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It's May Day. Here's What To Expect In LA
A priest raises his fist while leading a chant for demonstrators marching to Los Angeles City Hall in this 2007 file photo. (David McNew/Getty Images)
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Today is International Workers' Day, and per tradition, thousands of people gathered in the heart of Los Angeles for a collection of rallies and marches in support of worker and immigrant rights.
Local labor unions, immigration advocacy groups, democratic socialists and more will converged on McArthur Park at 3 p.m. to rally before marching through downtown.
Activist groups like @CHIRLA as well as local unions are gathering at MacArthur park now for the #MayDay demonstration that calls attention to issues of fair living wages and immigrant rights. @LAist @KPCC pic.twitter.com/woX83pLiKT
— Emily Elena Dugdale (she/her) (@eedugdale) May 1, 2019
Demonstrators are set to travel east on 6th Street through Westlake, over the 110 Freeway and into downtown, then north along Spring Street to Grand Park and City Hall.
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The Los Angeles Department of Transportation provided a traffic plan for Wednesday's event, which shows more than 30 street closures around the march route (click the image for a better look).
(Courtesy LADOT)
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Those closures will begin as early as 1 p.m., LADOT officials said, so expect much more than the usual delays and congestions if you're planning to navigate downtown this afternoon or evening.
A Los Angeles Police Department spokeswoman told LAist there will be a "sufficient" police presence at the rally and march, but did not elaborate on how the department would operate during the event.
CHIRLA protestors call for immigration reform at the 2019 May Day rally downtown. (Emily Dugdale/LAist)
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The DTLA event might be the biggest, but it's not the only one happening today. Slightly east in Boyle Heights, the neighborhood's fifth annual May Day event is set to begin around 4:30 p.m. Organized by the Centro Community Service Organization, demonstrators will start near Mathews Street and Cesar Chávez Avenue, then march to the LAPD's Hollenbeck Station to protest police killings in the community before continuing west and ending at Mariachi Plaza.
This is a developing story. Check back for more information.
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UPDATES:
10:40 a.m.: This article was updated with information about a community May Day event in Boyle Heights.
4:27 p.m.: This article was updated with photos from the rally and tweets from reporter Emily Dugdale.
This article was originally published at 8 a.m.
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