Karen Bass, LA Mayor Announces
"Successful Protection of Residential Areas"
The nighttime curfew that had been imposed in downtown Los Angeles (LA), United States, has been lifted after one week.
According to the Los Angeles Times on the 17th (local time), LA Mayor Karen Bass announced in a press release that she had lifted the curfew in downtown LA, citing the continued success of crime prevention and deterrence efforts.
The previous day, Mayor Bass had signaled a phased lifting of the curfew by delaying the start time from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., allowing stores to extend their business hours.
Mayor Bass assessed that "the curfew, implemented alongside ongoing crime prevention efforts, was highly successful in protecting shops, restaurants, businesses, and residential areas from malicious actors who disregard the immigrant community."
However, Mayor Bass stated, "If necessary, the curfew will be reinstated," adding, "The top priority is to continue ensuring safety, stability, and support for residents in the downtown area."
In LA, following a raid by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on June 6 targeting the clothing wholesale market and other areas in downtown densely populated by undocumented immigrant workers, protests had continued daily, centered on downtown LA. The demonstrations gradually escalated into crimes such as looting of stores and property damage, resulting in harm to numerous commercial and public buildings.
In response, on June 10, Mayor Bass imposed a curfew from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. the next day in major protest areas in downtown, and strengthened police control.
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