Tag: los angeles

Some LA migrant protests fueled by taxpayer-funded group with Dem ties — another with CCP link

One of the groups leading anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles is a taxpayer-funded activist organization with ties to the Democratic Party, while another has links to the Chinese Communist Party.

The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) — which received tens of millions of dollars in government grants during the Biden administration — staged a rally last week to denounce Immigration and Customs Enforcement arresting illegal migrants across the city, including those convicted of heinous crimes.

Protests against ICE have escalated since then, with more than 1,000 rioters taking to the streets, assaulting immigration officers, slashing tires and defacing public buildings, the Department of Homeland Security said, prompting President Trump to call in around 2,000 National Guard troops Sunday to quell the violence.

According to financial records obtained by DataRepublican, CHIRLA received nearly $34 million in government grants, mostly from the state of California, in the fiscal year ending June 2023, a jump from the $12 million it received the previous year.

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Kamala Harris Sides with the Violent Mob, Condones Riots as Thugs Burn Cars, Block Freeway in Downtown Los Angeles

We sure dodged a bullet.

Failed presidential hopeful Kamala Harris released a statement on the ongoing Los Angeles riots on Sunday evening.

Rather than calling for the anti-ICE rioters to stop defacing property, assaulting police and federal agents and blocking the freeway, Kamala Harris condoned the violence.

Rioters are carrying Mexican flags as they burn down cars.

Anti-ICE illegals threw projectiles at law enforcement officers.

Later Sunday the rioters took over the 101 freeway at exit 2/A/Union Station (Alameda Street) in downtown LA.

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Cory Booker on LA Riots: “We See Peaceful Protests”; Smears Trump Supporters as “Cop Killers” 

Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) appeared on Meet the Press Sunday morning where he called the illegal immigration riots in Los Angeles “peaceful protests” and smeared Trump supporters as “cop killers” over police deaths that occurred after the January 6 Capitol riot.

The only person confirmed to have been killed as a direct result of violence on January 6, 2021, was unarmed Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt who was shot and killed by Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd inside the Capitol.

Booker was interviewed by host Kristen Welker (transcript excerpt):

KRISTEN WELKER:

Welcome back. Joining me now is Democratic senator from New Jersey, Cory Booker. Senator Booker, welcome back to Meet The Press.

SEN. CORY BOOKER:

Thanks so much. Good morning to you.

KRISTEN WELKER:

Good morning to you. Thank you for being here. I do have to start with President Trump saying he plans to deploy the National Guard to Los Angeles to deal with the protesters there. The president bypassing the governor and federalizing the Guard himself. He says he did so because Governor Gavin Newsom and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass refused to act against the unrest. What is your response to President Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard?

Look, since years before I was born, law enforcement knows it’s good when there’s cooperation and coordination. For the president to do this when it wasn’t requested, breaking with generations of tradition, is only going to incite the situation and make things worse. We are now at a point where we have a president who sat back and did nothing as people stormed our Capitol, viciously beat police. And then when those people who viciously beat police and led to some of their deaths, therefore, cop killers, were convicted by juries, he then pardoned them all. So for him to be talking to anybody right now about responsive law enforcement to protect people is hypocritical at best.

KRISTEN WELKER:

But–

SEN. CORY BOOKER:

The reality is we see peaceful protests launching in Los Angeles. And again, any violence against police officers should not be accepted. Local authorities can handle that. But remember, a lot of these peaceful protests are being generated because the president of the United States is sowing chaos and confusion by arresting people who are showing up for their immigration hearings, who are trying to abide by the law. He’s arresting them. You see this in communities that are Republican, Trump supporters being outraged that he’s raiding kitchens and arresting people, high schools and arresting people, who are not what he said he would do, which is focus law enforcement resources on violent criminals and people that are a danger to other Americans.

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Riots Erupt At LA ICE Facility As Mexican BLM Clone Unleashes Color Revolution Operation

After failing to ignite multiple color revolution-style protests earlier this year targeting Elon Musk and President Trump over DOGE-related efforts, Democrats and their rogue NGO network appear to be at it again—this time staging a new protest movement against Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in Los Angeles, hoping to spark another ‘Summer of Love’ nationwide riots like in 2020, when leftists used the useful idiots behind the Marxist group Black Lives Matter as a vehicle for chaos.

With BLM kicked to the curb by the Democratic Party, the Mexican version of BLM – Unión del Barrio – whose manifesto is filled with explicit Marxist and communist rhetoric—has become the next group Democrats will use as useful idiots.

On Friday, Unión del Barrio issued a call to action for the crazies on Facebook to stage a protest against “ICE Terrorists” in Downtown LA:

Emergency Protest TODAY in LA! 4:30PM

535 Alameda St LA, CA 90012

Join us to denounce ICE terrorizing our communities! Over 200 people are currently being held at this location in the basement of the courthouse. Today, there has been ICE activity all over the LA area.

