LA wracked with 'grief and frustration'
raised, protest response trouble a city already traumatized by wildfires
By: Terru Collins
and Josh Peter
USA Today
LOS ANGELES - In Altadend, California, on the outskirts of Los Angeles, grief and uncertainly keep rising.
.....
Sergio Hernandez felt that this week [06/09-13/2025] while standing on the scorched lot where his family home of 44 years burned down six months ago from deadly wildfires - and roughly 13 miles from her protesters set fire to self-driving Waymo taxis downtown.
..... The protest sparked by controversial raids carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement are further heightening fear in America;s larges county, a place still recovering form the wildfires tragedy.
..... "I thought COVID was bad,: Hernandez, 43, told USA today. "But no, I was wrong. "This is much worse."
..... Down the road, Eduardo Escobedo, 40, who runs his family-owned tree trimming service, shared a similar sentiment.
..... "A lot of people don't feel safe," he said as his crew threw branches into a shredder where another home once stood.
..... In a year that's already been punctuated by the devastating fires that will take years to rebuild from, an emotionally weary Los Angeles County is back in an unwanted spotlight, its character tested by anti-ICE protests and a high-profile political fight.
..... California Governor Gavin Newsom is blaming President Donald Trump for fanning the flames, accusing him of "pulling a military dragnet: on Angelenos by sending thousands of troops to the area, imperiling peaceful protests and targeting hardworking immigrant families.
...... "Donald Trump;s government isn't protecting our communities - they're traumatizing our communities," Newsom said. "And that seems to be the entire point."
..... The president has countered and said he sent the National Guard to control those he called "paid insurrectionists, agitators, or troublemakers."
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"This should never have been allowed to start, and if we didn't get involved, Los Angeles would be burning down right now," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on June 10, [2025] while also quipping about the deadly wildfires: "just as the houses burned down."
..... Los Angeles native Christian Arana said "it's almost a tradition" in his family to attend protests and advocate for immigrant relatives. He did so growing up.
..... "And now, more than 30 years later, "I'm doing the exact same thing, except we're being met with a militaristic respond," said Arana, vice president of civic power and policy at the Latino community Foundation.
'This isn't the first time'
..... Altadena is still rebounding from the Palisades and Eaton fires that killed at least 29 and burned more than 57 square miles. Now come the ICE raids on undocumented residents and the uproar and uncertainly from protests that have led to occasional violence.
..... It's been a lot to bear, said Los Angeles County supervisor Kathryn Barger.
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"There's no question that we are grappling with collective grief and frustration," Barger told USA Today. "But this isn't the first time."
..... The supervisor cited the civil unrest after the Rodney King riots in 1992 and then the George Floyd protests in 2020 amid the unprecedented public helaht crisis brought on by COVID-19.
..... "each time, it felt like we were standing on the edge. And each time, Los Angeles County pulled through, strong and determined to move forward," Barger said. "We are a region defined not by the challenges we face, but by how we respond to them."
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She added, "Simply showing up for one another, that spirit and solve, is what gives me hope."
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But even the optimistic supervisor knows it won't be easy.
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Pulling up his black optimistic supervisor his face, Hernandez, the son of Mexican immigrates who came to the United States in the 1970s, said he's trying to help rebuild his family's Altadene home. there will be permits to obtain and bills to pay if they move forward.
..... I'm not sure what the future will hold," he said. "but I think we can make it happen."
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Hernandez said seeing images of the ICE arrests and watching and hearing sounds from the protests triggered flashbacks form the wildfires: the crackling and booms of exploding cars and "just sirens the whole night," he said. "I don't think I've had time to recover from the fire."
'Palpable fear and pain'
..... On the same day Hernandez shared his grief with USA Today, U.S. Marines arrived in Los Angles. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, said trump's One Big Beautiful Bill act includes 10,000 new ICE agents and billions of dollars to carry out 1 million deportations a year.
..... Many Americans support a tougher deportation policy CBS News/YouGov conducted a poll just before Trump ordered National Guard troops to Los Angeles. In it, 54% of respondents supported Trump's depredation policy, 50% approved of how he's handling immigration and more than 40% said they think Trump's crackdown is making the country safer.
..... For Angelenos who are undocumented, Trump's enforcement creates "Palpable fear and pain,: Arana said. "they don't want to leave their homes, show up to work, send their kids to school, miss scheduled doctor's appointments even go grocery shopping. "This fear all forces them into the dark corners of society."
..... Escobedo said ICE should focus on criminals, those who endanger public safety.
..... "I believe if you're really doing bad, there should be consequences, but to go after the working class, those who are trying to support the families, is way overboard," he said.
..... "Everyone's perspective is appreciated here," Escobedo said. "even if we don't agree with one another, that's what makes loch Angeles so beautiful. We can agree to disagree and still respect each other. Wat's wrong with that?"