When Lawlessness Wears a Badge — and the District Attorney Shakes Its Hand
Why is L.A.’s top prosecutor partnering with a federal official who protects brutality, pardons the guilty, and refuses to prosecute crimes committed in plain sight?
Let me say this as plainly as I can:
If you’re standing next to someone swinging a club at the Constitution and you call him your partner — you’re not upholding the law. You’re helping bury it.
That’s what happened this week when the Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman stood shoulder to shoulder with U.S. Attorney Michael Essayli to announce criminal prosecutions against a number of demonstrators who committed unlawful acts in the aftermath of the Trump-ordered ICE raids across Los Angeles County.
Let’s be clear: those prosecutions are justified.
When individuals break the law — whether they wear badges or not — they should be held accountable. Peaceful protest is a right. Criminal behavior is not. A broken window, an arson, or an assault in the middle of a protest undermines the very democracy those protests claim to defend.
But what we didn’t hear — what we never hear — is any recognition, let alone prosecution, of the federal agents who deployed flashbangs against peaceful crowds, detained citizens without cause, or committed what any seasoned cop would call assault under color of authority.
And there wasn’t one word about the illegal detention of U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, violently attacked, dragged to a hallway, shoved facedown to the floor, handcuffed and illegally detained.
This isn’t equal justice. This is selective enforcement.
A proper prosecution of undisciplined demonstrators — and a complete abandonment of the criminal law when that same lack of discipline is worn by officers with badges and the authority of the federal government.
I Wrote to the U.S. Attorney. He Never Replied.
Before Senator Padilla’s illegal seizure was captured on national television, I wrote directly to Mr. Essayli — imploring him to uphold the law evenly, regardless of badge or office.
I include my full letter below, so readers can see clearly what I asked, and what he has since ignored:
Dear Mr. Essayli,
Los Angeles is not under siege from criminals or foreign actors—it is under siege from a federal operation directed by a president using the tools of law enforcement as instruments of political punishment.
Following the peaceful and massive “No Kings Day” protests—which drew more Americans than the president’s own hollow parade—ICE raids were immediately ramped up in “blue cities” like ours. These raids are not about enforcing immigration law. They are acts of retaliation. And as The Hill reports, they are being carried out on Trump’s orders with chilling precision.
The results are evident on our streets. Masked ICE agents have deployed flashbangs against peaceful demonstrators, detained Latino residents solely based on appearance, and unlawfully pulled U.S. citizens and legal immigrants from homes and courthouses—without cause or warrants. And in a stunning breach of federal restraint, a sitting United States Senator was tackled, handcuffed, and detained—for doing nothing more than questioning the conduct of your federal counterparts.
These acts are not policy disagreements. They are crimes.
And they are unfolding under your jurisdiction—not just with your silence, but with your public endorsement, cloaked in rhetoric about “law and order” that bears no resemblance to what’s actually happening.
Mr. Essayli, your biography reflects a career of meaningful service. You’re the son of Lebanese immigrants, a former deputy district attorney, and a federal prosecutor who stood with victims after the San Bernardino terrorist attack. You once secured a conviction against a doctor whose actions caused the deaths of more than a dozen patients.
But now, you appear to be using your office not to enforce the law—but to excuse its abuse. Instead of protecting the Constitution, you are offering platitudes about law and order while federal agents commit state and federal crimes in plain view.
Here in California, we know what the law is:
• Penal Code 149 prohibits public officers from committing assault under color of authority.
• Penal Code 236 defines and punishes false imprisonment.
• Penal Code 422.6 criminalizes violations of civil rights through force or threat.
There is equivalent federal law.
These laws do not disappear when the offender is a federal agent. And yet, your office has done nothing to investigate these violations. No charges. No warnings. No statements defending the people of this district—only a posture of support for the agents breaking the law under your watch.
Let me be clear: If a member of LAPD acted as these ICE agents have, they would be subject to internal investigation, state prosecution, and likely civil liability. Why should federal agents—especially those engaging in politically motivated brutality—be treated any differently?
Your job is not to defend those who wield power unlawfully. It is to stand between the people and that power.
We are watching federal power weaponized before our eyes—targeting vulnerable communities, suppressing dissent, and punishing perceived political enemies. Your endorsement of these raids under the banner of “law and order” only deepens the betrayal of the oath you took to uphold the Constitution.
