've been sharing my own work from the city and one that is often used to construct a false narrative about the city and it's residents. A disconnect also exists between the city's elected officials and much of the populace, especially the working class.
Because of these factors, it can seem (to some) that these sorts of things come out of nowhere but if you are paying attention to the right things, it's easy to see that this tension has been building for a while.
From the moment I heard about the ICE raids at the Home Depot in Westlake/MacArthur Park (a part of the city I've documented for years) and in the Fashion District , I knew that there would be an organic response from the streets. People in communities across the city, from all walks of life, were livid at these operations taking place in the heart of the city. The people who make this city go are some of the most vulnerable to this administrations dehumanizing actions regarding immigration enforcement, there was no scenario in which that was going to go unanswered.
The main motivation for the resistance we are all witnessing in L.A. is rooted in the concept of community. And in this city, that is something that transcends ethnicity and socio-economic class for most. It should be applauded that everyday people are unwilling to watch their neighbors be dragged away over their immigration status. People know right from wrong and are willing to speak out loudly in protest. In today's world, that's a rare and beautiful thing to see firsthand.
