By nightfall, however, there was a line of defense in front of the line of police. Gang members wearing their colors had assembled in a row, blocking anyone from getting closer than within four feet of a riot shield. When anyone acted up, he or she was pushed back, often with din but never with violence. Occasionally, one of the ad hoc leaders of the defense line would swap out and talk to reporters about what they were trying to do.

‘I don’t sugarcoat sh-t,’ said Yusha Hasim Al-Fahd, a Muslim who wore a robe and head wrap as he pushed back crowds. ‘I’m not an upstanding citizen. I’m the evil that goes bump in the night in this city. Whoever don’t know my name know my face. But goddamn, can we at least get due process? Send me to jail for life, if I’m a criminal. I don’t want anyone to get hurt tonight.’