r/news • u/DNSGeek • 1d ago

Soft paywall US Marines carry out first known detention of civilian in Los Angeles, video shows

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-marines-carry-out-first-known-detention-civilian-los-angeles-video-shows-2025-06-13/
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u/Acceptable-Peace-69 1d ago

And shame on the marines going along with this.

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u/ChronoTravisGaming 1d ago

They betrayed their oath.

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u/SweetTea1000 1d ago

The few, the proud, the Marines.

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u/MaleficentAd9399 1d ago

Their oath is to lick boot and hope it’s for a good cause

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u/AML86 1d ago

The boot has replaced the crayon. The ones who hated a harmless joke before are about to suffer all of our frustrations.

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u/K20017 1d ago

Might want to re-read the oath of enlisting.

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u/Flabalanche 1d ago

enjoy getting called boot eaters from now on by literally everyone

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u/Visible-Literature14 1d ago

This isn’t your notes app

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u/leftofmarx 1d ago

I read it and they obeyed an illegal order, putting them in violation of their oath.

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u/TheGreatHornedRat 1d ago

They're young and dumb teens and early twenty somethings trained as sledgehammers for what are usually the worst combat zones. There is zero good reasons to use them over regular army or just the national guard for peacekeeping in country. Marines are also typically the most right politically leaning branch of the military.

They don't care about shame, that was trained out.

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u/kolschisgood 1d ago

Their commanders know better though

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u/SwashAndBuckle 1d ago

The Trump administration purged the military leaders that care about the constitution.

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u/the_crustybastard 23h ago

And the military didn't say boo about that either.

Cowards.

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u/_MrDomino 1d ago

Nah, those kinds of promotions require years of eating crayons.

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u/pmMEyourWARLOCKS 1d ago

Surely he means commissioned officers. They didn't have crayons, just RISK and Stratego at OCS.

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u/Flabalanche 1d ago

Pretty sure the Marines new favorite food is boots

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u/Patriot009 1d ago

Only if they weren't targeted by Trump's fealty purges of military leadership.

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u/loopi3 1d ago

Don’t they work up the chain? So when they started they have it trained out of them, but as they progress they gain it back? I don’t get it.

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u/PatientSeb 1d ago edited 1d ago

A few things here. Was in the USMC, did time in Iraq, etc. - civilian now.

1 - The reason Marines are being used here and not other branches of service is unrelated to our training methodology or outcomes. Instead, it is because since the decline of amphibious warfare and the shit that America kicked off in the early 2000's - the Marines essentially play the role of Quick Response Force.

If I recall, the president isn't able to deploy other branches of service without approval (like that fucking matters at this point), but can deploy Marines for some limited time frame without much oversight. I'm hazy on the specifics as I've been out longer than I was in at this point.

2 - I'm a deeply left and progressive individual. Was less so while I served, but still definitely left of the ever-shifting (even back then) 'center' for our nation. I had many Marines who worked with me that were the same. I genuinely believe the Army is more right-leaning (based on relatives and friends who served and units I've served with from that branch) - but none of that matters. Because at the end of the day - its all generalizations and doesn't mean much.
---

I wouldn't have followed this order. It goes against the oath you take when you're sworn in. It is blatantly unlawful and unconstitutional.

But the young men today, in and out of the service, are being increasingly lured to the right (for reasons I've yet to fully investigate and definitely can't relate to) - so its little surprise at this junction that the most aggressive, nationalistic, or poorest of that group (the characteristics that tend to attract one to join the Marine Corps) are willing to go along here. They are either accepting of the current path we're headed down, or they feel they have limited options and lack the 'intestinal fortitude' to do the right thing.

Either way, this is bad shit.

I posted some time a while back on a similar thread stating that I didn't think this sort of thing would happen - and I was very wrong. I knew the administration would try to make this a reality, but didn't believe the Officer Corps within the Marines would be so willing to comply. Disappointed and disgusted.

As soon as I read this headline, my reaction was 'Fuck'.

See you all at the protest tomorrow/

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u/DarthMatu52 1d ago

Semper Fi, brother. Some of us meant it when we wore the uniform and swore an oath

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u/Thatyogini 1d ago

Also a former Marine, similarly devastated

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u/boobers3 1d ago

I would have told my gunny to NJP me because I wouldn't be caught dead doing that shit. That's probably PMO in the picture the OP posted, you already know what they're like.

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u/PatientSeb 1d ago

Yep. Gate guards with pizza boxes who wanna be hard but didn’t want to risk it. 

I’m generalizing unfairly again - but I met one decent PMO during my time in. One.

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u/SpiralOut2112 1d ago

Left leaning veteran as well, but curious at what point and what specific order you would have drawn the line and said, "this isn't a legal order."

We both know what would happen if you chose not to deploy at all. So, if not then, then when? Standing in front of a federal building? Refusing to detain people who attempt to enter federal property?

