Los Angeles is a vast city of about 4 million people living in an area of about 500 square miles.
For those who have never visited before, the spread of LA and where one place is associated with another can be overwhelming to imagine.
For tourists visiting this week, protests against immigration enforcement efforts and the violent clashes that broke out amid several demonstrations added a layer of uncertainty about the city, which many saw only in surprising photos and videos.
“First time. It was a bit scary to be honest, but our tours were booked in advance and we started repositioning everything when we saw that the protests were mostly downtown,” said Marx Lore, who visited from Germany.
This week’s protests are concentrated in a few blocks in downtown Los Angeles near City Hall and a federal jail just south of the 101 Expressway. A limited curfew was declared in the downtown Los Angeles section, which was affected by the protests, including one square mile.
Outside of the city of Los Angeles, there were small demonstrations, including one that became violent on Saturday in the South County community of Paramount, about 15 miles south of downtown Los Angeles.
Donna Russell is visiting from Oklahoma.
Some businesses in downtown Los Angeles have got into the windows before weekend demonstrations and take other precautions. Lauren Coronado reported on NBC4 News on Friday, June 13th, 2025.
“I knew it was safe when we went because I knew it on centralized news,” Russell said.
Visitors like Kalymbrocades took in the views on Friday at Griffith Observatory, one of the city’s gems above the bustling Los Angeles, explaining the city’s vast size.
“Well, we haven’t been here for a long time, but what we’ve seen so far is very good, very safe and very nice,” Brocade said.
Visited from Austria, Mattias Mayberg traveled to downtown and saw signs of protest and violence this week.
“We’ve been to downtown and honestly, I felt that it wasn’t quite safe,” Meiberg said. “But everything else is very safe. The police are amazing here and in fact we felt very safe in other areas.”
Police credit for some of the nighttime curfews first declared Tuesday night due to a decline in crime from Monday night when around 20 businesses in the downtown area were reported to be vandalism and looting. The curfew will remain in effect in parts of downtown Los Angeles until the weekend when further demonstrations are planned in the area.
Some businesses have stepped into windows in the Little Tokyo area and elsewhere as a precaution before the protest this weekend.
The curfew area includes an area surrounded by 5, 10, 110 highways to 110 highways and 10 highways where the 110 and 5 highways merge. It will be valid from Tuesdays onwards from 8pm to 6am
The Los Angeles Police Department reported 33 arrests on Thursday in the downtown Los Angeles area for overnight curfew violations on Friday.
The night was third under a limited curfew declared after Monday’s looting and vandalism. Since the declaration of a curfew, no arrests have been arrested for vandalism and looting.
On Thursday night, LAPD reported that people in the crowd were throwing objects containing commercial-grade fireworks at executives. Several officers were injured after responding to violence that had mostly minor injuries. LAPD reported that one person was arrested for resisting police officers, one arrested for pointing lasers on an airship and on a robbery warrant after curfew detention.
LAPD reported 71 arrests and seven arrests for night curfew violations from Wednesday through Thursday. The agency reported more than 200 arrests from Tuesday to Wednesday, most of whom were arrested for illegal Congress and curfew violations.
Local and state law enforcement agencies, including the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office and the California Highway Patrol, respond to protests, violence and criminal activities. Activating by President Trump, National Guard members have protected federal property, including a federal detention center in downtown LA. Approximately 200 Marines mobilized by federal authorities entered Los Angeles on Friday to protect federal property and staff.
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