Tag Archives: Downtown

“No Kings” Protests across LA Area

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Protesters at Hollywood and Vermont on Saturday.

I heard that thousands of people showed up for the “No Kings” protest in Downtown LA yesterday, but since I’ve been to a number of the gatherings at LA City Hall, I decided to check out some of the smaller local events. The No Kings organizers reported record turnout across the nation, and while you always have to be skeptical about the numbers given by organizers, it does seem like an increasing number of people are angry and frustrated about the direction the country is going in. The war in Iran, ongoing ICE raids and rising prices seem to be at the top of the list of grievances.

I first went to the protest at Hollywood and Vermont, where it looked like several hundred people showed up. Signs urged passing drivers to honk in support, and lots of drivers responded. I saw one older woman sitting with her hands over her ears. It was pretty loud.

The signs at the Hollywood protest covered a lot of issues.
Protesters marched back and forth across the intersection.
One woman sat with her hands over her ears. It was pretty loud.

Then I went to small rally held in Unidad Park on Beverly in Filipinotown. I’d say between 50 and 100 people showed up to listen to speeches and music. A number of groups had tables set up where volunteers were engaging attendees on various issues. And some kids were having a great time on the swings.

Attendees gathering in front of the stage at Unidad Park in Historic Filipinotown.

Canopies were set up to shield attendees from the sun.
A couple of kids were having a great time on the swings.

While I didn’t go to the main event at LA City Hall, I did pass through Downtown as I got off the bus to get on the train, and I ran into this group of teachers marching up Grand Avenue. They are not happy about what the current administration is doing to education. I assume they were heading to City Hall to join the crowd at Grand Park.

Teachers marching up Grand Ave. in Downtown LA.
The march was well organized and the teachers shouted out slogans as they headed north on Grand.

Then I headed down to Hawthorne, where a small but spirited group of protesters gathered at Hawthorne Blvd. And 120th. Attendees stood with signs and flags, marching back and forth across the intersection. They also got some appreciative honks from passing drivers.

Protesters gathered at Hawthorne Blvd. and 120th.

The crowd urged passing drivers to honk in support.

As the lights changed, protesters walked back and forth across the intersection.

I don’t see these protests going away. It seems like there’s growing frustration with the way things are in the US right now. It will be interesting to see what happens in the mid-term elections.

America Is at War. Again.

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Protest at LA City Hall on Saturday, March 7.


We’re at war again. This time in Iran. For the past week the US and Israel have unleashed punishing aerial attacks, but it’s hard to say why we’re at war or how it’s expected to end. In justifying the air strikes, Trump has offered a few different reasons. He’s said the goal is to destroy Iran’s nuclear weapons program, even though he said it had been obliterated last year. He’s said the US is trying to foment regime change, even though there doesn’t appear to be any Iranian opposition group prepared to step into that role. US officials have also claimed that there was an imminent threat of an attack by Iran on the US, but they haven’t shown any evidence to back up that claim.

Protesters asked why the US is spending money on fighting foreign wars instead of helping Americans at home.

A small group of protesters gathered at LA City Hall on Saturday afternoon to speak out against the war. I’d say there were about 150 people there. It may have grown larger, but I had to leave around two thirty. The protest seemed to have been organized by a few different groups.

The chants were familiar from past anti-war protests, but the questions they asked were still relevant. Analysts have estimated that the first week of the war has cost the US almost $900 million a day. The protesters were asking why we aren’t spending that money on things that would make a real difference in the lives of American citizens, like education or healthcare or housing.

Signs demanded an end to the assualt on Iran.

The US spent between 10 and 15 years fighting in Vietnam, depending on where you draw the line. The war in Iraq officially lasted from 2003 through 2011, though American troops were still active in the region after that date. The war in Afghanistan ran from 2001 through 2021. Many American soldiers died in each of these conflicts, and many more foreign civilians lost their lives. These wars turned farmlands to wastelands, homes to rubble, and left behind toxic chemicals and unexploded ordnance which are still taking lives today. And what did Americans gain from these wars?

