4 days ago
Los Angeles volunteers look to clean up, rehab the image of downtown after ICE protests
Earlier this year, Mayor Karen Bass launched the "Shine LA" initiative, aiming to clean up the streets of Los Angeles before the world takes a closer look during the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Summer Olympics.
The clean-ups were organized to take place once a month. While volunteers from around L.A. were scheduled to only work in parts of Hollywood on Saturday, a last-minute addition was made to the schedule.
Following this month's immigration protests that primarily took place downtown, hundreds of volunteers took to the streets to make the neighborhood look shiny and clean. Some participants hope the effort can help to rehabilitate the image of downtown L.A. to those who think it's unsafe or dirty from afar.
"What we are really challenged with now is the perception of downtown," said Central City Association CEO Nella McOskar. "Downtown is a safe, exciting, dynamic place to be. So those of you who are watching and seeing images of downtown Los Angeles, know that it's open for business."
A row of Waymo vehicles burn on a street during an anti-ICE protest in downtown Los Angeles, California, on June 8, 2025.
Benjamin Hanson/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
Images from the protests downtown earlier this month show burning cars, looted businesses and walls vandalized with spray paint. But McOskar and public officials like Bass insist that much of those actions came from opportunists who saw peaceful protests and decided to cause chaos.
Los Angeles Chief of Police Jim McDonnell said the protests were at times "hijacked by violence, vandalism, and criminal aggression."
In the effort to restore downtown L.A. on Saturday, hundreds of volunteers scrubbed the spray paint and picked up trash.
More Shine LA events will be announced in the coming days and weeks on the initiative's website.
