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PHOTOS: Anti-Lockdown Protesters (Small In Number) Rally At LA City Hall From The Safety Of Their Cars
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Research shows that the majority of Angelenos (95%) support the city's stay-at-home policy if it means slowing the spread of coronavirus.
But today in downtown L.A. a vocal group of anti-lockdown protesters gathered near City Hall. About 50 cars lined up to honk and hold up signs with messages like "lock up the sick, not the free" and "the science is clear, re-open California." The protest was organized by a Facebook group called Operation Gridlock, which has made some waves across the country, even as its origins have come under scrutiny.
Only about 10 individuals protested on the street, outside of their cars.
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Happening now: Protesters gather Wednesday in their cars around Los Angeles City Hall in downtown, demanding California lift stay-at-home orders and reopen businesses despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
— LAist (@LAist) April 22, 2020
🎥: @chavatweets1 pic.twitter.com/0rugfA0A49
The local version of the event was noticeably smaller than a similar protest Friday that drew a crowd of over 200 in Huntington Beach. (Including a man who was arrested after allegedly threatening a Fox 11 photographer with a knife.) Many of those protestors were not social distancing or wearing masks.
The L.A. Facebook page for protestors appears to have been taken down by Facebook, who according to the Wall Street Journal, is banning posts that encourage members to violate government health guidelines.
NPR reported that Fox News personalities have been showing heavy support for these protests on the air, despite calls from a top executive at the network to encourage protestors to abide by social distancing standards.
NPR's media correspondent David Folkenflik wrote:
"The liberal watchdog group Media Matters found that Fox News had devoted more than six hours over the past week to the protests, despite the fact that they have drawn relatively small crowds."
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A shaggy haired man holds a sign reading "who do I have to screw 4a haircut" out of his cars sunroof. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)
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A protestor dressed up in American flag apparel holds a sign reading "here is my permission slip" with a drawing of the Constitution. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)
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Alisha, who declined to provide her last name, said she drove to City Hall today from San Diego to participate in the rally because she doesn't believe the economy should shut down for this long. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)
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A flag waving protestor drives in front of city hall. Signs on the car read "the science is clear, re-open California." (Chava Sanchez/Laist)
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A passenger in a car at a protest to re open the state in downtown Los Angeles holds a sign reading: "Killing the economy does not save lives." (Chava Sanchez/Laist)
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Passengers in a car protest in downtown L.A. to end the state's stay at home orders hold signs reading "Unlock Cali" and "Let me re-hire." (Chava Sanchez/LAist)
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Protestors hold an American flag and a sign reading "All Jobs are Essential" out of a car window. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)
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A car drives in front of city hall in protest. "Civil rights are essential," and "Trust God not Vaccines #saynotobillgates" is painted on the windows in red white and blue. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)
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Protestors hold signs reading: "My freedom doesn't end where your fear begins" and "every job that puts food on the table is essential, reopen California," out their car window. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)
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A protestor holds a sign reading "stop the lockdown" out of a car in front of city hall in downtown Los Angeles. (Chava Sanchez/ LAist)
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A woman dressed in red white and blue holds a sign reading "the Constitution has no #virus clause!" (Chava Sanchez/LAist)
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Louie Flores from West Covina feels the lockdown is hurting more people than it is helping. (Chava Sanchez)
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Protestors drive through downtown Los Angeles waving tiny American flags out of their car windows. (Chava Sanchez/ LAist)
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