After a calm night, LA mayor shortens downtown curfew hours imposed after violent protests

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — After a calm night in downtown Los Angeles, Mayor Karen Bass on Monday slightly trimmed the hours of a curfew imposed last week after days of violent protests and looting that followed President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Bass’ announcement that the nightly curfew would be narrowed — it will start at 10 p.m. Monday, rather than at 8 p.m., and extend until 6 a.m. Tuesday — followed the disclosure that there were no arrests by police in the area on Sunday.

The mayor’s office said the slightly trimmed curfew time reflects a marked reduction in violence, vandalism and looting in downtown that followed the protests. When the curfew was imposed on June 10, officials said it was necessary to stop vandalism and theft by agitators looking to cause trouble. At the time, Bass said the city “reached a tipping point” after 23 businesses were looted.

In a statement Monday, Bass said “the curfew, coupled with ongoing crime prevention efforts, have been largely successful in protecting stores, restaurants, businesses and residential communities from bad actors who do not care about the immigrant community.”

Bass has given no indication when the curfew will end.

The curfew covers a relatively tiny slice of the sprawling city — a 1-square-mile (2.5 square kilometer) section of downtown that includes the area where protests have occurred.

Last week, Trump ordered the deployment of roughly 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to the second-largest U.S. city following protests over his stepped-up enforcement of immigration laws.

On Sunday, Trump directed federal immigration officials to prioritize deportations from Democratic-run cities, a move that comes after large protests erupted in Los Angeles and other major cities against his administration’s immigration policies.