The gathering on Saturday was small, but if the conflict continues, I think it’s pretty certain we’ll see the protests growing steadily larger. Americans are tired of war. It’s time to put a stop to it.

ICE Out LA

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Protesters gather on the steps of LA City Hall


Once again, protesters are turning out across the nation to protest the Trump administration’s violent immigration raids. The deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti have thrown more fuel on the fire, putting national attention on the ICE surge in Minneapolis. There were several LA area events on Friday in cities including Culver City, El Monte, Monrovia, Pasadena and Torrance. Thousands of protesters gathered near LA City Hall to give voice to their anger.

Protesters gathered in Grand Park in front of LA City Hall
You could feel the outrage in the air
The crowd was thick in front of LA City Hall


I showed up at City Hall around one o’ clock. It was an unusually warm January day. Signs calling out the deaths of Good and Pretti were plentiful, but protesters also called attention to those who have lost their lives in detention facilities. As outrage over the immigration crackdown has spiralled, it seems the Trump administration is trying to rethink its approach, but will the changes amount to anything more than a public relations move? Hard to believe Trump will back down.

Signs asked for justice for Alex Pretti…
…and for Renee Good…
…and for those who have died in detention facilities.
Speakers railed against the violence of the ICE crackdown.
As usual, plenty of folks showed up with cameras to document the event.
Still more cameras.


The protests aren’t going away. And the pressure has become so great that even some of the Republicans in Congress are speaking up. No doubt some are worried about how this will impact the mid-term elections. But we need to see meaningful investigations, not just for Good and Pretti, but also for the immigrants who have died in detention facilities. And we need to see ICE get out of Minneapolis. Listening to politicians posturing is a waste of time. We need real change

Thousands Protest in Downtown LA

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Protesters gathered in front of LA City Hall on Saturday, June 14.

Thousands of people gathered in Downtown LA on Saturday for a boisterous, hours-long protest . Attendees held signs voicing anger over a number of issues, but the overarching message was that the protesters were not happy with President Trump. The air was filled with music and chanted slogans. Helicopters and drones flew overhead.

Protesters marching up Hill Street.


Late morning, a friend and I got on the subway heading to Downtown. Unfortunately, the driver announced that the stops at Pershing Square and Civic Center were closed due to police activity, so we got off at 7th and Metro. This meant we had to hike about a mile and a half to get to City Hall. While walking up Grand, we could see the throng of protesters marching up Hill Street in the distance.

Windows were covered with boards at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA).


We also saw that the windows were boarded up at the Museum of Contemporary Art. A number of businesses had boarded up their windows to protect against the vandalism that’s been occurring in Downtown over the past week or so. The raids by Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE), where agents have grabbed undocumented immigrants, sparked an outpouring of anger, and groups opposing the raids have held numerous gatherings to voice their outrage. But it’s hard to say who exactly is responsible for the graffiti, broken windows and retail theft. No doubt, some of it’s tied to the protests, but I think it’s also likely that some of the damage has been caused to opportunists who are taking advantage of the unrest to grab some merchandise or promote general mayhem.

Protesters arriving at Grand Park after marching up Hill Street.


When we arrived at Grand Park, protesters were still streaming in from Hill Street. While many came to speak out over the ICE raids, as well as Trump’s order to send the National Guard and Marines to LA, the event had been planned long before as part of a nationwide movement to push back against the President’s policies. On Saturday protests were held in New York, Chicago, Sacramento, Raleigh, St. Louis, Dallas, and many other US cities.

“Legalization is the answer.”

“I.C.E. Fuera de Tovaangar” (I.C.E. Out of Los Angeles) (Tovaangar is the name that was used by the indigenous people living in the LA area before Europeans arrived.)

“Feliz Dia del Padre” (Happy Father’s Day)


While I was there, the protest seemed completely peaceful. Hard to say how many turned out, but I’d say several thousand. Apparently things got rough later in the afternoon. The LAPD said that around 4:00 pm some protesters began throwing rocks, bricks and bottles. They responded by issuing an order to disperse. From an account published in the LA Times, it appears officers then used rubber bullets and tear gas to clear the streets. No serious injuries were reported.

