Amid protests and looting, L.A. calls on the National Guard

The California National Guard is deployed at City Hall in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday.

June 1, 2020 4 AM PT

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti was asked the question around 4 p.m. Saturday, as television stations carried feeds of burning police cars: Would he bring in the California National Guard to restore order?

Garcetti said he had spoken with Gov. Gavin Newsom earlier that day and concluded there was no need. “We got this, Los Angeles,” he said during his live briefing.

Hours later, with looters smashing windows in and around the Grove shopping mall, Garcetti got back on the phone and did what previous L.A. mayors have done when their city is in crisis: ask the governor to send in the Guard.

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Protesters stand on top of a burned LAPD cruiser. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Protesters stand on top of a bus stop at the Los Angeles Civic Center to demonstrate for justice Wednesday night. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

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Protestors turn on their cell phone flashlights at Los Angeles City Hall at 9 pm on Wednesday as part of a silent protest against the death of George Floyd. (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times)

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A protester confronts National Guardsmen as thousands of protesters march down Spring Street in Los Angeles to demonstrate for justice in the George Floyd murder by cop case Wednesday. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

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Protesters dance on Spring Street in downtown Los Angeles Wednesday night. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

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Thousands of protesters march down Spring Street in Los Angeles Wednesday night to demonstrate for justice in the killing of George Floyd. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

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LAPD Cmdr. Gerald Woodyard takes a knee with protesters and L.A. clergy during a march in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)

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Khalil Mitchell speaks to protesters kneeling near a police line, preaching calm and working to preserve a peaceful protest on Monday. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

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In Hollywood, hundreds of protesters march Monday against police brutality. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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AJ Lovelace, a director and writer, and others keep potential looters from entering a dry cleaning store as they attempt to march peacefully. “We need peace and we need someone to talk to each other,” he said after the looters fled the scene. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

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Demonstrators in Riverside retreat as county sheriff’s deputies fire nonlethal rounds on Monday after law enforcement announced an unlawful assembly. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Protesters in Riverside. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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An arrest in Hollywood during a protest Monday. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

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A demonstrator, injured while trying to flee the firing of nonlethal rounds, lies on the ground in Riverside. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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An LAPD officer arrests a looting suspect in an alley behind a Hollywood Boulevard store. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Riverside County deputies advance on demonstrators on Monday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Fireworks thrown by a protester explode at the feet of Riverside police. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco takes a knee with demonstrators. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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A watch and jewelry store is looted in Van Nuys on Monday. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

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A looting arrest in Van Nuys. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

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AJ Lovelace, director and writer, tries to stop looters from breaking into a Walgreens in Hollywood. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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An LAPD officer arrests a suspected looter in an alley behind a Hollywood Boulevard store. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Police advance on a line of protesters in Hollywood, firing rubber bullets. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Arrests are made of those out after curfew in Hollywood. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

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Protesters in Hollywood. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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A store is looted in Hollywood. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Protesters in Hollywood. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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People out after curfew are arrested Monday at Sunset Boulevard and Gower Street. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

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Arrests in Hollywood. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

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Protests in Westwood. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

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Volunteers help clean up the mess left by looters in Long Beach. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Protest in Hollywood. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

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National Guardsmen outside Santa Monica Place. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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Gilbert Haro and sons Richard, 8, and James, 6, help clean up in Santa Monica. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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Protesters face off with police in Santa Monica on Sunday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Santa Monica stores were the target of looting on Sunday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Suspected looters in custody in Santa Monica on Sunday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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L.A. County sheriff’s deputies in Santa Monica on Sunday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Sake House employee Jared Settles can’t bear to watch as the restaurant burns in Santa Monica on Sunday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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An arrest in Santa Monica on Sunday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Broken glass from a looted store covers the sidewalk in Santa Monica. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Cecelia Rosales, who said she was homeless, walks past a line of police officers in Santa Monica on Sunday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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A man guards a convenience store in Santa Monica. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Looting erupted Sunday in Long Beach. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

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Police and protesters face off in Santa Monica on Sunday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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A police officer inspects the damage to a Santa Monica supermarket. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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A protester is treated after being struck by a rubber bullet. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Looting in Long Beach on Sunday. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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Looting in Long Beach. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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A suspected looter in Long Beach. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

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Smashing windows in Santa Monica. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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An arrest in Santa Monica on Sunday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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People walk away with surfboards in Santa Monica on Sunday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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People rush out of a looted store in Santa Monica. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Protesters in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

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Cheers for protesters in downtown Los Angeles. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

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City Hall on Sunday. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

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A shattered storefront on Melrose Avenue on Sunday. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

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Smashed windows on La Cienega Boulevard. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

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Downtown L.A. on Sunday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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People carry merchandise from a looted store. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

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A person carries items from a looted store in the Fairfax District on Saturday. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

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A couple of protesters embrace on Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles Saturday. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)

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People protest Saturday at Pan Pacific Park. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)

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Protesters gather around a fire in the middle of a downtown L.A. street on Friday. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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Police fire percussion rounds to clear protesters from Grand Avenue in in downtown Los Angeles on Friday. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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A protester remains defiant after being pushed to the ground by police on Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles on Friday. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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Protesters are arrested by Los Angeles police in front of City Hall on Saturday. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

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Protesters block the 110 Freeway. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Protesters take to the streets Friday in downtown L.A. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

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Protesters are escorted off the northbound 110 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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A protester is escorted off the northbound 110 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Protesters climb over a barrier during the May 29 protest in downtown L.A. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

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Protesters block the 110 Freeway northbound and southbound in downtown Los Angeles. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Police officers assume a defensive stance as a protester approaches them on the 110 Freeway on May 29. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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During a May 29 protest, Los Angeles police patrol the 110 after having moved protesters off the freeway. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

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A protester rides a skateboard on the 110 Freeway. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Protesters block the 110 Freeway northbound and southbound in downtown Los Angeles. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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A protester confronts LAPD officers on Friday in downtown L.A. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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A protester lies hurt on the 101 Freeway near downtown Los Angeles on May 27. (Gabriella Angotti-Jones / Los Angeles Times)

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An injured man gets up with the help of emergency workers during a protest May 27 in downtown L.A. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)

Garcetti asked for 1,000 troops, a mayoral aide said, with half going to assist the Sheriff’s Department and half helping the LAPD, which spent the weekend responding to massive protests, outbreaks of vandalism and various forms of upheaval.

