A peaceful protest in support of a 37-year-old man shot and killed by immigration officers in Minneapolis took place Saturday evening in downtown Los Angeles.
Demonstrators gathered first at the historic Placita Olvera marketplace. A banner fluttered above reading, “From Los Angeles to Minneapolis, stop ICE terror.”
As the afternoon light began to fade, speakers led chants to “abolish ICE” and urged “ICE out of Minnesota, ICE out of L.A.”
They carried signs printed with messages including “America hates ICE” and “Drop the charges on Minnesota activists.”
Aida Ashouri, a candidate running for city attorney, said she couldn’t imagine if she had been snatched as a child and deported to Iran, where her family is from. She said local city officials had created funds to aid families affected by raids, but criticized some of those same officials for approving surveillance technology used by law enforcement.
Adi Renee, an educator who spoke at the rally, said that Minneapolis protests, during which thousands of workers and hundreds of businesses shut down on Friday, had shown that labor unions could help to lead a political strike against ICE and the Trump administration.
“I’m really grateful to Minneapolis,” she said. “They’ve shown us that our public unions can call a political strike and they need to do it now.”
A speaker at the rally who identified herself as a member of the Democratic Socialists of America denounced violence by federal agents in Minnesota.
“We are here again after another shooting,” she said into a megaphone. “Our elected officials continue to fund ICE [which is] murdering and kidnapping our neighbors in the streets.”
Rachel Lee Goldenberg of L.A. participates in a candlelight vigil during a peaceful protest along Olvera Street after the killing of a 37-year-old man by immigration officers in Minneapolis on Saturday.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
By around 5 p.m., the protest had grown to at least 400 people. The crowd began marching down Los Angeles Street, blocking traffic. Demonstrators congregated in front of the federal building, many of them chanting, “The people united will never be defeated.”
A police helicopter circled overhead.
Prior to the protest, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass issued a statement assailing the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a nurse, by federal agents in Minneapolis, the second such death in that city this month involving U.S. immigration officers.
“This morning we learned of yet another tragic shooting in Minneapolis at the hands of federal agents,” Bass said. “This violence has to stop and the president must remove these armed federal forces from Minneapolis and other American cities.”
The Los Angeles County Republican Party cautioned against a rush to judgment in what is certain to be another highly volatile case.
“In the aftermath of any officer involved shooting, it’s important to figure out what happened, which often is not possible to ascertain immediately,” the party’s chairman said in a statement provided to City News Service. “We were not present at the scene of this regrettable incident in Minneapolis, and neither was Mayor Karen Bass.”
At the federal building demonstration, Oscar Zarate, 30, director of external affairs for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), said that when he watched the video Saturday morning of Pretti’s killing, he had “no words.”
“The violence, the carelessness, the recklessness, the complete abandonment of Alex’s humanity … I just felt it in my soul,” he said.
Zarate said many feel a lack of action from leaders, with House Democrats just last week failing to block a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security. He and others are “tired of feeling impotent and angry.”
But he hopes people in L.A. and across the country find ways to channel their anger toward helping their community.
“I think it looks like what we saw in Minnesota yesterday, with the general strike and the amazing mutual aid after the fires,” he said. “That’s the kind of humanity I’m looking to build.”
As Zarate and other immigrant rights advocates and faith leaders gathered in front of the federal building, around back another group of protesters blew horns and banged on drums.
They marched to the freeway onramp, briefly confronting California Highway Patrol officers, before dispersing.
City News Service contributed to this report.
A peaceful protest in support of a 37-year-old man shot and killed by immigration officers in Minneapolis took place Saturday evening in downtown Los Angeles.
Demonstrators gathered first at the historic Placita Olvera marketplace. A banner fluttered above reading, “From Los Angeles to Minneapolis, stop ICE terror.”
As the afternoon light began to fade, speakers led chants to “abolish ICE” and urged “ICE out of Minnesota, ICE out of L.A.”
They carried signs printed with messages including “America hates ICE” and “Drop the charges on Minnesota activists.”
Aida Ashouri, a candidate running for city attorney, said she couldn’t imagine if she had been snatched as a child and deported to Iran, where her family is from. She said local city officials had created funds to aid families affected by raids, but criticized some of those same officials for approving surveillance technology used by law enforcement.
Adi Renee, an educator who spoke at the rally, said that Minneapolis protests, during which thousands of workers and hundreds of businesses shut down on Friday, had shown that labor unions could help to lead a political strike against ICE and the Trump administration.
“I’m really grateful to Minneapolis,” she said. “They’ve shown us that our public unions can call a political strike and they need to do it now.”
A speaker at the rally who identified herself as a member of the Democratic Socialists of America denounced violence by federal agents in Minnesota.
“We are here again after another shooting,” she said into a megaphone. “Our elected officials continue to fund ICE [which is] murdering and kidnapping our neighbors in the streets.”
Rachel Lee Goldenberg of L.A. participates in a candlelight vigil during a peaceful protest along Olvera Street after the killing of a 37-year-old man by immigration officers in Minneapolis on Saturday.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
By around 5 p.m., the protest had grown to at least 400 people. The crowd began marching down Los Angeles Street, blocking traffic. Demonstrators congregated in front of the federal building, many of them chanting, “The people united will never be defeated.”
