How a Few Blocks of Downtown Became Trump’s Excuse to Deploy 2,000 Soldiers
I’m sitting here in LA right now, went to get coffee this morning, hit the grocery store, normal Monday stuff - and meanwhile Trump has deployed 2,000 National Guard troops because of protests in a section of downtown.
ICE did massive raids Friday, arresting 40+ people, turning places like Home Depot into deportation sites. People protested. Police used tear gas and rubber bullets. About 53 people got arrested over the weekend.
Trump activated California’s National Guard without asking our governor first. That literally hasn’t happened in decades. Newsom is suing because it’s basically illegal. It’s like someone using your credit card without asking, except instead of buying stuff online, they’re deploying armed soldiers in your state.
This is the classic authoritarian playbook - take a localized situation and blow it up into a city-wide “crisis” that justifies massive federal intervention. It’s like calling in the National Guard because there’s a fight in one parking lot of a mall, then claiming the entire shopping district is in chaos. Except in this case, the “mall” is the second-largest city in America.
Look, I hate making Hitler comparisons as much as anyone with functioning brain cells, but sometimes history doesn’t give you a choice in metaphors. Hitler didn’t violently take over Germany, he won elections legally, then used small crises to grab more power.
Don’t get nauseated but here is his playbook:
Blame everything on one group (Jews/communists then, immigrants now). Take small incidents and make them sound huge. Use “emergencies” to justify extreme measures. Slowly destroy local government power.
Sound familiar?
A few blocks of downtown protest becomes justification for thousands of federal troops in a city of nearly 4 million people. Hitler used the Reichstag Fire (one building burning ) to convince people they needed to give up civil rights for safety. We’re watching the same script play out with different actors.
Call your representatives even if you think it’s pointless. Tell them you’re worried about federal troops being deployed without state permission. This sets a precedent for everywhere else.
Support legal challenges: lawsuit and ACLU cases need money and public backing.
Share real information: not sensationalized videos that make it look like the whole city is burning when it’s a few streets. MY UNCLE CALLED AND ASKED IF I WAS BEING EVACUATED.
This isn’t normal.
This is not how things are supposed to work. And anyone telling you otherwise is either lying or hasn’t been paying attention to how democracies actually die, which is usually not with a bang, but with a bunch of people saying “well, technically it’s legal” while everything falls apart.
Pay attention. Speak up. And please, for the love of whatever you hold sacred, stop pretending any of this is normal just because it’s happening slowly and most of the city is still getting their morning coffee like nothing’s wrong.
Man, your newsletter lately have been 🎯🎯🎯. It's the only one I've read with any regularity and it's because you somehow entertain & educate consistently. THANK YOU!
This is an excellent piece of writing, Kelly, and responsibly argued. Well done. As for the subject: well, as soon as Trump called in the National Guard, history tells us how these things go. We've been expecting as much since Jan. 26. While I'd normally suggest we all take to the streets to protest, that's precisely what Trump wants. Instead, call your congressional leaders to account. Hold the police accountable. Film what you witness. You have that right. Just don't do nothing.