What the Mayor Says He Can’t Do, the Law Says He Must

Mayor Rex Richardson told the LB Post that there’s nothing the city – or the Long Beach Police Department – can do to stop federal immigration agents from violently disrupting peaceful demonstrations in our community.

With all due respect, Mr. Mayor, that’s not true.

Let me say what should not have to be said in any American city: “Long Beach law enforcement has both the duty and the power to protect its residents from violence – regardless of who commits it.” And that includes federal agents.

“We Can’t Stop Them” Is Not a Policy – It’s an Abdication

The mayor was quoted in the LB Post article on June 7, stating: “It’s not something that we can prevent, unfortunately. But it is important to be clear that [the soldiers] were not there to enforce immigration law…”

And yet, while he draws a line between uniformed National Guard troops “just observing” and ICE agents in plainclothes, he sidesteps the core issue: Violence was used against peaceful demonstrators in Los Angeles and could just as easily erupt here.

That violence has taken the form of flash bang grenades, tear gas and baton charges unleashed without any legal cause or lawful provocation. The evidence from Los Angeles is clear. It’s on video. It’s been condemned by local officials.

And if it happens here, the LBPD cannot plead neutrality.

Our Oath Is Not Optional

When federal agents operate in our city – whether it’s ICE, CBP, or Homeland Security – they are not above the law. They are subject to the same use-of-force statutes, civil rights protections and assault laws as any other law enforcement officer.

If an ICE agent throws a flashbang grenade into a crowd of peaceful protestors, unprovoked, that’s not federal policy. That’s felony assault.

If an agent uses pepper spray to silence a teenager holding a sign, that’s not national security – that’s battery under California Penal Code § 242.

When LBPD officers witness these assaults and do nothing, when our city attorney or district attorney declines to prosecute, we’re not just failing as a city – we’re telling federal agents they have a free pass to commit crimes in our streets.

That’s not law enforcement. That’s lawlessness in uniform.

What Long Beach Can Do

Let’s talk about what the City of Long Beach can do—because the mayor seems to have forgotten.

• LBPD officers can intervene when unlawful force is used by anyone—and that includes federal agents.
• They can arrest individuals committing assault – uniformed or not.
• Our city attorney and district attorney can file charges under state law for unprovoked use of force, excessive deployment of weapons, and obstruction of civil rights.
• And the City Council can issue emergency directives, enforce protest buffer zones, and seek judicial restraining orders when federal misconduct becomes a pattern.

We’re not powerless. We’re choosing not to act.

This Isn’t Just a Legal Issue. It’s a Moral One.

If a plainclothes man throws an explosive device into a peaceful crowd, no badge should shield him from accountability.

When we say that “nothing can be done,” we’re really saying: some people are above the law. We’re saying: the Constitution stops at the city limits.

That’s not the kind of city in which I chose to live. 

A Final Word to the Mayor, the City Council and the Chief

You were not elected or appointed to manage political optics. You were entrusted to protect the people of Long Beach.

So, protect them.

Don’t let your officers become passive witnesses to federal misconduct. Don’t let your city become a testing ground for authoritarian overreach. And don’t tell your community there’s nothing you can do when, in fact, there’s everything you’re sworn to do.

Stephen Downing is a resident of Long Beach, a retired LAPD deputy chief and former bureau chief of training. He writes on policing, civil liberties, and the rule of law in Exposing the Con, Defending Democracy. You can follow his work at stephendowning.substack.com.

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