Ex-LAPD Cop Blasts Mayor Bass for “Playing It Safe” During LA Riots
Let’s be real—LA’s seen this movie before. Protests, anger, then suddenly everything’s on fire. But this time? It’s immigration raids sparking the chaos instead of police brutality. And here’s the thing that gets me: we’ve got a former LAPD detective—guy who lived through the ’92 riots—calling out Mayor Karen Bass for dragging her feet. Like, seriously? We didn’t learn anything from last time?
So What Actually Went Down?
The Spark
It started simple enough. Feds rolled into immigrant neighborhoods making arrests—heavy-handed stuff, according to protesters. Peaceful at first, then… well, you know how these things go. By day two, we had smashed windows, fires, the whole nine yards. Classic LA unrest, just with 2024’s social media twist.
Timeline That Tells the Story
Day 1: A few hundred folks marching, no big deal. Day 2? Different beast entirely. And here’s where Bass messed up—she gave this vague “let’s all calm down” speech but didn’t bring in reinforcements. Like my uncle used to say: “Soft words don’t stop bricks.” Only on Day 3, after half of downtown looked like a warzone, did she finally get tough.
The Ex-Cop Calling BS
Guy Knows What He’s Talking About
This detective—won’t give his name but trust me, he’s legit—worked the ’92 riots. When he says “this feels like Groundhog Day,” you listen. His exact words? “We had the playbook. Someone left it on the shelf.” Ouch.
Where Bass Dropped the Ball
On Fox News (of course), he laid it out plain: that 12-hour window between “maybe this’ll blow over” and “holy crap call the National Guard” was everything. “In my day,” he said, “we learned hesitation gets people killed.” Can’t argue with that.
’92 vs Now: Spooky Similarities
Quick Rodney King Refresher
For you young folks—cops beat a Black man, got acquitted, city burned for days. 63 dead. Billion bucks in damage. Mostly because everyone waited too long to act.
Same Song, Different Verse
Different reasons this time, but the pattern? Uncanny. Cops vs community tension—check. Leaders slow on the draw—check. Only difference now? TikTok videos spread the flames faster than actual fires.
What Bass Is Saying—And Who’s Buying It
The Official Line
Her people claim she was “balancing rights and safety.” Please. You know what they say about nice gestures during riots? About as useful as a screen door on a submarine. She did eventually call in the Guard, but come on—that’s like locking the barn after the horse is three counties away.
Street Talk vs Politics
Regular folks I talked to? They’re pissed. But the city council? Split down the middle. Some calling it “nuanced leadership,” others saying it’s “weak sauce.” My take? When your barber and your Uber driver both say you messed up, you probably did.
Bigger Picture Stuff
What Other Cities Should Notice
Here’s the lesson—people need to see action fast. Doesn’t mean go full dictator, but hesitation looks like weakness. And in a riot? Weakness gets exploited. Fast.
Bass’s Career on the Line?
She’s already catching heat over homeless camps and crime stats. This? Could be the knockout punch. Unless she pulls some magic rabbit out of her hat—maybe brings in community leaders and cops to actually talk for once—she’s in deep trouble.
Final Thought
That ex-cop nailed it. We keep making the same mistakes because too many politicians care more about looking good than doing right. LA’s not special here—every city’s one bad day away from chaos. Question is, will we ever learn? Or just keep watching the reruns?
Source: NY Post – US News