Law enforcement stationed above the steps to LA City Hall.

An image of the Constitution standing in front of City Hall.


The protests will continue. While most of Trump’s supporters seem to stand firmly behind him, there are millions of Americans who believe his administration is deliberately undermining the Constitution and that he’s trying to assume power as an authoritarian dictator. Personally, I think there are dark days ahead of us.

Downtown LA on Wednesday: An Uneasy Calm

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Protesters on the steps of City Hall, police in the background.

The past few days have been hard to believe. ICE agents have been arresting hundreds of people across Southern California. The President has ordered the National Guard into LA, over the protests of the Governor and the Mayor. Apparently the Marines are on their way. And a curfew has been declared in Downtown LA.

I went down to City Hall for a hearing this afternoon. I got off the subway at Civic Center and walked across Grand Park to Spring. The park seemed peaceful, as usual, but as I got closer to City Hall I saw a crowd of around a hundred protesters gathered on the steps at the entrance. Activists spoke passionately about the injustice of the ICE raids.

I entered City Hall and attended the hearing, which lasted until about four fifteen. Then, since I hadn’t had lunch, I walked up First Street looking for a place to eat. Unfortunately, these days its hard to find a restaurant that’s open in the Civic Center. As companies have reduced their footprint in Downtown or abandoned it altogether, many local businesses have cut their hours or closed down.

As I walked up First Street, I saw that the ground floor of the former LA Times building was covered with graffiti. A little farther up there was a row of parked police cars. Helicopters crisscrossed the sky overhead. Even though things were calm, there did seem to be tension in the air.

Thinking that the cafe at MOCA might still be open, I headed up to Grand. I walked into the cafe and saw that they were cleaning up. The woman behind the counter said they were open for another 20 minutes, so I ordered a sandwich. When it was ready, I went out to the patio and sat down to eat it.

The woman at the counter spoke with a heavy accent. My guess is that she had come from somewhere in Central America. In the time I was there, she made my sandwich, wiped off the tables in the patio, straightened the chairs and emptied the trash cans. When I left she was sweeping up inside the restaurant.

These are the people that keep this city going. These are the people that keep this country going.

“Hands Off” Protest in Downtown LA

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Protesters at Fifth and Hill in Downtown LA

Thousands of people gathered in Downtown on Saturday to voice their anger at the Trump administration’s actions since his January inauguration. The President began by firing off a series of executive orders, some of which have been called unconstitutional. He’s given Elon Musk unprecedented access to US agencies, allowing Musk and his team to view the government’s vast trove of sensitive data belonging to millions of Americans. And he’s imposed sweeping tariffs on trading partners that sparked a massive sell-off in the stock market.

Many protesters came to defend immigrant rights
Some of the attendees made their points with music


The “Hands Off” protests were part of a nationwide day of action organized by a number of different groups. The Associated Press reported that protests were planned in over 1,200 locations across all 50 states. The signs at the LA protest spoke of anger on a wide range of issues, including deportations, the firing of Federal workers, LGBT rights and the economy.

Protesters marching up Hill Street
The marchers round the corner where the US Courthouse stands

The protest started around 4:00 pm in Pershing Square, and then the crowd marched to City Hall. The event was scheduled to last until 8:00 pm, but I left around 6:00 because I had a house guest coming. I didn’t get to hear the speakers, but the message from the crowd was clear: They don’t like the mass firings, they don’t like the deportations and they don’t like the funding cuts. But in spite of the anger in the air, the protest was peaceful. As of this morning, I haven’t seen any reports of arrests. This story from the LA Times has more details.

Anti-Trump, Musk Protests Draw Big Crowds in L.A. and around the Nation

Protesters gather at LA City Hall

Downtown Loses another Landmark: The Pantry Closes

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Photo by Daniel Martinez, from LAist

It’s hard to believe that the Pantry is closed. It’s one of those places that seemed liked it had been around forever, and it seemed like it would go on forever. I think I started going to the Pantry back in the 70s. Back then it was open 24-hours. If you were going to a movie or to see a band in Downtown, it was the perfect place to stop afterwards. They served breakfast all day and the coffee kept coming.

