Downtown, Events, Politics
Great American Boycott Live Photo Blogging : Part 2
May 1, 2007 Dave Bullock / eecue	27 Comments
There are currently between 100,000 and 250,000 protesters walking down Broadway. The turnout is nowhere near as large as the first huge march last year, but it is still quite large. The protesters filled Broadway from Olympic to City Hall, and I couldn't see the end of the line when I left a few minutes ago. Once again there are thousands and thousands of American flags waving and people cheering and chanting everywhere you look. I am sorting through my photos and will be uploading shortly to this post. Stand By…
More photos and words on eecue and flickr.
Update The LAT says that tens of thousands of people turned out for the march.
Previous PostDowntown is WreckedNext PostRIDE-Arc This Friday: Hard To Port!
27 thoughts on "Great American Boycott Live Photo Blogging : Part 2"
This should amuse people:
Loyalty Day, 2007
America was founded by patriots who risked their lives to bring freedom to our Nation. Today, our citizens are grateful for our Founding Fathers and confident in the principles that lead us forward. On Loyalty Day, we celebrate the blessings of freedom and remember our responsibility to continue our legacy of liberty.
Our Nation has never been united simply by blood, birth, or soil, but instead has always been united by the ideals that move us beyond our background and teach us what it means to be Americans. We believe deeply in freedom and self-government, values embodied in our cherished documents and defended by our troops over the course of generations. Our citizens hold the truths of our founding close to their hearts and demonstrate their loyalty in countless ways. We are inspired by the patriotic service of the men and women who wear our Nation's uniform with honor and decency. The military spouses and families who stand by their loved ones represent the best of the American spirit, and we are profoundly grateful for their sacrifice. Our country is strengthened by the millions of volunteers who show deep compassion toward their neighbors in need. All citizens can express their loyalty to the United States by flying the flag, participating in our democracy, and learning more about our country's grand story of courage and simple dream of dignity.
The Congress, by Public Law 85-529, as amended, has designated May 1 of each year as "Loyalty Day." This Loyalty Day, and throughout the year, I ask all Americans to join me in reaffirming our allegiance to our Nation.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 1, 2007, as Loyalty Day. I call upon the people of the United States to participate in this national observance and to display the flag of the United States on Loyalty Day as a symbol of pride in our Nation.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand seven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-first.
LAPD as of noon estimating crowd of 15,000 to 20,000; looking at aerial shots there appear to be nowhere near 100,000.
I expect the second march/rally, centered around MacArthur Park, to be MUCH bigger – due in part to its mid-afternoon start time (there may well be a lot more kids there, since it sounds like there were not big walk-outs in LAUSD today).
KTLA just reported that LAPD is now estimating 25,000+ at/around City Hall.
I fail to see the amusement or be frightened by it. Loyalty Day is a nice idea. Standing united in working to honor what has made us great and standing firmer to make it even better for us, our children and those who wish to come here. Much better than a bunch of hooligans burning the flag looking to tear down what the majority hold dearest. Rather than poke fun at something, find it 'scary' why not simply work with it so we all benefit, citizens and those who wish to be? My 2 cents.
eecue says:
To me it seriously seemed closer to 100,000 but hey what do I know, right? Anyway enjoy the photos.
The Ugly American says:
Frazgo: Agreed….though the term "Loyalty Day" does sound a bit cringeworthy.
We already have "Flag Day", so why not just make Massachusetts's "Patriots Day" a national holiday?
Frankly, I've always wondered why it isn't.
Nice idea ugly…..less mayberry rfd-ish, but sometimes I can escape my ozarkian upbringing.
bored at work says:
it's great knowing that the illegal immigrants are now using their kids as tools to push their illegal agenda. great people
jotoole says:
it's great knowing that there are still ignorant people on the interweb, just like in real life!
what are these people supposed to do with their children. i'm sorry, but i have a feeling they can't afford day care on slave wages. christ, they are day care for most rich white folks!
and do we really need "loyalty day." please, i don't see how another national holiday is going to get us any closer to a solution to what ails this country. maybe bush jr. should spend less time thinking up nifty new holidays, and more time thinking about how much he and his administration have screwed each and every one of us hard working americans.
let's get our priorities straight here people.
cybele says:
I love the photos eecue. Thanks for sharing them with us.
Thanks Cybele!
EL CHAVO! says:
I was down there and I'd say the number was at least 50,000 but most likely much more than that.
sgvgoofball says:
Dear jotoole ignorance abounds, yours too…if they want to get somewhere its not going to be by trying to divide the majority of the country and be disrespectful to everyone who has come before and busted their collective asses so they can have special treatment and exemptions from immigration laws. As far as bringing their kids there because day care is too expensive, they shouldn't have been breeding in the first place. I doubt the kids were there for anything other than to appeal to raw emotions.
westwoodnc says:
To paraphrase a saying about the Holy Roman Empire, this rally is neither "Great", "American", or a "boycott" (unless you call playing hooky boycotting free public education). The photo doesn't show any more people that will pass through Broadway during a normal day. I feel sorry for the marchers. They can expect that every year a "Music M(e)n"-type will tell them to jeopardize their living and their children's education to be props for an extremist far-left agenda.