LA EMERGENCY PROTEST!

535 Alameda St, LA, CA 90012

Friday, June 6, 2025 4:30PM

STOP DEPORTATIONS NOW!

ICE has hundreds of members of our community kidnapped and is holding them at this location.

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Chaos Erupts as ICE Agents Conduct Immigration Raids in Downtown Los Angeles – Protestors Throw Projectiles, Block Vans

ICE agents descended on multiple businesses in downtown Los Angeles, including a Home Depot, and carried out immigration raids on Friday.

Several people were taken into custody.

Far-left protestors clashed with federal agents as they conducted their raids. The protestors threw projectiles at agents and blocked vans from leaving.

Some protestors threw eggs at the federal agents. The FBI arrived on the scene.

KABC reported:

Immigration enforcement agents carried out raids in Los Angeles Friday, prompting gatherings of protesters who at one point clashed with authorities.

At one scene in downtown Los Angeles, a crowd of people tried to prevent authorities from leaving in vans after multiple people were detained.

Protesters could be seen throwing objects at the vehicles, while others tried to block the vans from leaving. One person was nearly run over when they fell to the ground after getting in front of one of the vehicles.

Immigration enforcement agents were spotted at two separate locations in the morning, including a Home Depot store in the Westlake District.

A witness who spoke with Eyewitness News outside the store said several people, including men and women, some of whom are street food vendors, were detained.

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Armenian Crime Rings Charged With Attempted Murder, $83 Million Amazon Cargo Theft

Federal authorities on Tuesday arrested 13 alleged members of rival Armenian crime organizations locked in an apparent power struggle in Los Angeles County.

The charges include attempted murder, kidnapping, illegal firearm possession, bank and wire fraud, and cargo theft totaling more than $80 million, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release.

Among the defendants are Ara Artuni, 41, of Los Angeles, who is charged with attempted murder in aid of racketeering, and Robert Amiryan, 46, of Hollywood, who is charged with kidnapping.

Authorities say both men were leaders of rival Armenian organized crime syndicates, referred to as “avtoritet,” which is Russian for “authority,” and that they have been engaged in a violent feud to maintain control of the San Fernando Valley since 2022.

Artuni is charged with ordering the attempted murder of Amiryan during the summer of 2023. In retaliation, Amiryan allegedly conspired with members of his own criminal organization to kidnap and torture one of Artuni’s associates in June 2023.

In addition to attempted murder, authorities say Artuni and his criminal enterprise committed bank fraud, wire fraud and cargo theft.

Artuni and his organization allegedly targeted e-commerce giant Amazon by enrolling as carriers for the online retailer. Artuni and his men would contract trucking routes with Amazon, and while transporting the goods, diverge from the route and steal all or part of the shipments. 

The Artuni enterprise allegedly stole more than $83 million from Amazon, according to estimates provided by the company. 

“This transnational criminal organization operated with the structure and brutality of an international cartel, inflicting significant harm on public safety and causing substantial damage to legitimate commerce and supply chains,” Dwayne Angebrandts, Homeland Security Investigation’s Los Angeles acting deputy special agent in charge, said in a statement. 

Artuni’s organization also reportedly ran a “credit card bust-out” scheme in which it charged credit cards to a fake business and then “drained the business account” before credit card companies could collect the disputed funds.

Several other arrests were made in the Los Angeles area and two more in Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood, Florida. Authorities continue to look for one defendant.

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LA City Council OKs $14B budget, allowing for $7K per homeless person each month

The Los Angeles City Council passed a $14 billion budget that reduced citywide layoffs by cutting police hiring and fire department spending.

The approved budget uses emergency funds, such as $29 million from the budget stabilization fund, to pay for ongoing regular services, which is typically only done in a recession. That suggests the city has a structural deficit created by spending more than revenue will allow.

Notably, the budget cuts $36.63 million from the Los Angeles Fire Department’s proposed budget and reduces new police hiring in half from 480 new recruits to 230. At the same time, it restores funding for Animal Services and creates a new Bureau of Homelessness Oversight under the Los Angeles Housing Department.

Councilwoman Traci Park, whose district stretches from the Los Angeles International Airport to the fire-demolished Pacific Palisades, questioned the city’s continued funding of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, which has failed all recent audits and from which Los Angeles County recently voted to terminate its funding and relationship.

“Spending a million and a half dollars per door to build micro-units of housing to give away to homeless drug addicts when the vast majority of our own city employees could never afford a condo at that price … I don’t think we should agree to spend another penny on homelessness … until we cast a vote on whether we’re finally getting a divorce from LAHSA and what the future of homeless services delivery looks like in LA,” said Park at Thursday’s meeting.