The Pantry is now owned by a trust set up by former LA Mayor Richard Riordan. According to the trust, the Pantry is not profitable, and they’re hoping to sell it to fund the charitable work of the Riordan Foundation. It will be interesting to see who buys it. Obviously, the property, located in the heart of Downtown, is worth a fortune, but demolishing the restaurant to build something larger will probably not be easy. The Pantry is designated as an LA City Historic Cultural Monument. That would complicate any plans for new development.

This all just feels really sad. The older I get, the more I understand that the world is always changing and that nothing lasts forever. But I still feel like I’m losing a piece of my life. And I think a lot of other people are feeling the same way.

For more details, see this article from LAist.

The Pantry Closes

The Fourth Street Bridge

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A view of Downtown from the Fourth Street Bridge.

Back in 2017, I walked across the Fourth Street Bridge and took a bunch of photos, thinking it would be a great subject to write about on this blog.  Now, only seven years later, I’m finally getting around to doing this post.  What can I say?  Time flies….

Fourth Place, leading up to the Fourth Street Bridge.

To my mind, the Fourth Street Bridge is one of the most striking bridges in LA.  I don’t claim to be an architecture critic, but it seems like there was unusual amount of care put into the design.  The streetlights, porticos and concrete railing were fashioned in a mix of Beaux Art and Gothic Revival styles that was carefully worked out by the architects.  These aren’t just decorative elements that were tacked on.  They’re well-suited to the scale and the massing of the bridge.

Fourth Place merges with the Fourth Street Bridge.
The streetlights echo European Gothic design.
Some of the piers feature built-in seating.

Constructed in 1931, the bridge was part of a massive investment in infrastructure made possible by the passage in the 20s of LA’s Viaduct Bond Act.  (To show you how ignorant I am, I didn’t know until recently what the difference was between a bridge and viaduct.  Apparently, a bridge is a small structure built to cross a fairly narrow river or ravine.  A viaduct is a larger structure made up of a series of bridges that crosses a wide river or a valley.  But I’m still going to call it the “Fourth Street Bridge”.  Old habits die hard.)

A view of the bridge looking toward East LA.
The San Gabriel Mountains to the north.
Unfortunately, these days many of the porticos are filled with trash.

The Fourth Street Bridge was built by the LA City Bureau of Engineering under the supervision of Bridge and Viaduct Engineer Merrill Butler.  Butler had a long career in LA, working for the City in various capacities until his retirement in 1961.  Over the years the projects designed under his direction included the First Street (now Cesar Chavez) Bridge, the Hyperion Bridge, the Figueroa Street Tunnels and the Hyperion Sewage Treatment Plant.

The series of bridges that connect East LA to Downtown are part of a massive infrastructure nexus that played a key role in LA’s growth.  In the latter part of the 30s, work began on the flood control projects that would shape the LA River as we know it today.  One of the reasons for encasing the River in concrete was to protect the rail lines that ran adjacent to it.  You couldn’t move goods without trains.  And rising above the concrete channel is a vast network of power lines.

Rail lines next to the LA River.
Miles of power lines run above the River.
Rows of flat cars lying on the tracks below.

In 1995, the Fourth Street Bridge was retrofitted to bring it into compliance with current seismic safety standards.  And in 2008 it was declared a Historic Cultural Monument by the City of LA.

The Cesar Chavez Bridge lies just north of the Fourth Street Bridge.
Looking west toward Downtown.

Here are a couple of links, for anyone who wants to dig a little deeper.  Thie first will take you to Water & Power Associates, which has a number of historic photos of the Fourth Street Bridge.  And if you’re into LA history, check out the Museum tab in the index on the left.  Their virtual museum offers an amazing collection of images and information.

Fourth Street Viaduct at Water & Power Associates

And here’s a brief bio on Merrill Butler that was apparently written at the time of his retirement.  Not surprisingly, it’s pretty superficial, but it also seems to offer a small snapshot of mid-century LA.  A different time, a different culture.

