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Roberto Resinos, 21, of downtown Los Angeles, works at Boba’s time right next to the Metropolitan Detention Center, which has been protesting for six days.
Recinos said demonstrations and curfews have recently brought far fewer pedestrians. By 2pm, the shop was usually selling about 120 drinks, but on Wednesday, under 40 were on sale.
“He was dead,” he added.
Recinos has not attended the protests and has mixed feelings about what is happening, but said he supported the cause.
It was a surreal week for those living and working in the Civic Center area as peaceful protests, clashes with police and vandalism have been erupting since Friday night.
Griffin Paisley stands at the door of a small Tokyo building where his business is located. He said he was waiting in his office after not leaving until 2am on Tuesday after a chaotic protest on Monday night.
(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)
Many say they support the protest, but be aware that it is hurting the business. Vandalism is another matter. The new doors imposed on downtown added another layer of complexity.
Recinos said his shop closed early at 7:30pm rather than 10pm, allowing everyone to return home before the curfew.
“If they’re putting a curfew to avoid people going out to protest, it’s doing that work for me,” he said.
Despite all his family being documented, Recinos, who comes from Mexican immigrants, said he must be more careful during the ice attack.
“My mother is scary to be able to restrain me despite my bright skin and technically white pass,” he said.
Refusing to award the last name, Ken has worked as a sales associate for several years at Bunkado, Little Tokio’s Nicknack Shop. He said the store was affected by the protests as pedestrians fell last week.
The street near Los Angeles City Hall was empty after Mayor Karen Bass enacted a curfew.
(Jason Armand/Los Angeles Times)
The exterior of the storefront was also destroyed by graffiti.
Ken said he supported the curfew, but noted that the store was normally closed at 6pm anyway. Still, they closed for an hour earlier this week for demonstrations.
“I don’t care about people who come on the nights that destroy them,” he said. “I don’t think they’re really part of the protest. They’re just destroying it because they’re upset.”
Ken said he is worried that the curfew could be cancelled.
He said he felt sorry for the owners of businesses in the area that were robbed or destroyed. He said an anime store near a Japanese village square was destroyed and boarded.
Uriberazo lives in South Los Angeles, but is in downtown for work almost every day. He decided to take the Metropolitan Detention Center for a walk around 9:30am on Wednesday to investigate the graffiti and daily aftermaths of the protest.
Wednesday’s runner scrawled the building that housed the Los Angeles Times for many years, Graffiti’s street.
(Christina House/Los Angeles Times)
Razo has not participated in the protests and instead is monitoring the demonstration from his home. He said curfew seemed effective in reducing the worst violence on Tuesday night.
“They looked under control,” he said. “They didn’t make people violent.
Razo, who said he worked as an immigration law office assistant and paralegal, said he could understand the protesters and the law enforcement side. He said people applied for citizenship and they tried to help people fill out the form and bring relatives from other countries.
Razo is the first generation son of Salvador immigrants
“I’m not worried that it’s not documented, but… they can stop me and ask if I’m coming from here,” he said. “I am at odds in my mind because I understand that it is probably their only resource and therefore I am not documenting the light letter of those coming here.
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