Park also attacked the cuts to the proposed LAFD budget and the halving of the new LAPD officer expansion.

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Ex-Los Angeles deputy mayor will plead guilty in fake bomb threat to city hall

A former Los Angeles deputy mayor will plead guilty to reporting a bomb had been placed in city hall last year to law enforcement, federal prosecutors said Thursday.

Brian K. Williams, 31, who was employed as the deputy mayor of public safety in October 2024, was charged with one felony count of making an explosives threat. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.

William’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Williams sent a text message to LA Mayor Karen Bass and other high-ranking city officials on Oct. 3, 2024 that he just received a call from someone who threatened to bomb city hall, prosecutors said.

“The male caller stated that ‘he was tired of the city support of Israel, and he has decided to place a bomb in City Hall. It might be in the rotunda.’,” Williams wrote in the text, according to prosecutors. He said he contacted the Los Angeles Police Department, who sent officers to search the building.

Police did not locate any suspicious packages or devices, prosecutors said.

Williams showed officers a call he received from a blocked number on his city-issued cellphone that he said was from the person who made the bomb threat. The call was made by Williams himself through the Google Voice application on his personal phone, according to prosecutors.

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Los Angeles approves $30 minimum wage for airport, hotel workers

The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday approved a $30 an hour minimum wage hike for airport and hotel workers, which will be enacted by 2028 in time for the Olympics. City council members approved the measure in a 12-3 vote. While union officials praised the approval, those working in the hospitality industry vigorously opposed the legislation and warned that the pay increase could result in mass layoffs, increased costs for consumers, and hotels shutting down.

According to the Olympic Wage ordinance, hourly pay will increase by $2.50 each year until 2028, where it will cap at $30 per hour. The first increase will occur on July 1, 2025, at an amount of $22.50 an hour, as stated in the measure. The current minimum wage is set at $20.00 per hour.

American Hotel and Lodging Association CEO Rosanna Maietta issued a warning about the proposal last month. She stated at the time, according to California Globe: “Hotel employees in Los Angeles are paid the highest wages in the country, but right now their jobs are at risk. City leaders are considering a damaging proposal that will jeopardize these jobs; it would devastate much needed tourism related tax revenue and lead to the closure of hotels that are desperately needed to successfully host the 2026 World Cup, the 2027 Super Bowl, and the 2028 Olympics.”

Despite the opposition, Los Angeles lawmakers overwhelmingly rejected the concerns and called the passing of the bill a “win” for the working class.

“This is what it looks like when people come together and fight – we win,” said Los Angeles City Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez, who voted to approve the ordinance. “For too long, the workers who make this city run have been treated as disposable. This ordinance makes it clear if you work in this city, you deserve to live in this city – with dignity, healthcare, and a living wage.”

Jessica Durrum, deputy director of Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE), echoed a similar sentiment, stating that the “common sense” measure was critical to ensure that “tourism workers can afford to live in the city where they work and not be displaced by skyrocketing housing costs.”

While the majority of council members approved the bill, councilwoman Monica Rodriguez was not one of them. She explained to the paper that she opposed the increase because it lacked “fiscal foresight” and could elevate unemployment.

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UCLA med school allegedly discriminates against white, Asian applicants: Lawsuit

A class action lawsuit from Do No Harm and Students for Fair Admissions alleges that the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA is illegally discriminating against white and Asian applicants by holding some applicants to a much lower admissions standard.

“(Jennifer) Lucero and the Admissions Committee routinely admit black applicants with below-average GPA and MCAT scores — even significantly below-average scores — while requiring whites and Asians to have near-perfect scores to even be seriously considered,” wrote the plaintiffs in their class action complaint.

Jennifer Lucero was appointed associate dean of admissions of David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA in 2020. She also serves as vice chair for inclusive excellence — formerly called diversity, equity and inclusion — for the Geffen Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine.

In 2020, UCLA was ranked by U.S. News and World Report as the sixth-best medical school for research.

But UCLA fell to 18th by the time U.S. News and World Report stopped ordinal ranking of medical schools and eliminated reputational ranking of departments within medical schools after numerous former top medical schools boycotted submitting data to USNWR over “equity” concerns.

The number of students failing exams has increased tenfold since 2020 for some subjects, according to reporting from the Free Beacon.

Under Proposition 209, passed by California voters in 1996, it is illegal for state entities to consider race in hiring, contracting and education. In 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard that race-based affirmative action policies for college admissions violate the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

The complaint details several notable incidents in which Lucero engaged in unusual behavior during admissions committee meetings.

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