FYI, the Univision national news just showed the cops firing bean bags and some other sort of anti-crowd weapons at protesters in MacArthur park, live on the air.
Telemundo has some more footage of the riot police attacking protesters in the park, supposedly even some of the news crew were attacked and injured and some camera equipment of theirs was broken.
Wow crazy… didn't something like that happen last time, too? I wanted to cover the MacArthur park protest but I had to go to work. =[
Osc says:
I was at both protests. Though I left the Macarthur Park rally at 5. =o
I must watch Telemundo/Univision News tonite…
Christina Gonzalez from Fox 11 has even crazier video of her getting mistreated during the police raid. You should see that report, she is pissed!
Damn, I missed that.
But Telemundo is still talking about it right now, I've seen the footage and I'm pissed as well.
Sorry folks, but Dubya's language in his re-announcement of Loyalty Day (it's actually an old holiday, one dating from the 20s I belive, so it's not actually a "nifty new holiday" Jotoole–although an enormously convenient one) is just disturbing. It smacks of doublespeak and reminds me of language used in totalitarian propaganda in the past, in our nation and others. I find it problematic.
Oh, and I tutored downtown for 826LA today, at the Animo charter school in the WTC, and none of the kids were absent. Good on them. Smart cookies, down to the last one. IMO they can march for worker's rights when they are *working*…now is a time to study. Their AP tests are coming up. :)
I'm with you Lucinda. I got this through the progressive mailing list I subscribed to. There are so many things objectionable, not least the call for "millions of volunteers who show deep compassion toward their neighbors in need." That literally sent shivers down my spine. You read it here first folks, Bushie is bringing back the draft.
I wish there was some medium, like some kind of "journal" on the web, that will allow me to discuss with other progressives how deeply offensive this proclamation is.
100,000? No way. It just wasn't that big.
10,000? Absolutely no way. It was considerably bigger.
KTLA's coverage on News at Ten of the downtown march was a disgrace. First they showed an aerial shot of a small cluster of people (perhaps from early in the morning before the masses started showing up) while the reporter pointed out that the march was smaller than last year. It was, of course, but anybody watching the clip they showed would have been very, very much misled as to the size of the crowd. Judging from the clip, one would think that only a few hundred showed up!
Then they covered a tiny counterdemonstration of Minutemen types and referred to it as (and I quote verbatim) a "pro-American rally." Which I guess makes the pro-immigration rally an anti-American rally? Clearly somebody forgot to tell the immigrants, as they were festooned with American flags this year just as they were last year.
Seriously, KTLA, a counterdemonstration to a pro-immigration rally is an anti-immigration rally. Or even, if you insist, an anti-illegal-immigration rally. There is nothing intrinsically "pro-American" about opposing immigration, even illegal immigration. For the love of God, do you guys have middle school interns writing your copy?
still bored at work says:
Dear jotoole
Please, lets get our priorities straight here, as well as the FACTS!
1. These people are ILLEGAL
2. Last year the march was't lead by a bunch of ILLEGAL woman pushing baby carriages in an attempt to stir emotions, gain support for their ILLEGAL movement, etc.
3. This is not a Mexico, US debate, which it has been turned into by ILLEGAL mexicans and guatemalans who are bascially demanding special rights, when they have broken the law. There are ILLEGAL immigrants of ALL RACES living in this country that should not be here. However, there is a way to come to this country legally, but they choose not to. I wanna live in Australia. But you know what, I can't.
4. People who oppose ILLEGAL immigration could care less that families are being broken up because we feel so strongly about our position. Maybe those ILLEGALS should have thought about that possibility before they came here ILLEGALLY and started pushing babies out, who now qualify government programs, etc.
5. Mexico's immigration laws are even more strict than the US, and the way they treat ILLEGAL migrating guatemalans who work the jobs in Mexico that the mexicans won't do is disgusting.
6. These people are ILLEGAL, but when our Government re-instates the draft, who is going to be drafted — LEGAL CITIZENS!!!
1. Doesn't mean they've no civil rights.
2. Immaterial; does not have any bearing on whether they should have rights as workers.
3. Yes, this does apply to immigrants of all nations, legally here or not. And?
4. Immaterial, again, to whether these individuals (a) have civil rights and rights as workers and (b) have the right to peacefully protest–hi, that's in our bill of rights. Oh…and "pushing babies out?" Your language betrays your attitude: dehumanizing and disdainful.
5. I don't know if this is true or not, although it wouldn't surprise me. But that has nothing to do with how the US should behave–a nation that prides itself on being a beacon of humanitiarianism and inclusion. And you're the one who just got finished saying these immigrants are from many more nations than just Mexico.
6. Uh…what?
Seriously sweets, if you're "still bored" you should use your flextime constructing more intelligent arguments. Oh, snap! ;)
smooches.