LA police conduct mass arrests after five days of protests

The Los Angeles Police Department in the early hours Wednesday began to arrest protesters en masse in the city’s downtown area. Protesters were arrested for violating an emergency curfew order Mayor Karen Bass established Tuesday evening. The order bans people from public spaces in downtown Los Angeles from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Bass declared the local emergency on Tuesday, after nearly five days of protests and riots responding to immigration enforcement raids. The curfew will remain in place every night until Bass ends the emergency declaration in general or specifically rescinds the curfew.

What else did Bass say in her curfew order? The mayor said the majority of protesters acted lawfully, but acknowledged that many others committed crimes such as vandalism, looting, and violence against first responders. Bass also made some exceptions in the curfew order, allowing credentialed media, the National Guard, law enforcement officers, and other first responders in downtown L.A. overnight.

What penalties do curfew violators face? Penalties include a fine of up to $1,000, up to six months in jail, or both, according to city code.

Dig deeper: Read my Tuesday report on how similar protests against immigration enforcement are springing up around the country.