These are criminals, not protesters

This weekend, what began as a protest in Los Angeles turned into violence.Not debate.Not a peaceful assembly.

Violence.As you watch the scenes unfold on television, it feels like something that should behappening in Iran or Afghanistan — not in Los Angeles.Downtown mobs clashed with federal officers outside the Metropolitan DetentionCenter.Protesters were seen throwing water bottles, bottles, rocks, debris and other objects at federal and assisting law enforcement officers.A dumpster was moved into the street and set on fire outside the federal facility.The image was unmistakable: street chaos aimed directly at the seat of federal authority in the center of America’s second-largest city.This is happening yesterday and today — not in some unstable foreign capital.It is happening in Los Angeles, on streets where families work, live and commute.Yes, many people gathered earlier to protest federal immigration enforcement.That is their constitutional right.But a violent faction broke off and turned the streets into a confrontation zone where rioters attacked officers, threatened bystanders and destroyed property.Federal officers were the first on the front line.They were forced to defend a federal facility as the crowd grew more aggressive and more emboldened.Local police later moved in to support federal law enforcement efforts to disperse the crowd and arrest the people committing acts of violence and mayhem.Their role became one of reinforcement after the situation had already deteriorated into open confrontation.California Post News: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, WhatsApp, LinkedInCalifornia Post Sports Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, XCalifornia Post Opinion California Post Newsletters: Sign up here!California Post App: Download here!Home delivery: Sign up here!Page Six Hollywood: Sign up here!Los Angeles’s sanctuary posture has been treated like a moral badge by its leaders.But the moment violence erupts — assaults, vandalism, arson, ...