In a seeming repeat scenario of the escalating violence and destruction of property Americans experienced during the spring of 2020 when the George Floyd riots swept the country, radical Democrats have been quick to label the escalating Los Angeles protests that kicked off June 6th as “mostly peaceful”.
The protests, which erupted as a response to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents performing their jobs and deporting illegal aliens, began in Los Angeles June 6, and violence escalated last weekend to such a degree that President Donald Trump deployed the National Guard and 700 Marines to the city.
Speaking to MSNBC on June 9, Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) asserted that most protesters are peaceful. “The vast majority of protesters and demonstrators are peaceful”, Padilla said. “They’re passionate.”
These “passionate” and “peaceful” protests in Los Angeles included demonstrators setting off fireworks near police officers, a line of self-driving cars set ablaze, and raucous crowds waving foreign flags shutting down the 101 freeway according to video footage.
The escalating violence prompted President Trump to send 700 Marines to the city to support law enforcement. However, top Democrats blame Trump and ICE for the protests which began Friday, June 6, before the president decided to send in support.
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) blamed President Trump for the protests on Sunday, claiming on NBC’s Meet the Press that, “a lot of these peaceful protests are being generated because the president of the United States is sowing chaos.”
In the past week, similar chaotic protests have erupted in cities from New York, to Seattle, Las Vegas and Washington, DC. While Democrat officials and their allies in the mainstream press originally attempted to frame the protests as “peaceful”, a plurality of Americans see through the tactic and recognize the protests for what they are — violent threats to safety and property.
According to a new YouGov survey released June 10, Americans say by seven points — 42 percent to 35 percent — that the participants in the protests against ICE this past week have been mostly violent. Independents agree the protests have been mostly marked by violence by 9 points — 40 percent to 31 percent — and even 18 percent of Democrats admit the protests have been mostly violent, through 61 percent claim the protests have been mostly peaceful.
Republicans say by 58 points — 71 percent to 13 percent — the protests have been mostly violent. Hispanics, who represent a significant portion of the Los Angeles area and may be more impacted by ICE’s actions than any other racial group, say the protests in Los Angeles have been mostly violent by a twelve-point margin, 42 percent to 30 percent. Although Black Americans say the protests have been mostly peaceful by a thirteen-point margin — 41 percent to 28 percent — a large share of Blacks also say the protests have been mostly violent.
As for the core objective of the protesters — to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement — a broad majority of the public is opposed to the demand. An Economist/YouGov survey from June 6-9 found Americans oppose abolishing ICE by an eighteen-point margin — 45 percent to 27 percent. Independents oppose abolishing ICE by 14 points — 39 percent to 25 percent — and Republicans oppose abolishing ICE by 60 points — 69 percent to 9 percent. A majority of Democrats — 47 percent — support abolishing ICE but 27 percent oppose doing so.
Earlier CBS News/YouGov polling from this week found that Americans actually want to see border security beefed up, with the public saying by 28 points they would like to see funding for the border and immigration enforcement increased by 28 points — 49 percent to 21 percent. Independents support increasing border security funding by eighteen points — 43 percent to 25 percent — and Hispanics would like to see funding for the border and immigration enforcement increased by 22 points — 44 percent to 22 percent.
Unfortunately for Democrats, they are on the wrong side of history once again. Democrat elected officials’ response — or lack thereof — to the George Floyd riots in 2020 that set cities across the country ablaze is one of the reasons the public consistently says in opinion polling they do not trust Democrats on crime.
A CNN survey conducted by SSRS found that Republicans hold a six points advantage on handling immigration, and a broad thirteen point advantage on handling crime. Democrats are seen as weak when it comes to handling these issues, and are also seen as ineffective and lacking leadership overall, according to the survey.
During the George Floyd riots radical activists, and many Democrat leaders, attempted to employ the same tactics they are employing now — claiming the riots were peaceful, then blaming law enforcement or conservatives when the violence became unmistakable. The result of that betrayal of the American people has been cratering trust in Democratic leadership over the past few years. Yet once again, Democrats are aligning with radical protestors instead of calling out the violence.
Manzanita Miller is the senior political analyst at Americans for Limited Government Foundation.
