Thousands of people took to the streets of Los Angeles on Friday to mark International Labor Day amid growing concerns about unemployment, immigration and the war on Iran.
The demonstration, called “May Day Strong,” began in MacArthur Park, where a coalition of civil, labor and immigrant rights groups gathered before marching peacefully toward City Hall.
Thousands of protesters blew horns and waved cow bells as they carried signs that read, “Workers before billions” and “Justice for workers,” while calling for an end to corporate greed, war on Iran and sweeping immigration. Chants from the crowd included, “No justice, no peace” and, “This is what democracy looks like.”
Lawrence Herrera of El Monte, dressed in a 1776 costume, confronts Los Angeles police after they formed a picket line on Temple Street at Spring Street.
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
The US observance of International Workers' Day, also called May Day, began as labor rights organizations fought for economic justice by pushing for better wages and working conditions.
The first US union was held in Chicago in the 1880s when workers pushed for an eight-hour workday. Although not an official public holiday, crowds have since gathered across the country on May Day to celebrate the achievements and struggles of the working class.
In Los Angeles, past protests have drawn hundreds of thousands of people to voice their support for migrant workers amid conflicting enforcement policies.
A protester confronts police at the LAPD picket line on Spring Street near the May Day protest in Los Angeles.
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
Friday's rally marked the 20th anniversary of the “Day Without Immigrants,” which served as a general boycott in which more than 400,000 people participated to show their strength in the US economy and express opposition to a proposed immigration bill that would have made helping undocumented immigrants a crime.
That 2006 protest took place two months after more than half a million people demonstrated in downtown LA against a similar bill.
Similar to protests two decades ago, Friday's organizers also called for a general boycott — no school, no work, no shopping — in an effort to get the country to put billions of workers out of business by taxing the rich.
A giant doll made by East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice representing “Free the land, Free the water and Free the people” arrives at the May Day parade near City Hall.
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
The show also touched on the various problems Americans were facing including the rising cost of food and gas due to taxes, the war in Iran and the sweep of immigrants which experts say has contributed to the shortage of agricultural workers.
Although it was largely peaceful, protesters in LA sometimes found themselves in confrontation with the Los Angeles Police Department. No arrests had been made as of early Friday evening.
