What sounds like 100 police cars have raced past me toward Pershing Square #dtla in the last 15 minutes. They go by in huge waves. Windows rattle every time. Helicopters. Stay safe out there friends, these forces are heading your way.
The protesters are now throwing firecrackers at the riot cops in front of the Whole Foods. Yikes.
Almost 2 hours later, and the sirens just keep on coming. I didn’t even know there were this many cops in Los Angeles.
There’s been a full on military gunship chopper hovering above my building (5th/Spring) for half an hour. Light in my windows. Too loud to talk on the phone.
Chopper still there, two more arrived. Can feel the wind from its blades through my window when it’s overhead. More sirens. From what I gather the Starbucks on 6/Spring is no more.
Five hours in. More sirens and more choppers than ever. Some moving away, some getting closer. Shit the new round of sirens definitely includes fire trucks now.
Bonfire in the intersection at 7/Hill. 11:30pm and this long night is likely far, very far, from over.
New wave of sirens and now audible yelling and a huge explosion as bottle- and rock-throwing protestors clash with police on 6/spring. Fuck three no four huge flash bangs just went off as I’m typing. This is bad you guys. I can hear the screaming from a block away.
Omg there are what really sounds like gun shots going off downstairs now. My block. I heard ten. Flash grenades and shattering glass. So much yelling now. Here come the sirens.
Fresh wave of sirens now. Literally hundreds of cruisers going by, not exaggerating. They seem to be headed in several directions. I can’t say for sure if those were gun shots or m80s, or if it’s bottles or windows being smashed downstairs but it’s loud. The big chopper is back.
In the midst of all this it’s been strange how it’ll get real quiet, suddenly. Five or ten minutes of eerie silence will go by and then bang boom pow — an explosion or a crash and just as suddenly it all starts again. It’s down to one regular helicopter now but it’s flying close.
