It was half an hour before curfew in Los Angeles, the light fading as the sun dropped behind the skyline, when the police shot a group of photojournalists — including me.
This was the sixth day of protests, spurred by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) executing mass arrests across the city. Angelenos came out en masse, especially at federal buildings in Downtown Los Angeles. Even with thousands of people in the streets, ICE continued its raids, pushing the nation’s second-largest city toward the breaking point.
For two decades, HuffPost has been fearless, unflinching, and relentless in pursuit of the truth. Support our mission to keep us around for the next 20 — we can’t do this without you.
Early Wednesday evening, hours before the 8 p.m. curfew, protesters gathered to march. Their flags were backlit by the setting sun, and their homemade signs were held high. The procession ended in front of City Hall, which was blocked by barricades and a single file of Los Angeles Police Department officers, fluorescent green less-lethal rifles reminiscent of Nerf guns held in front of them, standing beneath the words carved into the building: “Righteousness exalteth a people.”
The crowd was peaceful, chanting and cheering, some with megaphones, when the police stepped toward the demonstration, abruptly fired flash bangs, moved in on horseback, and started shooting.
