May 1 Protest Planned for Downtown Los Angeles

The City of Los Angeles and building owners and businesses in the Los Angeles Fashion District are preparing for large crowds of protesters to turn out for the “Boycott March,” scheduled for May 1 in downtown Los Angeles.

Marchers are expected to begin gathering at 10 a.m. near Broadway Street and Olympic Boulevard and begin marching up Broadway to Los Angeles City Hall at noon.

Broadway will be closed to traffic, and other streets may be closed depending on the protest’s turnout. A map of potential street closures is available at http://trafficinfo.lacity.org/images/GreatAmericanBoycottMap2007.pdf.

Security will be increased at the California Market Center, and parking attendants will be limiting access to the building’s parking lot to CMC tenants, tenants’ visitors and buyers.

May Day protests are held annually on May 1 in Los Angeles. Last year, the district was caught off guard when more than 500,000 people turned out on March 25 to peacefully protest federal legislation on immigration. Many businesses opted to close, and many of the area’s workers stayed away during the subsequent May Day protest, which drew a much smaller crowd.—Alison A. Nieder