Occupied LA: Don't Riot -- Boycott and Shun

US president Donald Trump, Axios reports, "is edging closer than ever to invoking the Insurrection Act, driven by a vision of executive power free from the guardrails, governors and generals who stifled him in 2020."

"The people causing the problems are professional agitators," he says. "They're insurrectionists."

He's not wrong. He's a professional agitator, he's an "insurrectionist," and he's causing the problems.

On June 6, members of the public confronted members of the "Immigration and Customs Enforcement" gang in Los Angeles in the act of abducting 44 people. The gang members responded to the attempted rescue with "flash bang" grenades. On the following day, the gang escalated to tear gas and pepper balls in nearby Paramount.

If one side was "rioting," both were.

At that point, Trump announced he was "federalizing" 2,000 California National Guard members -- to protect the ICE gangbangers from the public, not vice versa. He's since added 700 US Marines to the Federal Gang Member Protection Task Force.

What are Trump and co-conspirators like ICE shot-caller Tom Homan, "Homeland Security" secretary Kristi Noem, and Pentagon honcho Pete Hegseth trying to accomplish in Los Angeles?

They're hoping for a "Reichstag fire" incident they can use as an excuse to invoke the Insurrection Act ... not to put down an "insurrection," but to complete the "insurrection" Trump unsuccessfully attempted in 2020-21 and resumed on his return to office.

And if they can get a Horst Wessel out of the deal, they'll happily accept. Wessel was a German thug who engaged in similar street fighting, on a similar side. After he was killed (supposedly for his political activity, but more likely over his side gig as a pimp), he became a convenient martyr and the Nazi party adopted a song he wrote as its anthem. When, not if, an ICE thug finishes his or her shift in a body bag instead of over beer and sportsball, we'll never hear the end of it.

Personally, I'd rather it didn't come to that.

On the other hand, California governor Gavin Newsom's lawsuit over Trump's actions is weak tea. The courts have already demonstrated their deference to Trump's lawlessness; when they don't he just whines and tries to ignore them.

The better answer to the occupation of LA is to greet it with institutional boycotts and individual ostracism.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power should cut off all services to facilities used by the occupation forces. Make them truck in their own water and generators if they insist on staying.

Local institutions should refuse service to those affiliated with the occupation forces.

"No, that bottle of water / cheeseburger / latte isn't for sale ... at least not to you."

"No, you can't use the restroom."

"No, this church does not serve communion to those in an unrepentant state of mortal sin."

"We reserve the right to refuse service."

"Out. Now."

Residents shouldn't offer them anything but the cold shoulder.

When your opponent has heavier weapons than you, nonviolent methods work better than "rioting." Don't give Trump the excuse he's after.