Fact check: How do insurance claims from recent LA protests compare to 2020 nationwide demonstrations?

1. Summary of the results

The recent LA protests have caused property damage including vandalism of Waymo cars, building damage, and graffiti ^[1]. However, these incidents are significantly smaller in scale compared to the 2020 nationwide demonstrations, which resulted in over $2 billion in insurance losses across more than 20 states ^[2]. Most of the current damage in LA is expected to be covered by standard insurance policies that typically cover riots, civil commotion, and vandalism ^[1].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several important contextual elements need to be considered:

• The current protests are geographically limited to parts of Los Angeles County, unlike the nationwide scope of 2020 protests ^[3]
• There is a significant historical context: civil disorder events between 1950-2019 averaged around $90 million in damages, making the 2020 protests unprecedented in scale ^[2]
• Many viral videos currently circulating actually show footage from the 2020 George Floyd protests, not current events ^[3]
• The protests are specifically focused on immigration raids and ICE activities, rather than the broader social justice focus of 2020 ^[4]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The question itself may be based on misleading social media narratives:

• Social media algorithms are actively amplifying sensationalized and fake content about the protests ^[5]
• There is documented disinformation exaggerating the scale of current unrest ^[4]
• The perception of a widespread crisis does not match the offline reality ^[5]

Those who might benefit from exaggerating the scale of current protests include:

• Social media platforms benefiting from increased engagement through sensationalized content
• Political actors seeking to frame the immigration debate
• News media outlets seeking higher viewership through dramatic coverage