Merrill Butler Bio from LA Public Library

Art Laboe Tribute in Downtown LA

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I don’t listen to the radio much.  I remember hearing Art Laboe’s name when I was a kid.  I knew he was a DJ, and I may have heard his show when I was growing up.  But I really didn’t know much about him until I read his obituary last October. 


Reading about his life, I felt a rush of happiness and sadness.  I’m not sure I can explain why, but I think it had to do with the fact that he spent his time on earth bringing people together.  From the lovers who called in asking him to dedicate a song to someone they cared about, to the kids from East LA, West LA, and South LA who gathered at the live shows he organized.


On Saturday, August 5, thousands of people gathered in Downtown LA to pay tribute to Laboe.  DJs spun oldies and live performers took the stage to sing their versions of favorite tunes. People from all over Los Angeles showed up, and everybody seemed to be having a good time.


We are so divided these days.  There are so many voices in the media that seem determined to drive us apart.  We really need voices that can reach across the lines that divide us.  Art Laboe understood the power of music, and he used it to erase those lines.  We need people like him now more than ever.

A Walk across the Sixth Street Bridge

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A view of the Sixth Street Bridge from Mateo Street.

The new Sixth Street Bridge opened in July of this year.  The first few weeks were pretty chaotic, with drivers doing stunts, daredevils climbing the arches, street artists getting creative with spray paint, and more.  Things got so bad the LAPD ended up closing the bridge just to keep a lid on the mayhem.  Scenes of crashes, fireworks and people partying were making the nightly news.

Starting across the bridge from the Downtown side.

But now all the chaos seems to have faded away.  When I took a walk across the bridge earlier in December, there wasn’t much traffic and I saw only a handful of pedestrians.  It was a cool, cloudy day, and things seemed pretty peaceful.

The bridge’s arches create a sense of energy.

I have mixed feelings about the Sixth Street Bridge, which I’ve written about previously.  In this post I want to focus on the positive.  The bridge really is beautiful.  The design, by Michael Maltzan, is impressive, with the fluid lines of the arches rolling off to the horizon.  Walking across you get a sense of being lifted into the air, with stunning views of LA’s various landscapes surrounding you on all sides. 

The new Sixth Street Bridge is actually a replacement for the previous version, which was built in the early 30s.  It’s just one of a series of bridges that run across the LA River between Downtown and East LA, including the Cesar Chavez Bridge, the Fourth Street Bridge, and the Seventh Street Bridge.  All of these were built in the first half of the 20th century.

A view of the Fourth Street Bridge.
A view of the Seventh Street Bridge.

As you can see from the photo above, this area, which borders Downtown LA, is criss-crossed with multiple layers of infrastructure.  Aside from the bridges, you have the concrete surface of the LA River, rows of train tracks, and miles of electric power lines, all surrounded by a massive industrial district. 

The arches rolling off to the horizon.

Beneath the bridge you can see scores of large, nondescript buildings which were built for manufacturing and storage.  These days you’ll probably find that a number of them have been converted to ghost kitchens and cannabis greenhouses.

A view of the industrial district that lies below the Sixth Street Bridge.
Scores of drab buildings cover the landscape.

Nestled inside this vast maze of commercial buildings you’ll often come across pockets that seem neglected or deserted.  These spaces are a magnet for street artists that love the expansive, windowless exterior walls. 

The desolate spaces between these buildings draw street artists…
…who love the wide, windowless exteriors.

Coming down on the other side of the bridge, Sixth Street becomes Whittier Boulevard, which is lined with shops and restaurants serving the working class community of Boyle Heights.

The bridge lands in Boyle Heights.

It will probably be a long time before we can really see the impacts caused by the new Sixth Street Bridge.  There’s been lots of hype about the upside of this new LA landmark, but it’s also likely to accelerate the waves of gentrification and displacement that have been sweeping across the city.  Property values have already risen in Boyle Heights, and so has the number of evictions.

Like I said, though, for the moment I’ll focus on the positive.  It is a lovely bridge.