By Sunday morning, scores of Guardsmen toting M-4 rifles could be seen patrolling streets between skid row and Bunker Hill. In combat gear, they stood guard outside shattered storefronts and graffiti-tagged buildings, where windows had been shattered and the street strewn with trash. Humvees and military trucks were present in the city in a way not seen since 1994, in the days after the Northridge earthquake.

For some, the spectacle was unnerving. On Sunday afternoon, scores of troops had formed a partial perimeter around City Hall, which faces the Los Angeles Police Department building and was itself guarded by many police officers.

“I think it’s provoking fear in people’s hearts,” said Diamond Evans, 23, who sat on a nearby bus bench. “I feel the same way about the curfew. Psychologically, it feels like a war — a war against the people.”

The mayor’s decision to bring in the National Guard also drew criticism from Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson, who represents a portion of South Los Angeles. “Our fear is real that additional law enforcement will only further violence against people of color,” he said on Twitter.

Harris-Dawson declined an interview request from The Times. But Councilman Paul Koretz, who represents stretches of Beverly Boulevard, Fairfax Avenue and other commercial areas hard hit by looting, said the LAPD needed additional help in tackling the ongoing crisis.

City Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson represents a portion of South Los Angeles.

Koretz said he contacted Garcetti late Saturday afternoon — an hour or two after the mayor’s briefing — and told him the city needed a more expansive curfew and help from the National Guard. By midnight, looters were treating one computer store in the area like “a McDonald’s drive-through,” Koretz said.

“We clearly were overrun, even with the LAPD deployment,” he said.

Garcetti, for his part, said the National Guard would not be sent to the LAPD’s South Bureau, which covers several neighborhoods in Harris-Dawson’s district. And he insisted the deployment was not to instill fear in the public, but to provide security to businesses that already had been looted and were especially vulnerable.

The National Guard will “secure places that aren’t secure because of the looting in downtown and other parts of L.A.,” he said.

Brian Ferguson, spokesman for the state’s Office of Emergency Services, confirmed that the Guard had been sent to neighborhoods already secured by local police, freeing up LAPD officers to monitor ongoing demonstrations. The Guard’s deployment would also focus on protecting critical infrastructure, such as electrical substations and water treatment plants, he said.

In Pershing Square, Guardsmen holding machine guns stood in clusters of two or three, smiling and waving.

Kathy Gomez, 20, said she felt less safe after seeing the heavy weaponry carried by the Guard. “They could use those against the people here,” she said.

The arrival of armed troops evoked images from past emergencies in L.A.

In 1965, California Highway Patrol officers pulled over a black motorist in South Los Angeles, igniting a confrontation that quickly spiraled out of control. By the time the National Guard showed up two days later, Watts was burning, stores had been looted, and residents had been fighting police.

Peace was restored almost two weeks later, after 13,000 troops from across the state had converged on the city.

Almost 30 years later, Mayor Tom Bradley requested that the National Guard be deployed after a jury acquitted four Los Angeles police officers in the beating of black motorist Rodney King. Within hours of that verdict, demonstrators had begun looting stores, torching buildings and taking to the streets with guns.

Gov. Pete Wilson responded by sending 2,400 members of the National Guard. Police Chief Daryl Gates admitted that year that the city’s police force had not been prepared.

The Guard returned in 1994, after a 6.7 earthquake left more than 1,000 buildings destroyed and 20,000 residents homeless. Convoys rumbled through the San Fernando Valley, patrolling mini-malls and parks to deliver water, deter looters, direct traffic and raise tent cities for 6,000 displaced residents.

National Guard troops patrol downtown Los Angeles on Sunday.

In recent weeks, the Guard had been sent to L.A. County nursing homes hard hit by coronavirus.

The latest deployment in L.A. drew objections from the ACLU of Southern California, which criticized Garcetti for inviting in those troops. Peter Bibring, the group’s director of police practices, said demonstrations over the last week have been fueled by a concern over aggressive policing, and often militarized policing, that “dehumanizes black communities.”

“Deploying the actual military to police the streets of L.A. in response to these concerns just doubles down on the problems that gave rise to the protests,” he said.

Police Chief Michel Moore acknowledged that there is symbolism to having people in military uniforms patrolling the city. But he argued that members of the Guard are regular citizens — bookkeepers, construction workers, accountants and Angelenos — called up in a crisis.

Within hours of their arrival, the troops succeeded in stopping suspects from “victimizing businesses” that had been damaged and looted, Moore said.

Joseph Merchain, who watched Guardsmen assemble outside City Hall on Sunday, also did not object to their arrival. After all, he said, “there’s all this chaos now.”

“I think it’s necessary that they be here,” the 22-year-old said. “Because we don’t want to see these buildings burning.”

Times staff writer Tania Ganguli contributed to this report.