They came to MacArthur Park on
horseback and in riot gear, their faces
covered and their weapons out. They were part
of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Agency (ICE) and the California National
Guard. They came with more than a dozen
military vehicles, as helicopters swarmed
overhead. They came heavily armed with rifles
and other weapons. They came, clearly, ready
to rumble, armed to excess. Why?
Local Angelenos,
who might ordinarily be hanging out, selling
food and toys, or simply enjoying the day,
were warned that immigration might be out.
Many are too fearful to go out, but a summer
day camp for children was operational. Many of
the young people attending the camp had
parents who were working – camp was summer
childcare. Camp counselors took the children
inside to shield them from the chaos. Still,
many of the children were frightened. A little
girl, interviewed on CNN, wept as she spoke of
her fear and the fact that she hoped her
mother would come home from work. LA Mayor
Karen Bass described the military action as
“outrageous an un-American”.
Why did more than
90 heavily armed ICE officers, carrying rifles
and riding Humvees descend on urban MacArthur
Park in an area that is heavily immigrant?
This is nothing more than intimidation. It is
manifestation of the reign of terroir that the
President has ushered in. With no respect for
the law and order that he so frequently touts,
this impersonation of a human being has
authorized a group of out of control zealots
to inflict fear on an entire neighborhood.
It doesn’t matter
whether residents are here legally (which most
are) or not. These Gestapo-like “law
enforcement” officers can stop anyone who they
suspect of being “illegal.” If the person is
not carrying the appropriate identification,
they may be taken to a temporary holding
facility. You might be fingerprinted,
interviewed, or detained. Your belongings
(including your telephone) may be confiscated.
You will be forced to prove that you are
“legal," guilty until proven innocent. This is
fearful for both legal and illegal migrants,
but it ought to be an occasion of fear for all
of us. Lots of Black folks could be mistaken
as Latino and held. Who really carries their
passport with them? (I just put a picture of
mine on my phone. One can never be too
careful).
We are living in a
maniacal oligarchy where the whims of one man
are dictating the ways that we live,
especially in blue states like California. The
stunt of raiding MacArthur Park, terrorizing
children, and flexing terrorist muscles
circumvents the law. But then almost
everything this administration has done, from
firing federal workers and Biden appointees to
playing with tariffs, to criticizing the head
of the Federal Reserve and pressuring him to
quit, circumvents the law. In the mind of this
deranged Commander in Chief, there is no law
except his law, and while he makes it up as he
moves along, many of these moves are outlined
in Project 2025.
What is most
outrageous is the differential application of
law, and the uneven compassion that is offered
to victims of this nonsense. More than a
hundred people are dead, and another 160, at
least, missing, including girls and their
counselors who attended Camp Mystic at the
Guadalupe River. The President has offered the
appropriate condolences and pledged support
from FEMA to rebuild the area. The media has
talked about the missing little girls in ways
that tug at the heartstrings. All the
condolences and support are appropriate. But
what about the little boys and girls who went
to MacArthur Park for their summer camp? Is
there support for them? And what about those
affected by floods in Kentucky and Virginia,
who have not curried favor with this
President. Compassion should not be partisan.
Traumatized children, regardless of race or
immigrant status, must be managed
compassionately.
In a reign of
terror, though, some children are to be
cherished and others to be terrorized. The
armed raid of MacArther Park, which yielded
not a single arrest, was nothing more than
intimidation. Kudos to Mayor Bass and Governor
Gavin Newsome for resisting this nonsense.
Caution to all of us. We are living in a reign
of terror and the morally impaired are now in
charge of our country.
