It’s not a bird, nor a plane, that’s making commuters in the San Fernando Valley look up and honk their horns. It’s a group of residents who are trying to shake things up with their signs of solidarity suspended over one overpass of the 101 freeway.
It’s a rush hour resistance put on by the San Fernando Valley Brigade, a group of mostly retired residents who have committed their mornings to fighting authoritarianism by sending a daily message to thousands of commuters each morning.
“We’re here to greet people and remind them that there’s a national crisis happening,” said Alise, one of the members of the group, referring to the immigration raids that have been happening in Los Angeles for the last two months, in which over 2,000 community members have been detained.
Drive down any freeway in L.A., and you’ll notice graffiti-covered walls, “We buy homes” signs posted by flippers looking to make a cheap buck, and neon flyers promoting upcoming shows. You're likely to find all kinds of messages as you drive through freeways, but the ones that the San Fernando Valley Brigade group specializes in are explicitly political.