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Los Angeles riots: Craigslist ad to hire ‘brave dudes’ for $12500 surfaces amid protests, faces backlash
A Craigslist ad hiring ‘brave dudes’ amid protests in Los Angeles has gone viral.
A Craigslist ad hiring ‘brave dudes’ amid protests in Los Angeles has gone viral. Screenshots of the job posting surfaced on social media, with users alleging that some groups are ‘seeking paid agitators’ to participate in the anti-ICE protests. This comes as thousands of locals took to the streets in LA to show their objection to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement's raids in the city over the last week.
On Monday, President Donald Trump and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) deployed hundreds of US Marines to Los Angeles despite objections from California Governor Gavin Newsom and other local leaders. The president has also activated 4,000 National Guard troops.
The US Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) confirmed that about 700 Marines were in a staging area awaiting deployment. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass told KABC that more than 100 people had been arrested on Monday. She added that the protests were nonviolent.
"Let me be clear: ANYONE who vandalized Downtown or looted stores does not care about our immigrant communities," Bass wrote on X. “You will be held accountable.”
Amid the chaos, job postings on Craigslist went viral on social media.
“Looking for the toughest badasses in the city (Los Angeles)” the title read. The posting further mentions a compensation of $6500 - $12500, 'depending on experience’.
Read More: Newsom vs Trump: Here's what's happening in Los Angeles
“We are forming a select team of THE TOUGHEST dudes in the area. This unit will be activated only when the situation demands it — BUT YOU GET PAID EVERY WEEK NO MATTER WHAT. high-pressure, high-risk, no room for hesitation. We need individuals who do not break, panic, or fold under stress and are basically all around kickass dudes,” the posting reads.
Slamming the ad, one social media user wrote: “Craigslist ad seeking paid agitators to cause riots and mayhem in Los Angeles. It’s not a “conspiracy theory”—this is a full-fledged Marxist color revolution, paid for by…who?”
“This Los Angeles Craigslist post is obviously hiring paid rioters. The riots are NOT ORGANIC,” another person added on X, platform formerly known as Twitter.
Meanwhile, the anti-ICE protests also sprang up in at least nine other US cities on Monday, including New York, Philadelphia and San Francisco. In Austin, Texas, police fired less-lethal munitions and detained several people.
President Trump's administration is yet to address the protests in other US cities.
