A Los Angeles immigrants rights group voiced a call to action for the annual May Day protest Wednesday in an attempt to stir up excitement for the annual demonstration that has been losing traction over the past few years.
The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles held a news conference Tuesday with the help of Grammy winners and Latino figures in urging the public to participate.
"We are expecting around 10,000," said Jorge Mario Cabrera, spokesman for CHIRLA, regarding the Wednesday march.
The group, along with labor organizations and media personalities, "urged community members to not lose hope and to fight for a good immigration bill."
Cabrera said community members were present during the conference.
"These families expressed a need to fight for immigration reform because they no longer want to hide," Cabrera said.
May Day, originally a day for transnational labor-rights recognition, has become the widely recognized day of protest in Los Angeles for immigrants' rights.
In 2006, the May Day protests garnered national attention when thousands in Los Angeles protested legislation that would make it a felony to be in the U.S. illegally.
In the following years, fewer and fewer demonstrators have taken the day off from work to march in the streets. Several hundred participated in the protests on May 1, 2012, according to an LA Times article.
The protest comes at a time when the bi-partisan Gang of Eight proposed their immigration bill set to strengthen the border first, then provide a pathway to citizenship for immigrants in the country illegally.
The Los Angeles Police Department will be fully deployed in reaction to the event, and some undercover officers will be in the crowd.
“In few past years, the numbers of protestors and attendance have definitely scaled down,” said Norma Eisenman, a spokeswoman for the LAPD. “If anything were to happen, we have more than enough officers posted.”
In 2012, a female officer was intentionally struck in the head by a skateboard but the injury was not serious, according to Eisenman.
“We know it’s a time when officers have to be more alert, and pay attention to the crowd,” Eisenman said. “We don’t expect any problems, but there is the immigration bill, so we don’t know.”
Street closures are planned for the march Wednesday starting on Cesar Chavez Avenue and ending on the south side of Main Street (map below).
At the end of the route at 3 p.m., Grammy-winning artists such as the band Quetzal, a LA-based band that blends funk and Mexican folk music, will play at Plaza Park.
Marchers will meet at Olympic Boulevard and Broadway at 12 p.m. on Wednesday.At the end of the route at 3 p.m., Grammy-winning artists such as the band Quetzal, a LA-based band that blends funk and Mexican folk music, will play at Plaza Park.
Marchers will meet at Olympic Boulevard and Broadway at 12 p.m. on Wednesday.
View May Day Protest Route with CHIRLA in a larger map
Photo Credit: Getty Images