Robotaxis burn in Los Angeles in backlash to immigration raids

As Angelenos push back against federal raids, Waymo's I-Paces pay for it.

See full article...

 

[graylshaped]

Fucking shit up like this has a place in many circumstances (Peaceful protest only works when there's a credible threat of unpeaceful stuff). But when protesting ICE, shouldn't the targets of action be a lot more directly tied to what's being protested? I mean, if this was a general protest against surveillance or self driving cars or google, I guess this has some sense to it. But the trigger for these protests is ICE using military style tactics to go after people at fucking home depot. Fucking up waymos does fuck all about that.

The protest centered around the federal building and detention center off Alameda. The vehicles were brought to the scene, and for what it is worth, I agree are a regrettable distraction from the core problem.

 

[LostFate]

Sidebar:
Considering any time they have to refer to anyone left of Kissinger they label them the radical left, can we skip all the fair and balanced bullshit? Just start calling them the fascist party directly in the articles?

https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/republicans-los-angeles-protests-trump-big-beautiful-bill/

"The lawlessness happening in LA is ANOTHER reason why we need to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill IMMEDIATELY," Johnson said, pledging that Congress will support Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who he said are "fighting to keep Americans safe against illegal aliens AND the radical left."

 

[Psyborgue]

How does setting taxis on fire protect anyone? It doesn't.

That was my initial reaction however Google was allowing law enforcement to use their cameras for surveillance. If these things become part of a surveillance state they should absolutely burn.

I won’t do it, of course. No Waymo nearby anyway. I am just saying it should happen if they become an extension of a state that is arresting people without cause and deporting them to places they don’t leave.

It’s on Google’s attorneys to fight it if they want it to stop happening. If they won’t voluntarily not be evil, it must be forced. And those things are expensive so it’s ample motivation.

 

[Tonkaman]

I am all for protests in these times, but peaceful protests are the way.

Most protests are peaceful until the police show up. No different than the 1960s.

 

[Tonkaman]

Agree. Somewhat.

But this kind of action plays right into Trump's hands. He's actively trying to provoke destruction and violence to add justification to his increasing attempts at suppression, and this hands exactly the results he's hoping for straight over to him.

Of course, I can guarantee that if protesters weren't doing such things, magats would be stepping up to take their place. I fully expect one of them to chuck a brick or two at NG troops to kickstart a wag-the-dog incident.

Like they need a reason. Historically police and federal agents don't need a reason to justify beating and assaulting protestors, though I'm sure one will be conjured after the fact.

 

[Tonkaman]

I've been thinking back and even done a few searches. Nothing comprehensive, but...

When was the last time a peaceful protest led to any positive change whatsoever?

They'll claim the 1960s, but conveniently forget the legislation that got passed only after cities started burning.

 

[MilkyBarKid]

Like they need a reason. Historically police and federal agents don't need a reason to justify beating and assaulting protestors, though I'm sure once will be conjured after the fact.

LAPD shot an Australian journalist on camera, so they’re not trying to hard to find valid reasons for their actions right now:

 

[Psychophant]

Is there any indication that the post is even depicting a real event? One of the favorite activities of right-wing whackjobs is to take old photos, or out-of-context photos (or both) and manufacture "evidence" of crimes. Which works well as propaganda since the right-wing is so susceptible to it. But doesn't work at all on anyone paying attention.

Here is the ABC7 live feed showing that store getting looted by a helicopter shot. Different time, but definitely the same store. Reporter also comments on how this store has been looted in past riots. Time 7:20:53


View: https://www.youtube.com/live/HH7DPreBh1g

 

[andocom]

This isn't just some random luddite uprising. As mentioned in the article:

Maybe add the next line in also: "the LAPD published footage obtained from a Waymo that it used to investigate a hit-and-run."

This doesn't exactly appear to be LAPD mass surveillance to find illegals for ICE to send to the gulag, if anything its closer to "Police are asking for anyone with dash cam footage at X time and Y location"? I'm honestly a bit confused by this, if you were struck by a car and it was caught on Waymo cameras would you object to police obtaining that footage?

Maybe its just a cultural difference but as an Australian burning Waymos as part of anti ICE protests does actually seem like a random luddite uprising and frankly absolutely fucking terrible as a political approach.

I'm on the other side of the globe so maybe I'm missing the vibe.

 

[andocom]

LAPD shot an Australian journalist on camera, so they’re not trying to hard to find valid reasons for their actions right now: View attachment 111248

The hilarious thing is homie is right there directly in shot behind her not 10 meters away with no one between them. Like let me shoot this journalist real quick WTF?

