Protests of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids extended into their fourth day in Los Angeles as building damage was reported in several downtown neighborhoods and some companies in affected areas advised their staff to work from home.
On Monday, some city departments including the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs temporarily shut their downtown offices, while damage was reported in areas including the Civic Center, Historic Core and Arts District. Other employers, including those with offices downtown but several blocks removed from the protests, went about their daily business undisturbed.
"It looks much different on the news than it does in real life, which is a good thing," said Charlie Smith, senior managing director and broker lead for Greater Los Angeles for real estate services firm JLL.
"Even today, I'm sitting in our downtown office, and it's super safe. There were no issues" getting into the office, Smith told CoStar News. His firm, which advised staff to stay at home, is bullish on the future of downtown LA, having just upgraded the property's office on Flower Street.
While hundreds of U.S. Marines were reportedly deploying to the city to protect federal buildings and personnel on Monday, over the weekend demonstrators vandalized retail storefronts, including a sporting goods store and a wireless carrier to protest the raids, local reports indicate. Fires were set in trash bins, autonomous vehicles were destroyed, and cleanup crews have worked to clear streets littered with debris and tear gas residue.
Protests have taken place in other U.S. cities in the past week as ICE immigration raids occur in Newark, Chicago, Nashville and San Diego, among other areas.
Downtown impact
The Los Angeles protests started Friday at an industrial property leased to garment maker Ambiance Apparel at 922-932 Towne Ave in Central Los Angeles, where ICE agents arrested 44 workers and a labor leader. Since then, several federal buildings in downtown Los Angeles have become focal points during the protests due to their proximity to the Metropolitan Detention Center, where detainees from recent ICE raids are being held, according to reports from protestors.
Law enforcement agencies, including the LAPD and California Highway Patrol, responded with crowd-control measures as protests spilled onto major roadways like the 101 Freeway. Officials have declared parts of downtown an unlawful assembly area.
The Civic Center area in downtown Los Angeles — home to a dense cluster of federal agencies — has seen heightened risk of vandalism and property damage, including graffiti at the LAPD headquarters, the U.S. Courthouse, and the 300 N Los Angeles Street Federal Building, which houses offices for ICE, the IRS and USCIS.
As marches and confrontations have spilled into surrounding blocks, federal courthouses and administrative buildings in the area have also come under strain. Law enforcement has designated the Civic Center area a high-risk zone, increasing patrols and securing entrances to multiple facilities.
Despite the ongoing protests and heightened police presence downtown, both Sonnet Hui and Matt Moran of Project Management Advisors reported to their Flower Street office as usual on Monday. The firm, which manages construction and design projects across Los Angeles, maintained normal operations even as other companies advised staff to work remotely. Their presence reflected a broader conviction about the long-term future of downtown Los Angeles.
“We really believe in the city,” Hui told CoStar News. “And while there are a lot of issues, we pride ourselves on being part of the solution.”