Introduction to the Protests
On his Truth Social social media network earlier this week, President Donald Trump claimed that “If we didn’t send out the National Guard — Los Angeles would be burning right now!” In fact, the scale of the immigration-related protests that started June 6 in Paramount has been relatively small.
Understanding the Scale
Los Angeles County is more than 4,751 square miles, or 3 million acres, in area. (Almost 700 of those square miles are water.) The city of Los Angeles is about 469 square miles, or 318,912 acres, in area. The city of Paramount — which is not part of the city of Los Angeles, although it’s within LA County — is less than 5 square miles, or 3,097 acres. The weekend protests in Paramount took place on about six city blocks, or one-twentieth of a square mile, roughly 30 acres.
Comparison to Past Protests
If all of Paramount was involved in the protest, that would be 1% of the area of the separate city of Los Angeles and one-tenth of 1% of Los Angeles County. The related protests in downtown Los Angeles have taken place in about a five-block area — about 25 acres or less in a city of more than 300,000 acres. In contrast, the widespread unrest that followed the 1992 Rodney King verdict took place in about a 40-block area, or about 200 acres. That’s more than eight times the size of the current protests in Los Angeles.
Current Protest Trends
Although the current protests are growing in number and scope, they’re mostly clustered around downtown Los Angeles. They haven’t yet approached what was seen in June 2020, after the murder of Minneapolis resident George Floyd. Then, there were protests across Los Angeles County, including in Altadena, Burbank, Covina, Culver City, Diamond Bar, Downey, downtown Los Angeles, Glendora, Hollywood, La Puente, La Verne, Manhattan Beach, Palos Verdes Estates, Pomona, Redondo Beach, San Dimas, Sierra Madre, Walnut, West Covina, Westwood and elsewhere.
Historical Context and Law Enforcement Response
Just as today, the California National Guard was deployed to Los Angeles in 1992. That was at the request of then-Gov. Pete Wilson, though, rather than over the objections of local leaders, as is the case now. As of Thursday morning, the Los Angeles Police Department had arrested more than 270 people as a result of recent protests, including dozens Wednesday night. About 12,000 people were arrested in connection with the unrest following the Rodney King verdict in 1992.
Curfew Implementation
On Tuesday night, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass instituted a curfew aimed at calming tensions in the city. The curfew is specifically for downtown Los Angeles. According to Bass, it covers an area of less than one square mile or about 640 acres. That’s one-fifth of 1% of the total city of Los Angeles. In contrast, Tom Bradley, Los Angeles’ mayor in 1992, instituted a city-wide curfew that lasted six days.
Conclusion
The current immigration-related protests in the Los Angeles area, while significant, are relatively small in scale compared to historical protests in the region. Understanding the size and scope of these protests provides context to the discussions around their impact and the responses from law enforcement and local government.
FAQs
- Q: How large are the current protests in Los Angeles compared to the city’s total area?
A: The protests are taking place in a very small fraction of the city, approximately 25 acres or less in a city of over 300,000 acres. - Q: How does the current situation compare to the 1992 Rodney King verdict unrest?
A: The 1992 unrest involved a significantly larger area, about 40 blocks or 200 acres, and resulted in many more arrests, over 12,000, compared to the current protests. - Q: What measures have been taken by the city to address the protests?
A: Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has instituted a curfew in downtown Los Angeles, covering less than one square mile, to help calm tensions. - Q: How do the current protests compare in scope to those in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd?
A: The 2020 protests were more widespread, occurring across many cities within Los Angeles County, whereas the current protests are mostly centered around downtown Los Angeles.
