Group Expects Thousands to Protest Trump Victory Claim Saturday in DTLA
Group Expects Thousands to Protest Trump Victory Claim Saturday in DTLA
by Contributing Editor
A coalition of labor unions and advocacy groups — possibly including thousands of participants — plan to hold a protest in downtown Los Angeles Saturday against what they call President Donald Trump’s premature election victory declaration.
Organizers said Trump has also claimed the election is being “stolen” from him, and the protest will decry any attempt to “undermine the will of the people” while also demanding a peaceful transition of power — should the president lose the election.
Several marches and rallies were planned to culminate at Pershing Square, according to the coalition. Participants said they will meet at 9 a.m. at South Figueroa Street at Martin Luther King Boulevard; at Mariachi Plaza, at Boyle and First streets; and at MacArthur Park, at 2230 W. Sixth St.
From 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., the scattered marches will then make their way to Pershing Square to create a “mass march” at 11:30 a.m., then march to a rally scheduled for noon at City Hall.
Organizers said participants are required to remain nonviolent and all attendees must wear a mask and follow local COVID-19 public health orders and social distancing guidelines. The event will be held rain or shine, the organizers said.
As of noon Friday, former Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden appeared to be headed to victory, taking leads in the battleground states of Pennsylvania and Georgia, while remaining ahead in Nevada and Arizona, states still too close to call.
Trump on Wednesday said he was being cheated out of an electoral victory.
“This is a fraud on the American public,” Trump announced during a media briefing from the White House. “This is an embarrassment to our country. We were getting ready to win this election. Frankly, we did win this election.”
The coalition members said they will “lead a mass action with basic principles that should have long been our standard for all economic and social policy: we care for ourselves, we care for others and everyone counts. It is time … to stand united, not only to defend but strengthen our democracy by advancing justice and inclusion.”
The coalition includes organizations and groups such as Black Lives Matter-LA, the California Faculty Association, CHIRLA, Community Coalition, Democratic Socialists of America-LA, Extinction Rebellion, Ground Game LA and a number of other groups and labor unions.
Los Angeles Police Officer Drake Madison told City News Service that officers will take the same action they always do during protests, which is to “hope for the best, but plan for the worst.”
“Most importantly, we’re there to (let people) express their First Amendment rights, and hopefully L.A. residents will protest peacefully,” Madison said.
On Thursday, the LAPD on social media posted a picture of a hammer and a crowbar that were recovered during recent protests.
“We’d expect to find these items on a construction site, or in a garage, not on the streets of Los Angeles following protest activities,” LAPD stated on Twitter. “We will always strive to facilitate peaceful protests, but that means those participating must leave metal crowbars and hammers at home.”
According to an event post on Facebook, more than 1,000 people had responded by Friday afternoon as interested or planning to attend the protest.
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All credit goes to Contributing Editor
Originally published on https://mynewsla.com
