I Just Checked, and L.A. Is Not In Flames

National news makes it look like Gotham out here. It's not.

As with anything I write here, the following is my personal take and doesn’t represent the views of my employers, friends, family, story editors, innocent passersby, or my cat Misty Mao.

If you’ve been watching national news coverage of the immigration protests in Los Angeles, you might be forgiven for thinking the entire city is in flames. That roaming bands of protesters are sweeping through the streets. That all of Southern California is on lockdown, residents huddled in fear, traffic brought to a standstill. It’s The Dark Knight Rises, but with less Bane and more banner chyrons.

But, no. We’re all fine.

The protests are real, and they’re newsworthy—that’s why they’re leading newscasts when I’m on the air. But they’re also localized. They rise and fall, shifting between peaceful and tense depending on the time of day, the mood, and probably a few extremists on both sides eager to be seen.

To be clear: at times, they are getting out of control. Protesters have thrown objects at police and cars, broken windows, and even set vehicles on fire. Law enforcement and National Guard troops have responded by firing what they call "less than lethal" rounds—sometimes hitting reporters who are just trying to do their jobs. One Australian journalist was hit live on TV. KNX’s Pete Demetriou got hit with tear gas and took a round to the leg. It’s real, it’s chaotic, and it’s dangerous.

But again, this isn’t the whole city. Not by a long shot.

The rest of the city? Calm. Normal. Even boring.

I'll hit the usual heavy traffic coming in today. Like most Angelenos, I won’t see any protest activity with my own eyes. The national camera eye tends to zoom in so tightly on one moment, one block, that it creates a kind of funhouse mirror—what’s small can look massive. And what’s isolated can seem universal.

I’m not downplaying the protests. They matter. People are angry, passionate, scared—and they’re making noise. Law enforcement is mainly trying to keep the peace, working men and women just trying to do their jobs. Tempers flare on both sides. That’s part of what democracy looks like, especially in a city like ours.

But no, there aren’t millions of us holed up in bunkers, hoarding canned beans, or fleeing a war zone. Most of us are just stuck in traffic, sipping cold coffee, and wondering why we ever thought taking the 101 at 8 a.m. was a good idea.