Arrests were made Saturday after a non-permitted protest attended by 200-300 sex toy-wielding people outside the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles began affecting traffic and demonstrators were asked to disperse.
The demonstration regarding actions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement got underway about noon Saturday, Los Angeles Police Department Lt. Bruce Cross told City News Service.
The group Frontlines TPUSA said the theme was a “f**k ICE” demonstration and that was why the sex toys were waved and smacked against the fence around the facility. They were also thrown at police vehicles.
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 Hollywood (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.