A far-left activist organization is facing scrutiny after coordinating mass school walkouts across Los Angeles County that resulted in violence against federal law enforcement. Dare To Struggle SoCal, which seeks to dismantle ICE and halt deportations through direct action, mobilized over 500 high school students in protests that culminated in the hospitalization of a federal officer struck by a rock. U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli released images of two suspected attackers on Saturday, vowing they will be criminally prosecuted.
The group’s inflammatory rhetoric and tactics have drawn condemnation from education leaders. California state superintendent candidate Sonja Shaw alleged that teacher unions were complicit in the effort and slammed the use of minors as political pawns. Before Friday’s demonstrations, Dare To Struggle circulated flyers bearing their logo with the message “It is right to rebel against ICE,” instructing students from six downtown schools to gather at the Federal Building. The group’s social media posts showed officers with Tasers alongside obscene attacks on Department of Homeland Security personnel.
After the violent confrontation outside the Los Angeles Metropolitan Detention Center, the activist group celebrated what they described as students “bravely” confronting DHS agents. Their statement boasted about shutting down traffic, blocking the detention center’s entrance with dancing and celebration, and warned ominously that “this will not be the last.” The organization even shared a Venmo account soliciting donations for participants whose vehicles were towed during the illegal demonstrations.
Secretary Noem’s Department of Homeland Security made clear that assaulting federal law enforcement is a felony and a federal crime. Two Federal Protective Services officers were injured in the melee, one hospitalized with a concussion and another suffering a cut over his eye. As authorities search for the two youth suspects still at large, DHS emphasized that anyone who assaults or obstructs law enforcement will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, declaring that law and order will prevail.