A police helicopter circled overhead.
Prior to the protest, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass issued a statement assailing the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a nurse, by federal agents in Minneapolis, the second such death in that city this month involving U.S. immigration officers.
“This morning we learned of yet another tragic shooting in Minneapolis at the hands of federal agents,” Bass said. “This violence has to stop and the president must remove these armed federal forces from Minneapolis and other American cities.”
The Los Angeles County Republican Party cautioned against a rush to judgment in what is certain to be another highly volatile case.
“In the aftermath of any officer involved shooting, it’s important to figure out what happened, which often is not possible to ascertain immediately,” the party’s chairman said in a statement provided to City News Service. “We were not present at the scene of this regrettable incident in Minneapolis, and neither was Mayor Karen Bass.”
At the federal building demonstration, Oscar Zarate, 30, director of external affairs for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), said that when he watched the video Saturday morning of Pretti’s killing, he had “no words.”
“The violence, the carelessness, the recklessness, the complete abandonment of Alex’s humanity … I just felt it in my soul,” he said.
Zarate said many feel a lack of action from leaders, with House Democrats just last week failing to block a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security. He and others are “tired of feeling impotent and angry.”
But he hopes people in L.A. and across the country find ways to channel their anger toward helping their community.
“I think it looks like what we saw in Minnesota yesterday, with the general strike and the amazing mutual aid after the fires,” he said. “That’s the kind of humanity I’m looking to build.”
As Zarate and other immigrant rights advocates and faith leaders gathered in front of the federal building, around back another group of protesters blew horns and banged on drums.
They marched to the freeway onramp, briefly confronting California Highway Patrol officers, before dispersing.
City News Service contributed to this report.
A peaceful protest in support of a 37-year-old man shot and killed by immigration officers in Minneapolis took place Saturday evening in downtown Los Angeles.
Demonstrators gathered first at the historic Placita Olvera marketplace. A banner fluttered above reading, “From Los Angeles to Minneapolis, stop ICE terror.”
As the afternoon light began to fade, speakers led chants to “abolish ICE” and urged “ICE out of Minnesota, ICE out of L.A.”
They carried signs printed with messages including “America hates ICE” and “Drop the charges on Minnesota activists.”
Aida Ashouri, a candidate running for city attorney, said she couldn’t imagine if she had been snatched as a child and deported to Iran, where her family is from. She said local city officials had created funds to aid families affected by raids, but criticized some of those same officials for approving surveillance technology used by law enforcement.
Adi Renee, an educator who spoke at the rally, said that Minneapolis protests, during which thousands of workers and hundreds of businesses shut down on Friday, had shown that labor unions could help to lead a political strike against ICE and the Trump administration.
“I’m really grateful to Minneapolis,” she said. “They’ve shown us that our public unions can call a political strike and they need to do it now.”
A speaker at the rally who identified herself as a member of the Democratic Socialists of America denounced violence by federal agents in Minnesota.
“We are here again after another shooting,” she said into a megaphone. “Our elected officials continue to fund ICE [which is] murdering and kidnapping our neighbors in the streets.”
Rachel Lee Goldenberg of L.A. participates in a candlelight vigil during a peaceful protest along Olvera Street after the killing of a 37-year-old man by immigration officers in Minneapolis on Saturday.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
By around 5 p.m., the protest had grown to at least 400 people. The crowd began marching down Los Angeles Street, blocking traffic. Demonstrators congregated in front of the federal building, many of them chanting, “The people united will never be defeated.”
A police helicopter circled overhead.
Prior to the protest, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass issued a statement assailing the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a nurse, by federal agents in Minneapolis, the second such death in that city this month involving U.S. immigration officers.
“This morning we learned of yet another tragic shooting in Minneapolis at the hands of federal agents,” Bass said. “This violence has to stop and the president must remove these armed federal forces from Minneapolis and other American cities.”
The Los Angeles County Republican Party cautioned against a rush to judgment in what is certain to be another highly volatile case.
“In the aftermath of any officer involved shooting, it’s important to figure out what happened, which often is not possible to ascertain immediately,” the party’s chairman said in a statement provided to City News Service. “We were not present at the scene of this regrettable incident in Minneapolis, and neither was Mayor Karen Bass.”
At the federal building demonstration, Oscar Zarate, 30, director of external affairs for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), said that when he watched the video Saturday morning of Pretti’s killing, he had “no words.”
“The violence, the carelessness, the recklessness, the complete abandonment of Alex’s humanity … I just felt it in my soul,” he said.
Zarate said many feel a lack of action from leaders, with House Democrats just last week failing to block a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security. He and others are “tired of feeling impotent and angry.”
But he hopes people in L.A. and across the country find ways to channel their anger toward helping their community.
“I think it looks like what we saw in Minnesota yesterday, with the general strike and the amazing mutual aid after the fires,” he said. “That’s the kind of humanity I’m looking to build.”
As Zarate and other immigrant rights advocates and faith leaders gathered in front of the federal building, around back another group of protesters blew horns and banged on drums.
