LAist relies on your reader support, not paywalls.
Freely accessible local news is vital. Please power our reporters and help keep us independent with a donation today during our fall member drive.
Sunday's Hollywood Protest Might Be LA's Largest Anti-Racism Event Yet
The scene at Sunday's protest in Hollywood. (Aaron Mendelson / LAist)
In what some are calling the largest protest in L.A. so far, demonstraters in Hollywood gathered at 4 p.m. to march against systemic racism and police brutality.
The march was organized by Black Lives Matter-L.A., Build Power and the rapper YG. Our news partner NBC Los Angeles captured the scene from above:
WATCH LIVE: In what appears to be the largest #GeorgeFloyd demonstration in the LA area thus far, an estimated 10,000-plus people are marching in Hollywood. https://t.co/MzrnwKZtKI pic.twitter.com/gTMTtVp4yt
— NBC Los Angeles (@NBCLA) June 8, 2020
Aaron Mendelson, who is covering the protest for our newsroom along with Robert Garrova, reports that protesters arrived well before 4 p.m., and that as the event got underway, the group took a knee before beginning to march.
In Hollywood covering the #BlackLivesMattter protest. It’s scheduled for 4 PM but there’s already hundreds of people here pic.twitter.com/hbOZcutoHi
— Aaron Mendelson (@a_mendelson) June 7, 2020
Hard to overstates how many people are at Hollywood & Highland right now. It’s like this for blocks pic.twitter.com/Nz6RbJwsRG
— Aaron Mendelson (@a_mendelson) June 8, 2020
Mendelson also reported that the vibe of the protest was positive, and that there was no police presence except for helicopters overhead. Those at the event noted how the spirit of L.A. protests had evolved and changed since they began last week.
Shae Cook, who has been attending protests for over a week, told him:
"I feel like everybody here has positive energy. From the beginning, people were more so afraid and in pain and hurt. I think people are [now] trying to channel that energy into a positive experience."
The crowd in Hollywood right now for BLM march. Much bigger than last week’s in downtown LA by my estimate. @LAist pic.twitter.com/1otjD6pxkS
— Robert Garrova (@robertgarrova) June 8, 2020
The crowd in Hollywood right now for BLM march. Much bigger than last week’s in downtown LA by my estimate. @LAist pic.twitter.com/1otjD6pxkS
— Robert Garrova (@robertgarrova) June 8, 2020
MORE COVERAGE
- How Does Race Shape Your Life In LA? Tell Us
- Conflicted: A Black Journalist's Reckoning With Her Race, Family And Police Brutality
- Photos: In A Different Kind of Protest, Hundreds Clean Up South LA Streets
- Police Union Excoriates Mayor Over Budget Cuts, 'Killers' Comment
- Agonizing Over What I Saw: Reporting on Protests, Looting And Cleanup In Santa Monica
- The False Dichotomy Of Protest Coverage So Far
- What Happens After George Floyd? California Leaders Are Considering Reparations
- LA Civil Rights Leader On Police Brutality, Protests: We're In The Last Battles Of The Civil War
- KPCC/LAist Reporters Tear-Gassed, Shot With Rubber Bullet
- Black Lives Matter-LA Leader Explains 'Very Deliberate' Choice To Demonstrate In Upscale Neighborhoods
- Mis Ángeles: George Floyd Should Be Home With His Family Right Now
- George Floyd's Death Is One Of Many Reasons Activists Are Pushing For A 'People's Budget' In LA