On Saturday morning tens of thousands of protesters gathered in downtown Los Angeles as part of the nationwide “No Kings” demonstrations. Organizers estimated there were over 40,000 people in the crowd. Protesters carrying signs denouncing Trump as well as Mexican, Palestinian, and U.S. flags (sometimes upside down) marched through the streets. They demanded “ICE Out of LA” and denounced Trump’s authoritarian maneuvers, including sending the National Guard to the city. The marches were at once political and festive, and National Guard soldiers could even be seen posing for pictures with protesters.
In the afternoon, as the marches came to an end, thousands spread out across downtown to continue the protests — some to the immigration detention center, others to the federal building, and others surrounded City Hall. Around 4pm, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) issued a dispersal order, but kettled people in so they could not leave. Then, the sheriffs and cops fired tear gas and pushed the protesters, unprovoked. They trampled an elderly man with their horse and then clobbered him with their batons and fired round after round of less than lethal projectiles at the crowd. The police chased people down, hitting protesters indiscriminately. They beat people bloody.
Karen Bass, the city’s first Black female mayor, and Governor Gavin Newsom — both Democrats — invited the charge. While they denounced the intrusion of the National Guard, they made sure to call out the “violent” protesters but made no mention of the LAPD and the LASD’s violence.
This is because Democratic Party, just like the Republican Party, is beholden to private property and those who have the most of it: the capitalists. They defend the raids of immigrant communities, just not in the aggressive style of Trump. The uprisings in Los Angeles of Black and Brown youth, including the street takeovers and confrontations with police, are a reason people were in the streets yesterday. They are what Democrats and Republicans fear the most: unity between a combative, precarious working class youth and immigrants; and a rank-and-file labor movement.
The labor movement, along with the youth, are the reason why Service Employees International Union (SEIU) president David Huerta is free and they inspired the entire country to come out to the “No Kings” protests. The labor movement must defend the youth in the streets and organize the rank and file using its own weapons, especially the strike. Unions in LA have gone on strike in the last year including SEIU 721; the United Auto Workers (UAW 4811), who went on strike for Palestine, and many others. A general strike in Los Angeles or across the region would be a powerful show of our strength that would give direction to the movement and could force ICE out for good.
Breaking with the capitalist parties is a political necessity. Both Democrats and Republicans have attacked worker’s living standards. They keep rent prices high and wages low; they are united in deportations and repression of precarious and unemployed youth; and they sicced the cops on the protesters last night. Both parties are the enemies of the working class.
As the protests in Los Angeles continue, we need to organize and strategize. Socialism is the political ideology that seeks for workers to organize their workplace under direct control and communities without bosses, landlords, cops, or ICE. To make this a reality, we need a working class party that fights for socialism — a combat party to organize ourselves politically and in the streets.
