The images flowing out of Los Angeles over nearly a week of protests have become the subject of a furious debate in the media and among political partisans. A national poll suggested Americans have mixed feelings about the events that have dominated the news.

As protests in Los Angeles continued for the third day Sunday, police fired tear gas and impact rounds, which are not meant to be lethal, to disperse crowds. Protesters had gathered outside the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building, which houses an immigration detention center.