AILSA CHANG, HOST:
We begin this hour here in Los Angeles, where things are relatively calm after days of protests over immigration raids and a highly controversial decision by President Trump to send in the National Guard and the U.S. Marines. NPR's Liz Baker joins us now from the Federal Building in downtown LA, which has been a focal point for the protests and the police response. Hi, Liz.
LIZ BAKER, BYLINE: Hi, Ailsa.
CHANG: So what are things looking like right now where you are?
BAKER: Well, as you mentioned, it's pretty calm right now. But even at its most chaotic over here, these protests have been contained to a relatively small part of downtown. LAPD says that yesterday they arrested over 200 people. Most of those were for failure to disperse. Federal prosecutors say they've charged at least nine people over unrest in LA. Two of them were for allegedly having Molotov cocktails. But last night's curfew helped keep people off the streets. It was quieter, and now businesses are taking the opportunity to clean up a little bit from all the graffiti.
I spoke with George Sanchez (ph). He's a volunteer with a group painting over some of that vandalism in Little Tokyo. He's also a retired service member, and so I asked him what he thinks of the military deployment.
GEORGE SANCHEZ: It's going to scare people more, and it's going to make them want to do more stuff.
BAKER: He also says he often cleans up graffiti after things like Dodgers games or Lakers games, and this damage is comparable to that. And that's what a lot of people have been saying here, that despite some dramatic footage, these protests are not too big for the city to handle.
CHANG: Right. OK. Well, the White House says the relative calm right now is because of President Trump's decision to send troops to the city. What are people here in LA telling you about that claim?
BAKER: Well, it's confusing. I mean, the mayor and other city officials have been openly perplexed at why the National Guard is here. I can see some National Guard stationed outside the entrance to this federal building. We know they've been tasked with guarding some federal properties, but today, there's really almost no one here. And the road that runs right next to this building is open to normal traffic.
CHANG: That is NPR's Liz Baker in downtown Los Angeles. Thank you, Liz.
BAKER: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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