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At the May 6th Protest on Alameda Avenue | Photo by Zach Behrens\LAist
Ever since Arizona passed it's strict immigration law SB 1070, immigration protests have taken Los Angeles by storm. While many were peaceful and legal, three caused street closures, forcing police to make arrests.
The first was on May 6th (story/photos) when a group chained themselves together in the middle of Alameda Avenue outside a federal building downtown. Then on May 20th (story/photos), a group of students advocating for the DREAM Act shut down Wilshire Boulevard outside the federal building in Westwood next to the 405 Freeway. And on July 29th (story/photos), when Arizona's law went into effect, a number of people were arrested for shutting Wilshire at Highland down.
Today the Los Angeles City Attorney's office announced that 33 people will be criminally charged and arraigned later this month. Charges include remaining at an unlawful assembly, resisting, delaying or obstructing an officer and blocking the sidewalk or street. Maximum sentences can be up to one year in county jail and a $1,000 fine.