Thousands have hit the streets of Los Angeles Tuesday for May Day. The march, which began at 11 a.m. began at Pershing Square and continued down to the Molecule Man sculpture on East Temple Street. Participants in today's march began gathering together as early as 5 a.m. in the park.
Dozens of unions and community organizers have joined together in organizing today's march. While the Pershing Square march is expected to be the main event for the day, other marches in the area have been planned. Among those is the Full Rights for Immigrants Coalition and the People's Congress of Resistance who will march beginning at 1:30 p.m. at Olympic Boulevard and Broadway with marchers scheduled to march north on Broadway where they will head for a rally on Broadway between Temple and First streets.
Another march is scheduled to be held at 2:30 p.m. in Boyle Heights. That march will begin at Cesar Chavez Avenue and Mathews Street and end at Mariachi Plaza. Marchers there will stop for a rally outside the LAPD's Hollenbeck Station to denounce police killings. Marchers will include students from local high schools, including students from Roosevelt and Garfield high schools.
Motorists are being urged to plan ahead and avoid the downtown area if at all possible. Past May Day marches have seen tens of thousands participate in the event, snarling commutes and bringing traffic to a halt.