On Sunday, thousands in Los Angeles stood in solidarity with the city’s immigrant community. Together, demonstrators of all ages protested Trump’s ongoing threats of mass deportations that would directly impact large groups of people in the city and surrounding L.A. County.
The protest was set to start at 9 a.m., by which time a crowd had already packed Placita Olvera long before the organizers began to speak. The sea of people holding banners and flags from their home countries spilled onto the streets by 9:30 a.m.
Their chanting slowly grew louder as time passed.
"El pueblo unido jamás será vencido” (“The people united will never be defeated”), rumbled throughout Downtown.
As the crowd approached City Hall, many held up D.I.Y. signs that read “Keep Families Together” and “Immigrants Make America Great,” among other statements of support for the city's increasingly threatened immigrant communities.
Many of those marching were fueled along the way by street vendors selling bacon-wrapped hot dogs, fruit, and snacks, as other community members handed out free water bottles.
One of them was Santos Torres, a street vendor selling sweet, cinnamon-dusted churros to demonstrators who had made it to City Hall.
“I am very happy that many people have come to support all Latinos against Donald Trump because everything he is doing is injusto (unfair,)” he said in Spanish while looking out at the crowd. “Simplemente queremos trabajar, (we just want to work).”
Torres was out there with his wife, daughter, and grandchildren, who were next to him selling freshly squeezed orange juice to thirsty protestors.
Another vendor, who preferred not to disclose his name out of concern for his safety, was selling Oaxaca-style ice cream. He scooped spoonfuls of nieve de mamey, vanilla, and other flavors as his wife attended to customers ready to pay, once they'd customized their fruit-based ice creams with chamoy and hefty sprinkles of Tajín.
The man has been a street vendor in Los Angeles for over five years and expressed being overcome by emotions at seeing how the crowd kept growing.
“No estamos solos,” he said in Spanish. “We are not alone. The truth is we are happy because we see the support for our paisanos who are simply looking for a better future, like us.”
The crowd was so large, groups began to form throughout the protest, each blasting a different song and belting out lyrics from songs like YG’s "FDP (Fuck Donald Trump)," and "Somos Mas Americanos," by Los Tigres Del Norte and Zack de la Rocha of Rage Against the Machine.
Other protestors broke out in dance, waving flags as people chanted “Ey! Ey! Ey!” as they danced to Los Tucanes de Tijuana’s "La Chona."
El Trio Mariachi Palenque provided live music. The group included musician Aurelio Reyes, aka “El Gallo De Chiapas,” and his wife and daughter. Dressed in green and gold mariachi suits, they played for the marching crowd.
He said it was vital for them to show up in support of everyone who is fighting for his entire community, not just Mexicans, but those from Central and South America and other countries.
“Estamos luchando por nuestros derechos, sobre todo nuestras familias que están en peligro de estar deportados," he said. "Nuestra gente que trabaja en la construcción, en el campo, que estan siendo acosados diariamente por la migra. No es justo porque toda esa gente también la necesita esta país.” He said before belting out a “Viva Mexico Camiones.”
(“We are fighting for our rights, especially our families who are in danger of being deported," he said. "Our people who work in construction, in the fields, who are being harassed daily by immigration. It's not fair because this country also needs all those people.”)
By noon, most of those present had started entering both sides of the 101 Freeway.
Protestors could be seen anywhere you looked. Overhead, hanging their flags over the freeway on Alameda Street's exit sign, and walking on the actual freeway where some people had spray painted “FUCK ICE” on the ground and “Chinga La Migra” on the walls.
A handful of people who stayed on the sidelines expressed their reason for going to the protests, to L.A. TACO, including educator Dalyn Sanchez, who works with students throughout South Central.
Sanchez understands first hand the fear that her students and their families are feeling. She was brought to this country at three-years-old and didn’t receive her citizenship till she was 14.
“It’s been a topic that ICE has been in L.A.," she said. "And 90% of the conversations I have with all of my students—I work with elementary, middle school, and high school students—are about that, and everyone is fearful."
She is not new to standing up for her community. She notes that she was on those same streets back in 2006 for “A Day Without Immigrants” march that saw over 500,000 people marching in Los Angeles. Much like now, people were protesting proposed federal crackdowns on illegal immigration.
Almost two decades later, she has returned, this time for her students. It was important for her students to know that Ms. Sanchez will always support “her kiddos.”
“It definitely was an impact then, and hopefully today it marks one of those days where we see change, where our kids don’t feel so fearful in school,” she said. “That there’s a change for not only our generation but future generations to come.”
A few younger demonstrators said that showing up was their way of giving back to their families, who gave everything to them. Like Bella, who was attending the protest with a friend who was representing her family.
“I just think it’s really important to be here today because without them, I wouldn't be able to have gone to the school," she said. "I’m planning on going to med school and it's all because of them, because they’ve supported me so much."
The protest, which continued well into the night, was eventually declared an unlawful assembly by the LAPD. Despite a few escalations, such as some spray-painting of property, the protest, which appeared to be the largest of its kind organized this year, was by and large, a peaceful expression of thousands of people fighting for what they say are basic human rights.
“Have more compassion for the people who immigrated to the United States," Bella urged. "The United States is built on immigrants. They contribute so much to our economy and our culture. They’re people, they deserve to have rights just like anyone else regardless of their status.”
See more scenes from the protest march below.
All photos by Janette Villafana for L.A. TACO.