This is your moment of truth.
The prosecutors, lawyers, and public servants across this country who have stood up to politicized misuse of government power have shown us what integrity looks like. You still have the opportunity to stand with them—or to be remembered as the one who rationalized lawlessness for the sake of loyalty.
If your heritage, your career, and your oath to justice mean what they claim to mean, then you know: this is not law enforcement. It is authoritarianism in uniform.
We the people of Los Angeles are not confused about what we are seeing. And we will not be gaslit by badges or by bureaucrats.
The law is still alive in this city. The question is: Are you willing to enforce it—on everyone?
Respectfully,
Stephen Downing
Retired Deputy Chief, LAPD
Former Commander of Training
Author of Exposing the Con, Defending Democracy
Essayli never replied.
But he did find time to downgrade the felony conviction of a sheriff’s deputy guilty of excessive force — a man convicted of beating an unresisting suspect in handcuffs. (Source)
And that is who the District Attorney just publicly embraced as his “partner.”
The Real Danger of Selective Law Enforcement
This isn’t just about one joint press conference.
It’s about what gets prosecuted — and what gets a pass.
Our DA and U.S. Attorney properly chose to prosecute protestors who broke the law. But by failing to even acknowledge the ongoing criminal conduct of federal agents in our streets, they’ve made one thing clear: Accountability stops at the water’s edge of federal power.
That is not justice. That is cowardice.
There was a time — not long ago — when joint law enforcement efforts between local and federal prosecutors enhanced public safety, deterred corruption, and protected civil rights.
But this is not that time.
Today, the U.S. Attorney’s office is a blunt political weapon. And when our District Attorney treats that as a legitimate partnership, he joins in that betrayal of justice.
We Will Not Forget
The public is not blind. The courts are not empty. And the cameras are still rolling.
We have seen:
• The flashbangs.
• The false arrests.
• The assault on a U.S. Senator.
• The silence of the very men sworn to uphold justice.
And when the smoke clears, we’ll still be here.
In courtrooms.
In council meetings.
In newsrooms.
And at the ballot box.
Because when justice disappears from the top — it must be restored from the bottom up.
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The badge doesn’t excuse the crime. It makes it worse.
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A perfect example of how a PARTNERSHIP between the police and the public should work against lawlessness just released. The full report follows here:
“According to reporting from the Los Angeles Times, ICE agents arrived at Dodger Stadium early Thursday morning and requested access to the stadium's parking lots. The Dodgers refused entry, confirming the incident in a public statement shortly afterward:
"This morning, ICE agents came to Dodger Stadium and requested permission to access the parking lots. They were denied entry to the grounds by the organization. Tonight’s game will be played as scheduled."
Images quickly spread across social media showing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) vehicles around the stadium, fueling widespread speculation and concern. The purpose of the ICE operation remains unclear; when questioned by the Los Angeles Times, agents declined to reveal what operation they were conducting.
Sources indicate the agents tried to enter the team parking lot, which adds an interesting layer of complexity. Though the lot is considered team property, it is technically still owned by Frank McCourt, who sold the Dodgers to Guggenheim Baseball Management in 2012 but retained ownership of the parking lots.
Regardless, the Dodgers organization exercised control over access to the grounds and stood firm in denying federal agents entry.
The situation escalated rapidly as protestors gathered near the stadium. The Los Angeles Police Department was called to the scene and ultimately dispersed both protestors and DHS agents. A widely-circulated video from the scene shows an LAPD officer telling protestors:
"[DHS officers] can't be here. They are leaving too. [The Dodgers] are kicking [DHS agents] out, they are kicking you out."
This incident arrives at a highly charged moment for the Dodgers, who had announced just 24 hours earlier that they would soon unveil plans to assist immigrant communities in Los Angeles. While full details of those plans are still forthcoming, today's events underscore the fraught landscape where professional sports, politics, and immigration policy collide.
The Dodgers' swift action in denying ICE access is unusual and significant. Rarely do major sports organizations publicly confront federal law enforcement in this way. In a city with one of the largest immigrant populations in the country, and at a time when federal immigration enforcement remains a deeply divisive issue, today's events could reverberate far beyond the ballpark.
The LA Times report can be read HERE.
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— Stephen Downing
Exposing the Con. Defending Democracy.