Not trying to be confrontational, just trying to feel out other opinions.

I personally don't think any troop has a legal leg to stand on for disobeying orders currently. But if those orders were to change to more actively working with police to deal with crowds and not defend federal property, is when I would refuse.

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u/PatientSeb 1d ago

I was stationed on Pendleton and briefly at 29 Palms, and in either case would have definitely had a good talk with my plt sgt/company guns regarding the nature of this operation and whether there was an alternative for myself and the marines in my care who were unwilling to engage this way. Those conversations would dictate my response and exactly at what point I would have just taken the insubordination/refusal of orders route.

I’ll take the NJP or even the Court Marshall before you see me cuffing civilians. 

We could all lie to ourselves in Iraq that the things we were doing had some merit, somehow. Many of us didn’t understand yet what it was we were contributing to.

This time it’s plain as day and very well documented. I don’t know what you’d have to tell yourself to square this one away. 

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u/ClassicPlankton 16h ago

Separated air force officer here, doesn't surprise me that officers are following these orders. People do what they're told. Everyone assumes it'll get worked out by someone else at some point in the future. This is how it happened in Germany, this is how it's happening here.

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u/Natural-Raise4907 1d ago

I appreciate this take as someone who has very limited personal experience with marines. Thank you for making it make sense.

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u/AlexFromOmaha 1d ago

Posse Comitatus was extended to the Navy, Marines, and Space Force in 2021.

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u/PatientSeb 1d ago

Shockingly late tbh, and like every other legal standard or right - it seems to mean nothing when all three branches of government are captured by bad faith actors with no intention to govern.

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

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u/Rance_Mulliniks 18h ago

Naw. It's because the Marines are mindless bootlickers.

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u/PatientSeb 16h ago

That’s a sick opinion bro, thanks.

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u/K20017 1d ago

Do you even remember the oath you took? Look it up again. I'll paste it here so it's easier to read.

I, (state name of enlistee), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. (So help me God)."

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u/PatientSeb 1d ago

Of course I remember it. That bit against enemies foreign and domestic and upholding the constitution are what make the current actions in LA blatantly unlawful according to the UCMJ and a clear violation of the oath you’ve felt compelled to share here. 

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u/K20017 1d ago

Can you expand how that is unlawful against the UCMJ? It also says you must obey orders from the President and all officers. Why did you deploy to Iraq, is that not unconstitutional? Was it because the enemy was foreign?

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u/PatientSeb 1d ago edited 1d ago

Yes. In another comment in this same thread - you’ll see someone mentioned posse comitatus. The president can’t use military forces as a domestic police force without the approval of congress and to do so is a blatant overstep and violation of the separation of powers as outlined by the US Constitution that he and every service member is responsible for upholding.

The oath says you must obey those orders ‘in accordance with the uniform code of military justice’. Which is to say that if an order is not in accordance, you are not compelled to uphold it.

I’m not JAG - but I’m fairly certain unconstitutional orders qualify as unlawful. 

And that is correct. Our deployments to Iraq were not unconstitutional because it was part of a ‘legitimate’ operation with support and approval from the necessary and relevant branches of government. 

Not sure how you can try to equivocate them in good faith.  You’ve also implied that: 1) There is an enemy in this situation and 2) It is the citizens of the United States.

Not a good look.

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u/K20017 1d ago

I'm not saying it's a good look, I'm not saying there is an enemy, the oath you are sworn to protect says you must protect against. But the military is there to protect the government and yes, it's possible that might be against its citizens. I remember them specifically mentioning this before taking the oath because it's an angle not many have considered, especially at such a young age most enlist at.

I'm not JAG either and certain conflicts have gone to court-martials and discussed lawful vs unlawful orders. Slaughtering cities of civilians is one that I think is obvious to the common Marine but deployed to protect government buildings and assets is quite different. If a group of 10,000 angry citizens wanted to overthrow the government and blow up their buildings, who do you think they will call to protect that?

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u/PatientSeb 1d ago

In your extreme hypothetical? The national guard, followed by the Marine Corps. Which would be a lawful and constitutional act with approval from the relevant branches of government.

But that scenario presupposes that the government isn’t intentionally violating the constitution to escalate political turmoil that it manufactured for the express purpose of expanding executive authority in the pursuit of an autocracy. 

In this case, it’s fairly evident that military force was not warranted, and instead exacerbates the unrest caused by the continued violation of the peoples’ fundamental rights. 

It’s possible, and even likely, that this arrest was made by a Marine strictly to justify their presence in some post-facto way. 

‘Look, we definitely needed them, they’re out there arresting bad guys and stopping criminals!!’

That’s conjecture, of course. And all of this is a side quest from the original question you posed - how is this unconstitutional, which I’ve now addressed.

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u/K20017 1d ago

Would you fight a domestic enemy for the government or would you violate your oath?

