Only seven Democrats voted to support a resolution condemning the Los Angeles riots. Nearly 200 Democrats rejected the measure.
Final votes in the House totaled 215 to 195.
The resolution, led by Rep. Young Kim (R-CA), recognizes the “right to protest peacefully” and condemns the violence against law enforcement authorities. The measure further expresses “gratitude to law enforcement officers, including the Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, California Highway Patrol, Orange County Sheriff’s Department, and other local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies for keeping our communities safe in the face of danger.”
“Peaceful protests are a constitutional right, but vandalism, looting, violence, and other crimes are not. Condemning violence and protecting public safety shouldn’t be controversial, which is why I am leading the California Republican delegation in a resolution to support law and order as our communities see unrest enabled by California’s soft-on-crime policies,” said Kim. “I thank our law enforcement on the ground and hope we can come together to stop riots in our communities, lower the temperature, and keep our neighborhoods safe.”
“As unrest continues in our communities, residents shouldn’t be living in fear, and ICE’s immigration efforts should be focused on finding illegal immigrants with criminal records and removing them from our community,” she stated.
Ahead of the resolution’s vote, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise called the riots “unacceptable, disgusting behavior.”
“What is happening in L.A. isn’t a protest – it’s a full-blown attack on law enforcement. Our police put themselves in danger every day to keep our communities safe, and do not deserve this kind of treatment from people they fight to protect,” he declared.
