More carnival than warzone — the LA protests aren’t what you’ve heard

This article More carnival than warzone — the LA protests aren’t what you’ve heard was originally published by Waging Nonviolence.

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If you believe President Trump, you’d think Los Angeles is in ruins. In a speech to the military at Fort Bragg, he referred to recent protests against immigration raids as “a foreign invasion” wielding Molotov cocktails and “concrete bombs” to reduce the City of Angels to “a trash heap with entire neighborhoods under the control of transnational gangs.” Trump used this narrative to justify deploying 2,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles to “liberate Los Angeles.”

Early footage of the protests, especially from Fox News, seemed to support Trump’s summary of the situation. Images of burning cars, graffiti-covered federal buildings, protesters throwing bottles at authorities, and looters breaking into a convenience store went viral online.

But accounts from within the movement paint a different picture. Social media posts show LA protesters using creativity, humor, joy and even patriotism to express their disapproval of Trump’s immigration raids.

When demonstrators found out that ICE was staying in hotels in the area, they marched around those hotels blowing trumpets, beating tambourines, smacking road signs and beeping car horns, determined to keep the federal agents from having a good night’s sleep. They also flooded Google with 1-star reviews for the hotels housing ICE. These tactics did lead ICE to check out of some of the hotels, and several hotels even asked ICE to leave.  

Other footage shows the protests as having more of the energy of a carnival than a warzone. “It has the LA vibe of a Dodgers baseball game,” said Brittney Moses, a local psychologist and influencer who has been attending the protests for several days.

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Several videos show protesters dancing in front of police lines, with ironic text superimposed on the image: like “just me and my toddler at one of those insurrectionist riots.” Influencer Lorena Parkour attended a protest dressed as Dora the Explorer with a sign that reads “I.C.E., no swiping!” Mexican bands have led hundreds of protesters in sing-alongs in the streets. A hot dog vendor set up shop in a shut-down freeway to serve hungry protesters. Local clergy have led prayer vigils to lift the spirits of the community.

In many of these videos, people drape themselves in the American flag to symbolize that their protest is grounded in the U.S.’s democratic values. All of the above are smart moves and represent the vast majority of action taking place in Los Angeles.

Humor and joy are proven elements for movement success. They attract more people into nonviolent uprisings by lowering the bar for participation. Participants don’t have to be in fighting shape, trained in weapons or have to clear the moral bar of being willing to kill for what they believe in. Humor and joy also create opportunities for dilemma actions, where they can lure authorities to cross lines that offend the conscience of the broader public, and provoke more people to join or support the uprising.

The issue is that most people don’t realize that these kinds of actions are happening in LA, or that the protests have been overwhelmingly nonviolent.

LA Mayor Karen Bass told MSNBC that the military presence in Los Angeles was “completely unnecessary,” as the looting and clashes with police were happening in only two square miles of the 500 square mile city. Protesters express shock at the disproportionate response of police, who make no differentiation between the small number of protesters who oppose ICE with bricks and the vast majority who protest with noise and witty signs. Police continue to respond to unarmed protesters with flash bangs, foam bullets, tear gas and batons.

But testimonies from Bass or Gov. Gavin Newsom aren’t as sticky as the few videos of looters and protesters throwing objects at police that Fox News plays on a loop. A poll from the Washington Post showed that, although the most informed Americans disapprove of a military response to the protests, more Americans think the police are using the right amount of force against protesters. Another poll showed that most Americans “disapprove” of the protests and are split about whether or not they’re peaceful.

In her book “Twitter and Tear Gas: The Power and Fragility of Networked Protest,” researcher Zeynep Tufekci identifies “narrative capacity” as one of the crucial capabilities of any social movement. “Narrative capacity refers to the ability of the movement to frame its story on its own terms, to spread its worldview,” she writes. Public opinion polls suggest that the anti-ICE movement has yet to build enough narrative capacity to overcome the narrative their opponents have already spun, but it is making headway. After his extreme response to LA, Trump’s approval rating on immigration and deportations is falling.

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The movement is publicizing footage from the No Kings protests from over the weekend that show police using unnecessary force against sympathetic characters. One video shows police on horseback shoving an elderly, unarmed man to the ground. Protesters should continue to publicize videos like that, showing the disproportionate violent response of authorities, as well as footage showing that claims of violent chaos are untrue.

The LA uprising reminds us that movements must heed the warning to “brand or be branded.” In an interview with Chris Hedges, author Vincent Bevins highlights how recent social movements have been especially vulnerable to hijacking by ruling powers, global media and counter-movements. Organizers must be proactive about controlling their narratives.

It may not always seem obvious for newer activists, but we can call our own press conferences where participants the public respects — the elderly, medical workers, parents, children, respected politicians and influencers — share stories about unnecessary clashes with police over nonviolent demonstrations. Protesters need not wait for the media to interpret their actions. They can submit their own press releases to the media framing their actions, or tipping journalists off to upcoming actions that include their intentions and goals. Movements can create their own polls — or man-on-the-street style social media videos — asking participants and spectators their opinion on the protests.

Of course, these types of actions require greater unity around agreed-upon messaging. Leaders and influential community members could convene public meetings to formulate strategic messaging and protest tactics that are consistent with that messaging. Tools like the Tully perception box could be used to analyze the different parts of the public that the movement wants to recruit, and come up with different messages to reach each group and counter their opponent’s narrative.

The case of LA reminds us that movements have more terrain to win than their communities’ streets. They also must win in the arena of public opinion, where the side that tells the more emotionally provocative story first often wins. The fact that there’s no overwhelming majority opinion against the uprising means there’s still time for the movement to win the narrative battle. But it will take greater coordination, intention and nonviolent discipline.

Fortunately, LA is home to countless storytelling professionals who can use their expertise to flood the media ecosystem and counter state propaganda. The city that exports stories all over the world has what it takes to take control of its own.

This article More carnival than warzone — the LA protests aren’t what you’ve heard was originally published by Waging Nonviolence.

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Source: https://wagingnonviolence.org/2025/06/los-angeles-protests-are-far-more-than-youve-been-told/