 

[NowIsTheTimeOfMonsters]

See this stuff does piss me off,

Its summoning someone elses property for the sole purpose of destroying it,
And those people aren’t even the people you hate…

What has google done to support extradition,

Burning peoples personal teslas was also some crazy nonsense, who says the owner would still have supported Musk nowadays. At the dealership, ok maaaaybe, but still you’re endangering workers lives there who may not even agree with him, but personal vehicles?

Protest, yes absolutely for it,
Wanton destruction no.

The last bug riots were terrible too, i saw people tear through my barbers place, an african american barber btw, who was always pro equality and BLM
And he was left with a massive bill he could not get covered properly by insurance.

This is not really protesting anymore,
And yes i get people are outraged and upset and just trying to “stick it to the man” but which man matters.

Sigh.

That said, the dispatch of national guard without the states approval is absolutely insane…
But its almost looking justified for people not in the know because of headlines like this.

The cars weren't set on fire by protestors, they were lit up by arsonists using the protest as cover to do what they love - see shit burn.

 

[Tonkaman]

No, they should leave the middle of the street in a declared riot. There were plenty of peaceful protests at Tesla dealerships that didn't result in any police response. When protests turn violent, police show up and shut them down, sometimes with violence of their own, this is a common occurrence. There is no first amendment right to violent protest.

The police declare any protest "a riot" eventually as a pretext to violate the 1st amendment. They should stand their ground for their rights.

 

[digitalrefuse]

Fucking shit up like this has a place in many circumstances (Peaceful protest only works when there's a credible threat of unpeaceful stuff). But when protesting ICE, shouldn't the targets of action be a lot more directly tied to what's being protested? I mean, if this was a general protest against surveillance or self driving cars or google, I guess this has some sense to it. But the trigger for these protests is ICE using military style tactics to go after people at fucking home depot. Fucking up waymos does fuck all about that.

You mean like the threats of violence leveled my Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King? Or the notoriously violent People Power Revolution in The Philippines (Heavy sarcasm)?

Those are some examples of change on a massive scale brought about by peaceful protests, modeled on the "Turn the other cheek" method. Standing up to tyrants while acknowledging their humanity and in a way that forces them to acknowledge yours is far more powerful than contributing to a cycle of retribution.

 

[iquanyin]

I abhor violence, but it is always interesting how much more vocal people are about property damage, than human rights violations….

Like sure, lighting vehicles on fire is bad…but what ICE is doing is

Ironic they burned EVs to protest ICE instead of...ICE vehicles.

maybe because the ones they could get to have people inside.

 

[bugsbony]

Name a famous peace-espousing change agent in history who did not understand and accept that their protest was going to involve breaking some eggs. By which I mean heads. Including their own. A few have already been mentioned in this thread.

I'm not sure what you're saying.
All big enough protests will involve at least some violence from both sides, that just how it is, that doesn't mean that you shouldn't try to minimize violence, because violence is counter productive.

"including their own" ? Are you referring to MLK assassination ? Getting killed is not a violent protest.

 

[iquanyin]

This is bullshit, because Trump would have done what he is going to do regardless of anything happening in reality. He is not the sane logical person you think he is, all he cares about is power and money and this will all lead to more for him, but it was not dependent on the little peoples action at all. this was a forgone conclusion once he was elected again.

yes! you’re right.

last night on bluesky, in popehat’s feed and elsewhere, people on the scene posted videos of things winding down, of people line dancing as protest there, and so on. why? to have it on record that things were ending and there was no need whatsoever for anyone, let alone the military, to come out and “crack down.”

they showed videos and specifically noted—for the record, because they knew trump would send violence and blame it on others—that streets were emptying out and people were walking home. it was ending. peacefully.

and just as anyone watching knew, trump was sending violence so he could blame it on we, the people.

 

[Sajuuk]

You mean like the threats of violence leveled my Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King? Or the notoriously violent People Power Revolution in The Philippines (Heavy sarcasm)?

Those are some examples of change on a massive scale brought about by peaceful protests, modeled on the "Turn the other cheek" method. Standing up to tyrants while acknowledging their humanity and in a way that forces them to acknowledge yours is far more powerful than contributing to a cycle of retribution.

A literal century of violence preceded Indian independence, and civil rights legislation only started being passed in the US after MLK was murdered and enough of the country rioted that the federal government was afraid of an actual general uprising. For some reason, everybody forgets all the un-turned cheeks from movements past.

 

[internetomancer]

There's an idiot at every protest. It's just the nature of protests. Take a million people, one of them is going to be a dumb ass.

It does make me worry. Not for waymo, but that every fire is another excuse to send the military. And every soldier a new reason to burn things. Feels like it's Trump's game to win.

 

[Tonkaman]

It turns out that this has happened before, during school integration. When the Feds need to enforce civil rights without the governor's support, they either federalize the state's Guard or send in other forces. So, I'm not sure taking control of the Guard is the best approach when this happens, but it probably beats the alternative. And there is legal precedent, which probably explains why Newsom is suing, rather than ordering the Guard to stand down.

