On Wednesday afternoon, dozens of protesters with Jewish Voice for Peace L.A. took over the lobby of Senator Adam Schiff's future office in Burbank.
A couple dozen protesters entered the lobby of 4100 W. Riverside Drive just after 2 PM wearing black shirts with “JEWS SAY LET GAZA LIVE” written on the front, holding large yellow banners, pots and pans, and loudspeakers.
A receptionist sitting in the lobby told protesters that they would call the police if they didn't leave. About 10 minutes after the protest started, Burbank police arrived at the building, and an officer spoke with organizers.
The protest came in response to Senator Alex Padilla and Senator Adam Schiff's vote against Senator Bernie Sanders' joint resolution to block weapons to the Israeli military.
“Weapons choices are moral choices,” a protester who described themselves as a “Long Beach Jew” said during a speech. “Every dollar that our representatives put towards war and genocide is an investment stolen from people here at home.”
Protesters also criticized Padilla and Schiff for accepting millions of dollars in donations from Zionist organizations.
Padilla and Schiff were among the majority of senators to vote against Sander's bill. The Instagram account for Jewish Voices for Peace in the Bay Area reported that hundreds of people showed up at Schiff’s office in Sacramento to protest today as well.
For roughly two hours, protesters from Jewish Voice for Peace L.A. and other pro-Palestine organizers gave speeches, chanted, and sang songs on the ground floor of 4100 West Riverside Drive.
As of 4:00 p.m., the Burbank police had not attempted to physically disperse protesters from the lobby or make any arrests.
A Burbank police officer was overheard telling another officer that it would look bad if they were captured on video arresting people.
The protest continued into the late afternoon.
