The difference between last year and this year was night and day. Last year, the police were in riot gear, got injured, shot rubber bullets into crowds full of innocent people including, children, the elderly and reporters live on air (see this video). This year, the LAPD retrained and chilled out... a lot more. By the end of the day, only five people had been arrested. Earlier May Day Photo Essays include: Portraits, Crowds and......

More scenes from yesterday's various May Day marches from LAist Featured Photos contributor Tom Andrews.......

LAist Featured Photos contributor Tom Andrews spent the day at yesterday's May Day marches. Here are some of the amazing images of the people he saw and met.......

The May Day 2008 marches and rallies are underway and thousands of people have converged on downtown LA:You can expect massive traffic troubles through downtown during Thursday's events. Marchers will stage at 7th Street and Parkview at MacArthur Park, Olympic and Broadway, and Alameda and Central. All will converge at 1st Street and Broadway for a rally that is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. -- ABC7See our May Day Travel Guide for tips on......

Photo by Tom Andrews/LAist Whether you are attending a rally or just going to work, using Metrolink or Metro Rail (Red, Blue, Gold) are your best option for entering downtown, but expect more crowded than usual trains. Below, you will find information on the Marches, Traffic/Street Closures, Metro, DASH and Commuter Express. Marches & Rallies Sources: Downtown Center BID (via e-mail), blogdowntown, LADOT Map (pdf), LADOT ASTAC The first three marches listed here will......

The Bus Riders Union singing (see the video) | All Photos by Zach Behrens/LAist Saturday's Anti-War March in Hollywood, organized by the ANSWER Coalition was amazing (their acronym stands for Act Now to Stop War and End Racism). Thousands walked down Hollywood Blvd, down Schrader, then onto Sunset, eventually ending in front of the CNN building. Many LAist Featured Photo Contributors have been contributing photos to the Flickr pool an we'll feature them in......

It looks like they can fly, sometimes. What do you do on National Pig Day anyway? I could be snarky and suggest some bbq, but I love pigs, Porky and Arnold the Pig included. If you don't want to watch Green Acres or Charlotte's Web, March is chock-full of other options: It's American Red Cross Month, Irish-American Heritage Month, National Craft Month, National Frozen Food Month, National Noodle Month, National Nutrition Month, Woman's History......

'V' ran amok through the streets of Hollywood today as hundreds of picketers descended on the Church of Scientology complex at Sunset and L. Ron Hubbard Way. | All photos by Tony Pierce The global day of action was initially announced last month after a video attributed to "Anonymous" coincided with an online effort that managed to temporarily knock out Internet servers belonging to the Church of Scientology. Another speech by "Anonymous" appeared this......

About 500 support and production workers marched down Hollywood Boulevard to urge an end to the strike that has paralyzed the movie and television industry. The "Strike a Deal" march brought together workers who are not on strike themselves but who have been laid off or are losing business as a result of the WGA strike, which appears far from over as it enters its sixth week. Today's rally and march -- from Grauman's......

The ever talented and lovely Alicia Keys performed just before the massive 4000+ strong march down Hollywood Blvd. Keys, with the #1 album in the country As I Am, said "As a SAG member and a writer, she was there to support the cause." After the mini-concert of two songs, "No One" and "Go Ahead", the red army took to the street. March and chanting from Vine to right in front of the Chinese......

Over 10,000 people are scheduled to march today along Hollywood Blvd., and Grammy-award winning singer Alicia Keys will sing in support of the WGA strike which is now into its third week. Beginning at the intersection of Hollywood Blvd. at Ivar Ave. at 1pm, members of the Service Employees International Union, California Nurses Association, Teamsters, actors, musicians, elected officials will join the striking WGA members. Keys is planned to perform at 1:15pm for about......

The only one of the accused 6 to not post bail, Mychal Bell, is expected to receive his sentencing today in Jena, Louisiana. Local officials tried to impede the traveling march from entering the small town of Jena (population: 2,971) by limiting 5 buses to enter the city limits per 12 minutes. Most locals have fled the city, businesses have closed down. While the arrest stems from the fact that 6 black teens beat a......

The LAPD's civil rights consent decree just got extended this past summer for another three years. Do videos like this and witness accounts help end this decree and get more officers back on the street instead of desk duty for consent decree paperwork? Not really. Here is some excerpts from Daniel Hernandez's blog: "The sight of cops standing shoulder-to-shoulder menacingly holding batons drew more onlookers, which drew more cops, which drew more onlookers. The......

Videos don't tell the whole story by any means, but when the press got hit with a baton at yesterday's rally, they fought back in the only way they could -- with the news. The LA Times also has coverage. *UPDATE: Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton said today that some actions taken by officers trying to clear a crowd of marchers at MacArthur Park were "inappropriate" and that he has launched two......

Photo © Andy Sternberg Tomorrow, tens of thousands of Los Angeles residents will take to the streets to draw attention to the shoddy state of labor and immigration laws in the United States - for the fifth or sixth time in the last 6 months. Call me shitty, but I am over it. It's an excuse for kids to skip school, and if you have to go through downtown to get to work, it's......

Beginning at 10 a.m. on Tuesday morning, the May Day immigration march will begin at Olympic and Broadway, heading towards City Hall on Spring St. According to Metro, "Rail service will be increased on the Metro Blue and Metro Red lines to handle the extra patrons expected to participate in the march. The Metro Green and Metro Gold lines will have extra trains ready for deployment should the need arise. The Metro Red Line......

A decommissioned air raid siren outside of City Hall - City says avoid downtown on Tuesday. We say attend the march. - Los Angeles to San Francisco in 2 1/2 hours by train has not so bright future. - The hundreds of air raid sirens around LA will not be turned back on. - WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution at MOCA is a multiple trip exhibit. - It's about time to visit the Pacific......

More than fifty local communities and sixty local schools & colleges will come together this Saturday to mark the fourth anniversary of the ground invasion of Iraq. This massive anti-war protest will be one of more than two hundred nationally coordinated protests, rallies and marches this weekend. Saturday, March 17 @ 12 NOON ~ GATHER with thousands of like-minded people at the corner of Hollywood and Vine. ~ MARCH at a leisurely (but outraged)......