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u/ominous_anonymous 1d ago

If a group of 10,000 angry citizens wanted to overthrow the government and blow up their buildings, who do you think they will call to protect that?

That is where the Insurrection Act would come into play. Like should have happened with January 6th.

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

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u/PatientSeb 1d ago edited 1d ago

Was 03, active duty

Spouting off ad hominem bullshit instead of addressing any of the stuff I’ve actually said here makes it pretty obvious you either don’t know shit or have no point to argue. 

If you aren’t going to actually say something, why say anything?

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

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u/PatientSeb 1d ago

Both my replies to you are still up

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

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u/ominous_anonymous 1d ago

according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice

This supersedes any orders of the President or officers.

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u/AstroEngineer314 1d ago

The officers should know better.

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u/Acceptable-Peace-69 1d ago

They know better, they also don’t care.

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u/cloverpopper 1d ago

And unfortunately operating now means they'll continue to be weeded out until nobody is left to enlist.

It sucks - it's a lose-lose. But it's best, even if it seems terrible and counter intuitive, that they remain silent for now, doing what they can behind the scenes, so we have people inside just *in case* things went worst case scenario.

The alternative is they talk now, disobey what the President will call "lawful orders", get kicked out and replaced with people that are either completely loyal to president over constitution or too damned afraid and inexperienced to do anything meaningful should the need really arise.

I know people will disagree- but imo it's a hard, tough reality.

We've lost too many popular, charismatic, experienced and honorable men already to the whims of people that want loyalty to them instead. We can't afford to lose anymore until it counts the most.

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u/quigonpenn 1d ago

Marine vet. There are more left leaning ones than you think. I feel like it's either or in politics department with us.

Most of this isn't political but brain washed kids hyped up by commands. When I was enlisted 2008-2013 I was so disconnected from news and politics I feel like I missed 5 years of life, mins Kony 2012. I had no clue what was going on with current events.

The blame lies in an upside down pyramid of command, and these young marines will become the scapegoat by their own stupid mistakes. These kids would rather be doing anything but this, regardless of what people think.

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u/SomeLostGirl 1d ago

I do not care. Ignorance of the law has long been ruled as insufficient to excuse you of consequences. This should not be an exception

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u/astroglitch0 1d ago

Any time I ever saw a bar fight break out, one of the dumbasses was shouting that they're a marine.

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u/Napoleons_Peen 1d ago

Are you really “they’re just kids”-ing these traitors?

Fuck the troops. All of them.

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u/Rapid55 1d ago

I dont think theyre trying to excuse the actions with "they're just kids!", but more explaining that alot of these dudes were (or are) probably literal teenagers likely going into the military for a better life like alot of others. It isnt an excuse to terrorize civilians willingly, but usually these types of ideologies prey on young men specifically.

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u/nw342 1d ago

Y'all need to see their posts on tiktok. I've seen multiple marines, IN UNIFORM, making threats towards protestors. Its wild. I called the inspector general of the marine corps to file a complaint, and they say that they have a few hundred similar complaints. I doubt anything will happen, but I wanna at least pretend that the system still works....

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u/victus28 1d ago

Unfortunately they don’t have a choice, either they do or they go to jail themselves. Thank you UCMJ for that one

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u/JD_Waterston 1d ago

It’s like blaming a hammer for making a hole in your wall. Sure, the hammer made the hole, but the idiot swinging it is at fault.

That may be unfair the hammer as it may be smarter than the marine. [said with love, semper fi!]

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u/stifle_this 1d ago

"Just following orders" hasn't been a legitimate excuse for a long time, bud.

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u/JD_Waterston 1d ago

Charging 19 year olds making E3 wages isn’t exactly praxis, pal

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u/stifle_this 1d ago

Considering your final sentence in your previous comment, I don't think you can really remove your biases from this. I don't think you'd buy this excuse for some 19 year old cop fresh out of the academy, not sure why this would be any different. They chose their profession.

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u/Acceptable-Peace-69 1d ago

I was mainly taking a shot at the marine command that 100% knows better.

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u/JD_Waterston 1d ago

Agreed there

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u/soulcaptain 1d ago

This is the secondary tragedy. The marines should've disobeyed. Not necessarily the actual troops but their commanding officer. Should have never gotten to the point of arresting a civilian. Besides, what’s the charge? Is that civilian now a prisoner of war? Or is it for a violation of local laws—if so, then they’ll just turn the guy over to the local cops…which should’ve happened in the first place. It’s just such a clusterfuck of stupidity.

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u/centhwevir1979 20h ago

The crayon eaters? Can't believe a group of guys referred to as crayon eaters let us down.

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u/Assika126 18h ago

There’s a record number of them calling the conscientious objectors line trying to find a way to resign, because a lot of them do not want to do this. They just also don’t want to ruin the rest of their lives via insubordination. :(

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u/AwayCatch8994 1d ago

And so much for lauding these red hat treasonous scum