One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
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)
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.
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)
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.
Sponsored message
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)
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.
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.
Sponsored message
This article was originally published at 8 a.m.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
