Overview
- Organizers say roughly 20 sirens are now mounted on homes and businesses in Highland Park and are controlled by an app, with tests and formal use planned by the end of February.
- Community leaders report raising about $5,000 through crowdfunding to add more devices, describing the effort as a rapid response outside city channels.
- Backers say the alarms are meant to alert residents to seek safety and to draw observers for accountability, and they stress they will not physically interfere with ICE operations.
- First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli warned activists their actions could implicate federal harboring laws under 8 U.S.C. 1324(a), while a DHS official labeled the plan “insane” and a “public nuisance.”
- The LAPD said the alarms could violate Los Angeles’ noise ordinance and lead to citations, as the city continues separate policies requiring body cameras when officers interact with federal agents.