A secret Instagram group of 8,500 LAPD officers is sounding the alarm on Los Angeles’ descent into chaos amid violent protests and political meddling. The “Defend the LAPD” club, a digital refuge for cops and supporters, exposes a city crippled by progressive policies and underfunded policing, as the Daily Mail reports. Their revelations paint a grim picture of a force stretched thin and betrayed by local leaders.
In Los Angeles, America’s second-largest city with nearly 4 million residents, clashes over President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown have turned streets into battlegrounds. The private group reveals officers’ frustrations with Mayor Karen Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom, who they accuse of undermining law enforcement while protests rage against federal immigration raids. This digital uprising highlights a deep rift between the LAPD and California’s Democratic Party elite.
Street demonstrations erupted Friday in Southern California, with activists clashing against sheriff’s deputies during federal anti-immigration operations targeting foreign-born and Latino communities. Protesters swarmed a government immigration lockup, escalating tensions in a city already on edge. The chaos, say group members, was a disaster foretold by years of neglect.
A 38-page report from “Defend the LAPD,” compiled with input from over 300 officers, details a police force gutted by “quiet defunding” since the 2020 George Floyd protests. The LAPD, short thousands of officers, is unprepared for large-scale unrest, hamstrung by progressive politicians’ constraints. “The Department was not prepared,” a group spokesperson declared, blaming “poor planning” and “inefficient deployment.”
Officers in the group vent their fury at Bass for allegedly seizing control of the LAPD control room, delaying deployments. This “unprecedented interference,” a group post claims, breached the chain of command, endangering federal agents and civilians. Bass’s office, predictably silent, offers no defense against these damning accusations.
The group also accuses local media outlets such as KTLA of peddling biased narratives, spotlighting police actions while ignoring rioters’ violence, such as Molotov cocktails hurled at officers. “The media is not reporting honestly,” a post fumes, exposing the progressive press’s selective outrage. Such coverage, they argue, fuels public mistrust while shielding dangerous activists.
Trump, unapologetic, has deployed 4,000 National Guard troops and active-duty U.S. Marines to quell Los Angeles’ unrest. “Everyone supports all the help they can get,” a “Defend the LAPD” spokesperson said, praising federal backup for a city overwhelmed. Officers cheer Trump’s vow to “hit harder” against protesters, a stark contrast to local leaders’ dithering.
Trump’s strategy, part of his second-term immigration crackdown, aims to deport record numbers and lock down the U.S.-Mexico border, with ICE targeting 3,000 daily arrests. The LAPD group backs this federal muscle, arguing it compensates for their own depleted ranks. “We need the help,” a spokesperson admitted, “because we can’t handle it.”
Newsom, ever the grandstander, calls the National Guard deployment a “manufactured crisis” and “un-American.” “Not true,” snaps a group spokesperson, crediting federal forces with keeping streets safe. Newsom’s posturing, they argue, ignores the real crisis: a city leadership that prioritizes optics over order.
Posts in the “Defend the LAPD” group accuse Bass of delaying LAPD support, putting Department of Homeland Security officers and FBI agents at risk. “This breach of the chain of command,” one post states, “prevented crucial operations decisions.” Such meddling, officers warn, turns Los Angeles into a tinderbox where safety is sacrificed for political points.
The group also blasts L.A. City Council member Ysabel Jurado, a progressive lawyer, for allegedly cursing police during her campaign. Jurado’s silence on the unverified claim only fuels officers’ distrust of woke crusaders. These slights, real or perceived, deepen the divide between cops and city hall.
Officers report being assaulted with bottles, concrete, and fireworks while ordered to stand down. “It’s clear the current leadership is prioritizing optics over officer safety,” a spokesperson said, condemning this cowardice. The betrayal stings worse when progressive policies leave cops defenseless against mob violence.
“That dysfunction is no longer theoretical,” a “Defend the LAPD” spokesperson warned, as street chaos proves their warnings true. The group’s report, a cry for help ignored by City Hall, predicted this unraveling. Now, with federal forces stepping in, Los Angeles’ leaders face a reckoning for their failures.
Trump’s threat to arrest Newsom, who decries federal intervention as dictatorial, underscores the political chasm. Officers, aligned with Trump’s no-nonsense approach, see Newsom’s protests as empty rhetoric from a governor out of touch. The clash between state and federal power only intensifies the city’s turmoil.
“Defend the LAPD” stands as a grassroots rebellion against a city elite that’s left officers out to dry. Their 8,500-strong voice, now amplified by the Daily Mail, demands accountability from Bass, Newsom, and a media complicit in their failures. As Los Angeles burns, this secret club’s warnings echo louder than ever.
