Editor’s note: Six days after announcing the original Downtown curfew, the mayor has reduced its hours to 10pm to 6am. We’ve updated this story with new details.
After five straight days of protests over U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (a.k.a. ICE) raids in Los Angeles, on June 10 the city’s mayor, Karen Bass, issued an overnight curfew for Downtown L.A., stretching from the 110 and 10 Freeways to the point where the 5 and 110 Freeways merge. Bass made sure to point out, though, that the curfew affects less than eight square miles—a very small area of the 502 square miles that make up Los Angeles—because the city is not the “war zone” it’s being made out to be.
The curfew was put in place “to curb bad actors who do not support the immigrant community,” according to Bass. Angelenos want to exercise their right to peacefully protest, but the local government is trying to avoid tensions escalating amid federal intervention. Both Bass and Governor Gavin Newsom have slammed the deployment of the U.S. military to Los Angeles to deal with the recent protests, calling it a move designed to cause fear and panic.
Six days later, due to the success of “crime prevention and suppression efforts,” the curfew has been reduced to only eight hours: 10pm to 6am nightly. “The adjustment to the curfew follows a marked reduction in acts of violence, vandalism and looting that happened during the immediate escalation of the situation by the Trump Administration,” said the mayor’s office. Nevertheless, “the LAPD will maintain a strong presence in the Downtown area to ensure the safety of residents, businesses and demonstrators alike,” said LAPD Chief of Police Jim McDonnell.
Many of the recent (and largely peaceful) demonstrations have been centered Downtown, specifically around the Metropolitan Detention Center and the 101 Freeway, which protesters flooded multiple times last week, shutting down traffic.
The area affected by the curfew includes Chinatown, the Arts District, Skid Row and the Fashion District, where the ICE raids began Friday, June 6. The curfew and recent ICE activity is greatly affecting Downtown restaurants and businesses, so the reduced curfew hours should hopefully help with that negative impact. (Last Thursday, the Music Center’s venues were given an exemption for L.A. Opera and Center Theatre Group performances, and Downtown diners were allowed to visit restaurants as long as they entered before 8pm.)
How long is the L.A. curfew?
After first announcing the curfew on June 10, Mayor Bass has reduced the hours from 8pm to 6am to now last from 10pm to 6am. The curfew is in effect indefinitely until it’s officially lifted. That means that from 10pm to 6am until we hear otherwise, much of Downtown L.A. is off-limits.
What happens if you violate the curfew?
According to LAPD Chief of Police Jim McDonnell, if you are within the designated curfew zone between the hours of 10pm and 6am and are not exempt, you’re subject to arrest. Exceptions will be made only for law enforcement, emergency and medical personnel, DTLA residents, people commuting to and from work and credentialed media representatives. Sure enough, during the very first night of the curfew, over 200 people were arrested for charges including failure to disperse and curfew violation. The LAPD advises those who know someone who was detained overnight due to the curfew to contact the Metropolitan Detention Center for their status.
Are other cities joining L.A. in protest over the immigration raids?
Yes, cities across the country have been staging their own protests in solidarity with L.A., including New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Denver, Seattle, Boston and many cities in Texas, where the state’s governor has already deployed the National Guard in anticipation of more planned demonstrations, according to CNN. And over the weekend, millions across the U.S. turned out for “No Kings” protests on June 14.