LA Mayor Declares Emergency, Imposes Downtown Curfew After Days of Escalating Protests

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass declared a local emergency and imposed an overnight curfew for downtown LA Tuesday, citing widespread vandalism and looting that damaged 23 businesses in a single night during ongoing immigration protests.

The curfew takes effect at 8 p.m. Tuesday and runs until 6 a.m. Wednesday, covering approximately one square mile of downtown bounded by the 5, 110 and 10 freeways. Bass said the emergency measures became necessary after five consecutive days of demonstrations that began as protests against federal immigration enforcement but escalated into destructive activity.

"Many businesses have now been affected by or vandalized," Bass said during a Tuesday afternoon press conference. "Last night, there were 23 businesses that were looted. And I think that if you drive through downtown L.A., the graffiti is everywhere and has caused significant damages to businesses and a number of properties."

The mayor emphasized the geographic scope of the unrest, noting the affected area represents just one square mile of the city's 502 square miles.

"Some of the imagery of the protests and the violence gives the appearance as though this is a citywide crisis, and it is not," Bass said.

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