Note that I am not equating these circumstances with today's.

Except that's not what happened. Eisenhower federalized the guard because the governor was using the guard to enforce segregation in violation of court orders. Eisenhower merely took the governors tools away.

Trump is using them illegally.

 

[iquanyin]

four hours ago, folks. peaceful. and trump is sending marines
View: https://bsky.app/profile/jesscraven101.bsky.social/post/3lr7d2yionc2c

 

[Tonkaman]

I understand where you are coming from but significant progress has been made in America through largely peaceful protests.

I am not overlooking reality, rather I look to those like MLK for guidance in situations like this. He was an advocate for peaceful protests. He acknowledged that riots would happen through rage and frustration at the oppressors coupled with the slowness of change, but he did not call for violent protests. Similarly, I acknowledge the reality that violence will occur in these situations.

The power of peaceful protests is real and we are doing a horrible disservice to all who participated in peaceful protests on issues like civil rights, gay rights, and women’s suffrage in America if we ignore the impact they had on improving our society and the world.

The Civil Rights Act of 1968 was repeatedly filibustered and was going nowhere until cities across the country started burning after MLK's death. That legislation was achieved only because violence sometimes works.

 

[Psychophant]

The police declare any protest "a riot" eventually as a pretext to violate the 1st amendment. They should stand their ground for their rights.

Blatant lie. I've been to many protests not declared to be a riot. Stop trying to gaslight people. Peaceful protests happen all the time, much more often than violent ones.

 

[Tallone55]

I've been thinking back and even done a few searches. Nothing comprehensive, but...

When was the last time a peaceful protest led to any positive change whatsoever?

What short memories we have; gay rights in the U.S. were won off the back of decades of peaceful protest. The ACA was preserved in Trump's first term because of peaceful protest. Peaceful protest takes time and effort and focus. The message has to be stated again, and again, and again, and again. And it cannot be tainted by wanton property destruction or violence. The marches of the civil rights era were notable for their discipline in the face of police brutality.

Trump and his mooks will not be convinced by marches. They already know that what they want is unpopular. They are enabled by people who can still be swayed, and the moment we decide that convincing people is useless we go to a far darker place than I think anyone on this forum is prepared for.

 

[eggie]

Except that's not what happened. Eisenhower federalized the guard because the governor was using the guard to enforce segregation in violation of court orders. Eisenhower merely took the governors tools away.

Trump is using them illegally.

The law says that the President may federalize the Guard only when the governor's violating a law or court order?

 

[NowIsTheTimeOfMonsters]

If only we prioritized "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" and "all men are created equal" but that's probably too woke for this country.

Those concepts were too woke from the very beginning. At the time of the writing of the Declaration, poor and middle class people were beginning to express anger at the colonies' ruling class (mainly landowners and businessmen) for economic hardships; the Founders used that discontent in their favor by deflecting that resentment against the Crown.

As historian Howard Zinn documented, the Massachusetts legislature had enacted a bounty payment system for any local Native Americans killed by white settlers in 1755.

Slave-owning Jefferson's original draft of the Declaration included a paragraph regarding slavery of Africans, accusing the King of "suppressing every legislative attempt to prohibit or to restrain this execrable commerce." This language was removed by the Continental Congress due to pro-slavery sentiment.

And women? Zinn writes, "The use of the phrase 'all men are created equal' was probably not a deliberate attempt to make a statement about women. It was just that women were beyond consideration as worthy of inclusion.... They were simply overlooked in any consideration of political rights, any notions of civic equality."

When it came time to conscript the Revolutionary Army, rich men could buy their way out of the draft while the poor were required to serve.

(A People's History of the United States, 1492 - Present, Perennial Classics first edition, 2001)

The Republicans of today and their Heritage Society masters are simply doing their damnedest to hold fast to the original "principles" the US was founded on - "Fuck you, I got mine!"

 

[fellow human]

 

[Chanur64]

The pre-deployment orders to the marines were sent the same time the first 2,000 guard were still touching down and deploying Sunday, so of course it was planned. Those 700 marines are now being deployed, even while the national guard are sleeping directly on concrete floors in building basements and loading docks because nobody planned for a real deployment. I suppose the next 2,000 National Guard now being deployed alongside those 700 marines can just double-bunk on top of the Guard already sleeping on the ground...

 

[NowIsTheTimeOfMonsters]

I recognize that Waymo is the 'technology hook' for the story that's making it relevant to Ars, and the capacity for incidents like this is something that needs to be put into the general robotaxis thought box.

