Reporting from Occupied Los Angeles
Bette member and veteran activist Ken Levy offers this postcard from the edge
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Author’s note: we were supposed to be protected from billionaire traitors. Instead, they’re using the levers of power to try to gin up civil war. Bette member Ken Levy offers us a briefing from the ground.—hsc
REPORTING FROM OCCUPIED LOS ANGELES
By Ken Levy
National Guard is on the ground. Demos and vigils all over town. Hegseth itching to deploy Marines from Camp Pendleton. Administration issuing effervescent rhetoric. They have been waiting for a pretext to militarize cities. L.A. is the start. Notable that the last time a president overrode a governor to call in the National Guard was in Alabama during the 1960s to support civil rights. Notable also to compare conditions in L.A. prompting National Guard mobilization with the 1/6/21 Trump coup attempt that didn’t merit intervention. Reports of a sympathy protest demo in NYC.
Up to 500 people peacefully assembled on all four corners of York and Figueroa in the Highland Park district of Los Angeles protesting ICE late Sunday afternoon and evening. Signs included “California MELTS ICE!” The crowd encompassed a perfect sample of Angelenos outraged by ICE and Trump’s federalization of the California National Guard: parents brought children, seniors mixed with Gen Alphas, Mexican and American flags abounded—some displayed upside down as a signal of distress. Water and pizza were distributed. Chants included “ICE out of L.A.” and “Impeach Trump.” Motorists constantly beeped their approval as they drove through the intersection. The atmosphere was jubilant, reminiscent of the 2017 LA Airport Travel Ban protest. This was just one of many protests throughout L.A. on Sunday.
Tonight, the nearby city of Glendale posted notice that were cancelling their contract with ICE housing detainees in the Glendale city jail. A full roster of protests including a prayer vigil are planned for Monday.—Ken Levy, reporting from Los Angeles, June 8, 2025
Godspeed, America.
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