Tag: protestors

  • Gaza Ceasefire Protestors Block 110 Freeway for Hours

    Gaza Ceasefire Protestors Block 110 Freeway for Hours

    Image credit: Unsplash

    In a significant display of civil unrest, a group of protestors brought the 110 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles to a standstill for over an hour on Wednesday morning. This created extensive traffic disruptions and resulted in dozens of arrests.

    The demonstration, which began around 9 a.m. on the southbound side near Third Street, saw protestors linking arms and effectively halting traffic. This strategic position on one of the city’s busiest routes caused backups that extended to nearby streets and other freeways, including a severe jam on the southbound 110 Freeway stretching well past the 5 Freeway interchange.

    California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers were promptly on the scene, but it wasn’t until almost an hour later that they began arresting protestors. By 10:30 a.m., most of the demonstrators had been removed, although a few stalled cars—reportedly suffering mechanical issues—added to the morning’s traffic complications. Tow trucks were called to clear these vehicles, but the damage to the morning commute was already done.

    The CHP confirmed the arrest of 75 individuals, though it remains unclear if all were participating in the protest. This mass arrest underscores the scale of the demonstration and the authorities’ response to such disruptions in vital city infrastructure.

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    As a crucial artery connecting downtown Los Angeles with Long Beach to the south and San Gabriel Valley communities to the northeast, the 110 Freeway experienced unprecedented disruption due to this protest. The blockade’s impact was not just limited to traffic flow, it also hinted at underlying tensions and the protestors’ desperate call for attention to their cause.

    The protest was organized by a group demanding a lasting ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza. This incident follows a similar, albeit larger-scale, protest in November, when demonstrators shut down lanes on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge for approximately four hours. The previous protest also called on President Joe Biden to advocate for a ceasefire in the ongoing conflict.

    This series of protests reflects a growing trend among activists to utilize high-impact, high-visibility tactics to draw attention to international issues. Blocking major transportation routes in two of California’s largest cities indicates a strategic shift in protest methods, aiming to disrupt daily life to a degree that makes their message unavoidable.

    These demonstrations, while causing significant inconvenience and legal repercussions for the participants, highlight a critical aspect of civil society’s engagement with global issues. The protestors’ choice of location and timing signifies a deliberate attempt to magnify their message beyond traditional protest venues and into the public’s daily commute. This is a move that undeniably garners more immediate attention but also invites controversy and debate about the methods used.

    As city officials and law enforcement agencies struggle with the aftermath of this protest and the potential for future demonstrations, there is a discussion in the public circle about the balance between the right to protest and the necessity to maintain public order and safety.

    The situation in Gaza and the broader Israel-Hamas conflict continue to evoke strong opinions and activism worldwide. In Los Angeles, as in other cities, these global issues are finding a local expression, bridging the gap between international politics and everyday urban life. As the city recovers from this latest disruption, a conversation is likely to continue about the effectiveness and implications of such high-profile protests.

  • Hollywood Protesters Call for Cease-fire in Gaza

    Hollywood Protesters Call for Cease-fire in Gaza

    Image credit: Unsplash

    Hollywood protestors called for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war on the afternoon of Wednesday, November 15. Hundreds flooded the major intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue, forcing the Los Angeles Police Department to close the area to traffic.

    The Hollywood and Highland intersection is a major tourist attraction, as it contains the Dolby Theater and the TLC Chinese Theater, among other famous sites. Many demonstrators sat down in the street, effectively shutting the area down. The LAPD closed Hollywood Boulevard between Orange Drive and Las Palmas and Highland Avenue between Franklin Place and Sunset Boulevard. The disruption in the flow of traffic caused frustration for drivers, who were encouraged to seek alternate routes and avoid the area.

    “The LAPD’s objective is to ensure public safety for ALL while facilitating the First Amendment rights of those peacefully demonstrating,” the agency said in a statement. “Equally, the Department will enforce the law when individuals engage in acts of violence.” No arrests were made at the Wednesday protest, and no acts of violence were reported. Roads were cleared by 9 pm that night.

    The protest was organized by the groups Jewish Voice for Peace and IfNotNow, who released a joint statement ahead of the demonstration. The news release stated that the Hollywood and Highland protest would be “one of the largest-ever acts of civil disobedience in Los Angeles. It will take place in Hollywood, which has long been a site of organizing for labor rights, critiquing of state violence, and storytelling that speaks truth to power—of which Jewish creatives have often been part.”

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    The same groups have organized similar demonstrations across the country, particularly in Washington, D.C., to catch policymakers’ attention. Also on Wednesday, protestors gathered outside the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee, calling for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip. U.S. Capitol police responded to the demonstration and claimed that the group of 150 was “illegally and violently protesting.” Several members of Congress were evacuated from the building as tensions escalated. 

    The Capitol police and protestors have put forth conflicting accounts of the protest. Demonstrators have claimed that the police rushed them without warning, already armed in riot gear, and began pushing and pulling people to the ground at random. Democratic Representative Brad Sherman of California took to Twitter to accuse protestors of “pepper spraying police officers and attempting to break into the building.” Those who attended the protest denied that was the case, saying that the objective was to position themselves near entrances and exits so that committee members would witness a peaceful, candlelight vigil. Footage has since been released showing police locked in an intense scuffle with protestors and attempting to control a chaotic scene.

    The conflict between Israel and Hamas has escalated in violence following the devastating attack on October 7 earlier this year. Hamas’ reprehensible actions toward innocent civilians in Israel shocked the world and invited many differing opinions about fraught relations between Israel and Palestine. The United States’ decision to support Israel continues to cause tension socially and politically across the nation.