"‘We’re Not Intimidated’: Outraged LA Protesters Take Over Streets Amid Trump Backlash

 "‘We’re Not Intimidated’: Outraged LA Protesters Take Over Streets Amid Trump Backlash"

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Traffic ground to a halt as demonstrators waved signs, shouted slogans, and caught police off guard with their overwhelming numbers.

Thousands of Angelenos outraged by Donald Trump’s order to deploy their state’s National Guard packed the streets of downtown Los Angeles on Sunday, halting traffic and surprising law enforcement with their numbers. Protesters overwhelmed the area near City Hall and the federal courthouse, directing chants and insults at Trump and immigration authorities after a wave of arrests targeting undocumented migrants two days earlier.

The crowd gathered outside the Metropolitan Detention Center—where many recently arrested protesters were held—and an adjacent loading dock that served as a staging area for about 50 National Guard troops clad in riot gear and carrying semi-automatic weapons. Undeterred, demonstrators confronted the heavily armed guards. "We’re not afraid of you!" organizer John Parker shouted through a bullhorn. Signs mocked the Guard with slogans like “National Guard LOL,” while nearby walls and buildings were covered in graffiti targeting ICE, LAPD, and law enforcement in general.

Around midday, National Guard troops, alongside Department of Homeland Security officers, fired tear gas to clear a path for DHS and Border Patrol vehicles. Protesters briefly retreated, donned masks, and quickly returned in even greater numbers.

As the demonstration swelled into the thousands—joined by marchers from rallies in Boyle Heights and City Hall—the protest spilled across multiple streets, freezing downtown traffic. Many stranded drivers honked their horns in support of the demonstrators.

Initially, LAPD issued orders to disperse and warned of arrests. Dozens of patrol cars sped into the area, forming barricades and herding the crowd away. Riot officers deployed flash-bang grenades, startling but not injuring protesters, and fired rubber bullets—mostly into the air—as the tense but largely peaceful standoff continued.