Bass cites few arrests in LA to say troops ‘don’t need to be here’ – Washington Examiner
Los Angeles mayor Karen bass has stated that the National Guard and Marine troops deployed to the city are needless, citing a significant decrease in arrests during recent protests. In a television interview, she noted that out of approximately 30,000 attendees, onyl five arrests were made. Bass emphasized that the protests were largely peaceful and insisted that local law enforcement can manage the situation without military support. She observed that the military presence in the city was minimal, with National Guardsmen primarily stationed to protect a federal building.This stance contrasts with President Trump’s decision to deploy troops, as he believes their intervention was essential to prevent escalating violence in the city. Bass, who is planning to run for reelection in 2026, compared the current situation to the more tumultuous 1992 riots, claiming that there was “no comparison.”
Karen Bass cites few arrests in LA for why federal troops ‘don’t need to be here’
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass continued to assert on Sunday that the National Guard and Marines deployed to her city are not needed as local law enforcement has arrested fewer protesters in recent days.
It’s been a week since President Donald Trump began deploying National Guard troops to assist in ending the riots despite the Democratic mayor’s claims that the protests are peaceful. In total, 4,000 Guardsmen remain there. Trump has also sent a group of 700 Marines to the area.
“There were a lot of people out, about 30,000. I will tell you that out of that big crowd, five people were arrested. About 30 were given citations. There were injuries on both sides. Officers were injured and so were people that were there,” Bass said on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday.
“But I do want to dispel the notion that the military is here. We don‘t want them here. They don‘t need to be here. Our local law enforcement have complete control of the situation,” Bass said. “And I will tell you, the 30,000 people were downtown L.A. There were protests in 15 different locations in our city. I flew over each one of them, and they were overwhelmingly peaceful.”
Bass also claimed that during her helicopter travel over Los Angeles, she didn’t see any Marines on the streets. Instead, she saw National Guardsmen largely protecting a federal building. The mayor, who has lived in the city long enough to remember the 1992 riots, alleged there is “no comparison” between then and the most recent anti-ICE protests and riots.
Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman, commander of the Los Angeles effort named Task Force 51, said before the weekend that he expected a “ramp-up,” noting that additional protests across the United States are expected.
BASS DOWNPLAYS ‘COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY’ AID FROM NATIONAL GUARD, MARINES
Trump has stood by his decision to deploy troops and congratulated the National Guard on a “great job” settling the riots. Trump predicted the city would be “burning to the ground” if federal troops hadn’t intervened.
Bass has announced her plans to run for reelection in Los Angeles in 2026.
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