Wave Wire Services
LOS ANGELES — Critics of President Donald Trump held rallies outside Los Angeles City Hall and in Boyle Heights Jan. 20 coinciding with his inauguration as the 47th president in Washington.
About 1,000 people gathered outside City Hall at 2 p.m., where activists shared “stories on the importance of how it is crucial and necessary to defend a heightened onslaught of attacks against vulnerable communities,” according to organizers.
Members of the International League of Peoples’ Struggles, BAYAN, Nodotul, International Migrants Alliance, Nodotul and other organizations participated in the protest against Trump, and also Gov. Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass for their “failures” in response to the fires that ravaged the Los Angeles region.
Organizers held a moment of silence for the lives lost in the fires, and thanked first responders who answered the call and saved homes and people.
They also celebrated Angelenos for providing mutual aid, all the donations, and support of fire victims.
Trump also made reference to the fires in his inaugural address.
“Our country can no longer deliver basic services in times of emergency, as recently shown by the wonderful people of North Carolina — who have been treated so badly — and other states who are still suffering from a hurricane that took place many months ago or, more recently, Los Angeles, where we are watching fires still tragically burn from weeks ago without even a token of defense,” said Trump, who is expected to tour the fire areas Jan. 24.
Valeria Espinosa, a member of the L.A. Chapter of AF3IRM, said there is a “war” that targets people of color, immigrants and women in this country being led by the government from the White House to L.A. City Hall. A war “fueled by capitalism,” Espinosa added.
“Today is Jan. 20, and it marks the start of a new presidential term, the second for Donald Trump with his fascist and misogynist regime,” Espinosa said. “But today instead, let this be a new mark where we declare and scream out our war cry no matter who sits in the Oval Office.”
Espinosa described AF3IRM as a transnational feminist and anti-imperialist movement, and its members have long resisted against oppressive forces.
Marissa Bode, an Los Angeles-based disabled actress, who had a supporting role in the movie musical “Wicked,” spoke on the fires and the need to address “deep rooted, systematic failures upheld by our governments.”
She had to evacuate her home and stay with her partner in Long Beach, and had to navigate the challenges of insurance, ensuring she had her proper medication, among other issues.
“I speak here on inauguration day today, surrounded by you all, my community, to yell and give not so gentle reminders. We cannot and will not fight this fight without intersectionality — disabled people, gay, trans, Palestinian, and no one in any minority or group or community gets left behind,” said Bode, who was paralyzed in a car crash when she was 11 years old.
Earlier in the day, what organizers dubbed as a “Protest Rally Against Trump Agenda: No Deportations” was held at Mariachi Plaza in Boyle Heights.
The rally focused on protesting what Trump has called “the largest deportation operation in American history,” and expressed “solidarity with Mexico and other Latin American nations critical of Trump’s plans,” according to organizers.
Demands also included “the call for women and reproductive rights” and “Stand with Palestine,” organizers said.
