(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Tuesday begged residents to help the city clean up as anti-ICE rioters left downtown stained by graffiti and vandalism. She urged them to act fast, citing the looming 2026 World Cup.
“The extensive vandalism downtown, especially of the graffiti that is just blanketing a number of blocks, has been extensive. We are just one year away from the World Cup,” Bass said at a press conference.
“This is about beautifying our city and bringing our city together, and so I am calling on business leaders, community leaders, faith leaders to come together downtown in the next few days to talk about how we are going to clean up the city,” she added.
Instead of holding the rioters accountable, Bass called on local businesses and constituents to help scrub the streets. She continued, “Obviously, city workers are already out there removing the graffiti, but this is so extensive, it’s going to take community-wide involvement.”
Karen Bass says the city is covered in graffiti—far more than just a few blocks.
The vandalism is so extensive, she says the city won’t be ready to host the World Cup, and she’s calling all hands on deck—including non-city employees and the public—to clean up the graffiti.… pic.twitter.com/QDTextGHtI
— Natalie Jean Beisner (@NJBeisner) June 10, 2025
The mayor’s pleas came just a day after she issued an emergency declaration in response to what Democrats call “peaceful” protests. Her order imposed a nightly curfew from 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. as looting, vandalism and general unrest escalated.
Bass’s latest scramble followed her attempt to paper over Los Angeles’s crime-ridden image ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Back in April, she launched “Shine LA,” a cleanup initiative involving mulching, tree maintenance, litter pickup and community gardening.
Kicked off another Shine LA this morning — this time in Koreatown!
This is Angelenos coming together for the love of their city and pride in their neighborhoods.
So much good energy today as we also uplift and honor the voices, stories and contributions of our Asian American,… pic.twitter.com/dwXhs167kV
— Mayor Karen Bass (@MayorOfLA) May 31, 2025
“We had launched a program called Shine LA a couple of months ago in preparation for the World Cup, and now we are called on to direct that city-wide,” she warned on Tuesday. “We need people from all over the city to come to downtown and to help with this effort.”
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to kick off on June 12, 2026.