Autonomous vehicles are easy targets for vandalism, for better or for worse. I think we can all imagine what would have happened if Tesla robotaxis were actually available in Los Angeles like Musk keeps dreaming about.

But for those who are talking about burying the lede, the story is that ICE thugs are terrorizing my community. A handful of damaged cars just isn't that important, and nobody is actually accusing Waymo of helping ICE.

Just for a little personal context the Home Depot in question is 9 miles from my house. It's not the one I go to, there's one closer in Gardena, but it easily could have been.

View attachment 111178

I pull into 'my' Home Depot parking lot regularly—passing the day laborers, people with junk hauling trucks, people selling fruit and flowers. They are hurting nothing, just offering their services and trying to get by.

My community is not safer for masked federal officers cosplaying stormtroopers sowing fear. People are angry, and they should be. If a company working to remove more jobs and further enrich the big tech companies felt some of that frustration? Welp.

Home Depot founder Bernie Marcus is a big-time Trump Humper and in 2023 stated he would help fund Trump's campaign even if he was convicted of his crimes.

"Marcus and his wife Billi Wilma Marcus were the seventh-largest individual Republican donors in the 2020 election cycle, giving nearly $25 million to Republican campaigns, according to OpenSecrets, a nonprofit group that tracks money in politics. Business magazine Forbes estimates Marcus' net worth at around $8.8 billion."
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/ho...fund-trump-if-candidate-convicted-2023-11-28/

I would hope you had alternatives to shop at.

 

[NowIsTheTimeOfMonsters]

Marines signed up to be the first in or the last out, the sharp end of the spear. Using marines for crowd control is like driving a Ferrari to the store to get groceries.

Actually no, it's like telling your cat to drive to the store to get groceries.

I think we've all earned a pootie gif

 

[dimathiel]

I am all for protests in these times, but peaceful protests are the way.

Peaceful protests have never worked. All meaningful change has only ever come about after some, or more usually a lot, of blood has been spilt.

 

[dimathiel]

Didn’t El Presidente Taco say “you gotta fight like hell or you won’t have a country anymore”
What’s good for the goose and all that.

 

[GreyAreaUK]

and the last thing Trump wants is blood on the streets.

Wrong. It’s exactly what he wants, because he wants to be able to invoke the Insurrection Act and/or Martial Law. And keep in mind, neither Trump, nor Hegseth, nor Miller, have a conscience. They’re psychopaths and there aren’t remotely enough Republicans with a spine to keep them in check.

Trouble is, you need to protest anyway, because you have to do something. Because otherwise you’re allowing stuff like this to happen:


View: https://bsky.app/profile/gxldsociety.bsky.social/post/3lr7mkb4a4s2j

 

[GreyAreaUK]

It's not happening already because a lot of people carry guns concealed or otherwise

Also no. It's not happening because enough people prevent it. If 20 ICE agents try to snatch someone and 100 peaceful civilians stop them, their options are either to open fire or retreat. Currently they're choosing to retreat.

 

[arsisloam]

Wrong. It’s exactly what he wants, because he wants to be able to invoke the Insurrection Act and/or Martial Law. And keep in mind, neither Trump, nor Hegseth, nor Miller, have a conscience. They’re psychopaths and there aren’t remotely enough Republicans with a spine to keep them in check.

Trouble is, you need to protest anyway, because you have to do something. Because otherwise you’re allowing stuff like this to happen:


View: https://bsky.app/profile/gxldsociety.bsky.social/post/3lr7mkb4a4s2j

It's weird how they hide their IDs. Do they know they're doing something immoral, and are ashamed? Or did one of their bosses tell them to hide their identities?

This feels like the School of the Americas in reverse; We're looking at failed Latin police states and copying their gestapo tactics.

 

[GreyAreaUK]

It's weird how they hide their IDs. Do they know they're doing something immoral, and are ashamed? Or did one of their bosses tell them to hide their identities?

I don't think they're ashamed. I think if you willingly enforce illegal policies (snatching and deporting without due process is wrong as hell) then you're probably not a nice person. You're probably a bully. And like most bullies you're also a coward.

They're not showing their IDs because they don't want the mob turning up at their door.

 

[graylshaped]

A literal century of violence preceded Indian independence, and civil rights legislation only started being passed in the US after MLK was murdered and enough of the country rioted that the federal government was afraid of an actual general uprising. For some reason, everybody forgets all the un-turned cheeks from movements past.

"Turning the other cheek" in the parlance of the era was a dare, impugning the opponent's character.

 

[GreyAreaUK]

It's not just California, all leftist shitholes should be burned to the ground.

Go take your fascist fantasies somewhere else, pumpkin.

 

[Router66]

Go take your fascist fantasies somewhere else, pumpkin.

You 're responding to a Modi troll. Downvote and ignore please.