Promise Li discusses the response in Los Angeles to the militarized federal ramping up of ICE detentions. He discusses the role of the LAPD, the complicity of Democratic politicians, and the popular response that built on networks generated through mask blocs and other mutual aid actions, highlighting in particular the work of the Community Self-Defense Coalition and the LA Tenants Union.
Like Ivan Drury Zarin's discussion of Capitalism's Enduring Use for Borders, shared on the Old Mole last month, this talk was part of an event held in July 2025 by the organization Solidarity on the Origins & Problems of the Anti-Migrant Panic. That panel discussion was the culmination of a reading and discussion group on the same topic.
Promise Li's writing has appeared widely, including in Against the Current, The Nation, Jacobin, International Viewpoint, Tempest, and Spectre.
"GTFO of LA sign, No Kings protest, Hollywood,, Los Angeles, California, USA" by gruntzooki is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. Cropped.