Politics
JUST IN: Stunning Clip Shows Moment News Hosts Realize LA Riots Are Not ‘Organic’
A professional operation began to permeate the Los Angeles riots on Monday, nearly stunning one set of broadcasters into silence after they watched a truckload of organizers hand out riot-style face shields while preparing to take on National Guard and Marine soldiers entering the city.
The moment of realization dawned on anchors and a correspondent with KTTV in L.A. while watching activists arrive in a pickup truck and unload boxes of what they originally suspected were groceries or other peaceful contributions to the fourth day of demonstrations. However, the mood quickly turned dark when the group of newscasters saw markings on the dozens of boxes being handed out into the crowd.
“Look at this, we have people right now dropping off food and water. Preparations are underway for what could be a long night right now,” correspondent Matthew Seedorff said from the field.
Fox L.A. anchor Christine Devine responded, saying the scene did not appear to indicate an “organized rally” was taking place, like earlier in the day, when riot gear and weapons were being handed out. But it wasn’t long before she and co-anchor Elex Michaelson realized that the same preparations for violence were occurring.
“What are those boxes?” Michaelson asked, to which Devine replied, “Are those masks?”
“That doesn’t look like food and water,” Michaelson responded.
“No, those are masks. So people are prepping for some sort of altercation with police as we speak,” said Seedorff.
Not far away, another Fox L.A. correspondent described a “festive atmosphere,” Michaelson went on, “including a lot of older folks who were there for the right reasons.”
“You probably don’t put on a mask unless you have a plan of not wanting somebody to see your face,” he added.
Despite the face covers, the identities of the most violent rioters are starting to emerge. On Monday, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino began publicly naming some of the alleged assailants of federal officers while calling on the men to turn themselves in.
One individual, Elpidio Reyna, 40, of Compton, CA, is wanted for allegedly assaulting a federal officer during Saturday’s riots in Paramount. A flyer shared online by Bongino said the FBI is offering up to $50,000 for his whereabouts.
On Sunday, President Trump called up 2,000 members of the California National Guard “to temporarily protect ICE and other United States Government personnel who are performing Federal functions, including the enforcement of Federal law, and to protect Federal property,” according to the Western Journal.
Other reporters covering the riots have noted that confrontation-style equipment is being handed out. Fox News’ Bill Melugin spotted protestors being “given earplugs, gas masks, and water bottles,” with the water being “not to drink, a lot of those water bottles are being thrown” at law enforcement, he said.
Conservative journalist Nick Sorter claimed that the face shields being handed out “cost $60+ each” and speculated about where the money is coming from to purchase them.
“There is NOTHING organic about this. WHO IS FUNDING IT?,” he wrote.
The Coalition of Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), a group behind some of the protests, was found to have received tens of millions of dollars from the Biden administration before their grants were canceled in March.
Protests against the original ICE operation have since morphed into full-blown riots. Multiple accounts have emerged of participants assaulting immigration officers, defacing public buildings, and slashing people’s tires, according to information released by the Department of Homeland Security.
