Hundreds of sex toys were thrown around outside the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown LA by anti-ICE protesters on Saturday afternoon, and several people were arrested after police ordered the crowds to disperse.
The demonstration against tactics used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers got underway at about noon, Los Angeles Police Department Lt. Bruce Cross said.
Videos posted on X by Frontline TPUSA showed protesters attaching colorful sex toys to fences, tossing them at law enforcement vehicles and waving “explicit” signs, KTLA reported.
The demonstration was billed as (expletive) ICE. Hence, the sex toys.
The non-permitted protest was attended by 200 to 300 people. By 2 p.m., officials at the scene declared an unlawful assembly after protesters overtook the streets and blocked the flow of traffic, Cross said.
The area of Alameda Street between Aliso and Temple streets was then shut down, as well as Commercial Street between the 101 Freeway ramps and Alameda Street, he said.
Officers arrested roughly a half-dozen people who refused to leave the area, Cross said.
The streets were reopened around 4 p.m., he said.
City News Service contributed to this report.