Letters to the Editor: No one brought in the Marines to quell sporting event chaos, so why protests?

To the editor: I’m getting tired of explaining to people that a couple of dozen idiots turned a peaceful protest into a media event frenzy by turning violent (“After images of unrest comes the political spin, distorting the reality on the ground in L.A.,” June 11).

But, after living in L.A. for nearly 30 years, I can honestly say I’ve seen more chaos at celebrations when the Dodgers or Lakers win. And no one suggests bringing in the National Guard and Marines.

In the meantime, masked ICE thugs are throwing innocent citizens into vans and carting them off. President Trump promised to clear the U.S. of violent criminals. But this seems to have manifested as seamstresses, car wash attendants and farmworkers, who have been here for 10-plus years, and who have legal children here, being treated as violent offenders in order to meet his quotas.

If you’ve ever seen photos of 1930s German soldiers throwing Jews into trains to be carted off and you don’t see the similarities, then you’re just lying to yourself.

Robert Braunstein, Santa Monica

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To the editor: A dozen people arrested on charges such as failure to disperse, receiving stolen property and commercial burglary. Seven arrests were in connection with smash-and-grab incidents at two stores.

A Metro bus in Echo Park was set on fire and a downtown store was looted. The Los Angeles Police Department declared four unlawful assemblies and used less-lethal munitions to control hostile crowds. Mayor Karen Bass said violence will not be tolerated.

Was this a radical left-wing mob engaged in insurrection? No, what I just described was a “celebration” by sports fans on Oct. 31, 2024, following the Dodgers’ World Series victory.

Ken Brock, Yucca Valley