LA WILDFIRES: Curfew Declared to Stop Looting in Santa Monica

A curfew has been declared in Santa Monica after at least 20 arrest have been made for looting. To further protect properties ravaged by the wildfires, the National Guard has been deployed.

The Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, announced Thursday night that he was deploying hundreds of California National Guard members to help battle fires and also to protect communities.

Newsom also addressed the looting, saying "Looting will not be tolerated. These communities have suffered enough." Videos have been circulating on social media which allegedly capture looters arriving at empty homes of people who have evacuated.

Troops were deployed in areas with mandatory evacuation orders, enforcing a curfew from 6 pm to 6 am, and protecting empty homes and businesses from being robbed. According to the Associated Press (AP), at least 180,000 people were under evacuation orders.

Brian Norgard on X posted pictures of two men allegedly casing houses looking for a 'score.' He went on to say, "these are professional looting rings operated by an organized entity."

Many commenters are pointing out that these men are from South American, blaming left-wing voters for supporting policies that allow these criminal in the country. Some people have suggested they are gang members or even illegal aliens.

In a separate post, Brian Norgard, wrote, "My famous actor neighbor came by today after the looting gangs freaked him out to the point of exhaustion and whispered in my ear, “I guess I am a conservative now.”"

This echos predictions from commentators on the right, who have said the fires and avoidable damage will result in a red wave – a swing towards Republicans.

While only 20 looters have been arrested so far, reports indicate that hundreds of looters have been targeting luxury homes that were evacuated. It's interesting, when chaos hits, group mentality and cultural behaviors emerge. You can probably imagine which groups are more prone to engaging in the looting.

It's important to remember, human decency, respect, and honesty do not exist in every culture or people group. In circumstances of life and death, lawlessness, or material gain, many groups are not to be trusted.

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