They marched to the freeway onramp, briefly confronting California Highway Patrol officers, before dispersing.
City News Service contributed to this report.
A peaceful protest in support of a 37-year-old man shot and killed by immigration officers in Minneapolis took place Saturday evening in downtown Los Angeles.
Demonstrators gathered first at the historic Placita Olvera marketplace. A banner fluttered above reading, “From Los Angeles to Minneapolis, stop ICE terror.”
As the afternoon light began to fade, speakers led chants to “abolish ICE” and urged “ICE out of Minnesota, ICE out of L.A.”
They carried signs printed with messages including “America hates ICE” and “Drop the charges on Minnesota activists.”
Aida Ashouri, a candidate running for city attorney, said she couldn’t imagine if she had been snatched as a child and deported to Iran, where her family is from. She said local city officials had created funds to aid families affected by raids, but criticized some of those same officials for approving surveillance technology used by law enforcement.
Adi Renee, an educator who spoke at the rally, said that Minneapolis protests, during which thousands of workers and hundreds of businesses shut down on Friday, had shown that labor unions could help to lead a political strike against ICE and the Trump administration.
“I’m really grateful to Minneapolis,” she said. “They’ve shown us that our public unions can call a political strike and they need to do it now.”
A speaker at the rally who identified herself as a member of the Democratic Socialists of America denounced violence by federal agents in Minnesota.
“We are here again after another shooting,” she said into a megaphone. “Our elected officials continue to fund ICE [which is] murdering and kidnapping our neighbors in the streets.”
Rachel Lee Goldenberg of L.A. participates in a candlelight vigil during a peaceful protest along Olvera Street after the killing of a 37-year-old man by immigration officers in Minneapolis on Saturday.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
By around 5 p.m., the protest had grown to at least 400 people. The crowd began marching down Los Angeles Street, blocking traffic. Demonstrators congregated in front of the federal building, many of them chanting, “The people united will never be defeated.”
A police helicopter circled overhead.
Prior to the protest, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass issued a statement assailing the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a nurse, by federal agents in Minneapolis, the second such death in that city this month involving U.S. immigration officers.
“This morning we learned of yet another tragic shooting in Minneapolis at the hands of federal agents,” Bass said. “This violence has to stop and the president must remove these armed federal forces from Minneapolis and other American cities.”
The Los Angeles County Republican Party cautioned against a rush to judgment in what is certain to be another highly volatile case.
“In the aftermath of any officer involved shooting, it’s important to figure out what happened, which often is not possible to ascertain immediately,” the party’s chairman said in a statement provided to City News Service. “We were not present at the scene of this regrettable incident in Minneapolis, and neither was Mayor Karen Bass.”
At the federal building demonstration, Oscar Zarate, 30, director of external affairs for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), said that when he watched the video Saturday morning of Pretti’s killing, he had “no words.”
“The violence, the carelessness, the recklessness, the complete abandonment of Alex’s humanity … I just felt it in my soul,” he said.
Zarate said many feel a lack of action from leaders, with House Democrats just last week failing to block a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security. He and others are “tired of feeling impotent and angry.”
But he hopes people in L.A. and across the country find ways to channel their anger toward helping their community.
“I think it looks like what we saw in Minnesota yesterday, with the general strike and the amazing mutual aid after the fires,” he said. “That’s the kind of humanity I’m looking to build.”
As Zarate and other immigrant rights advocates and faith leaders gathered in front of the federal building, around back another group of protesters blew horns and banged on drums.
They marched to the freeway onramp, briefly confronting California Highway Patrol officers, before dispersing.
City News Service contributed to this report.
A peaceful protest in support of a 37-year-old man shot and killed by immigration officers in Minneapolis took place Saturday evening in downtown Los Angeles.
Demonstrators gathered first at the historic Placita Olvera marketplace. A banner fluttered above reading, “From Los Angeles to Minneapolis, stop ICE terror.”
As the afternoon light began to fade, speakers led chants to “abolish ICE” and urged “ICE out of Minnesota, ICE out of L.A.”
They carried signs printed with messages including “America hates ICE” and “Drop the charges on Minnesota activists.”
Aida Ashouri, a candidate running for city attorney, said she couldn’t imagine if she had been snatched as a child and deported to Iran, where her family is from. She said local city officials had created funds to aid families affected by raids, but criticized some of those same officials for approving surveillance technology used by law enforcement.
Adi Renee, an educator who spoke at the rally, said that Minneapolis protests, during which thousands of workers and hundreds of businesses shut down on Friday, had shown that labor unions could help to lead a political strike against ICE and the Trump administration.
“I’m really grateful to Minneapolis,” she said. “They’ve shown us that our public unions can call a political strike and they need to do it now.”
A speaker at the rally who identified herself as a member of the Democratic Socialists of America denounced violence by federal agents in Minnesota.
“We are here again after another shooting,” she said into a megaphone. “Our elected officials continue to fund ICE [which is] murdering and kidnapping our neighbors in the streets.”
Rachel Lee Goldenberg of L.A. participates in a candlelight vigil during a peaceful protest along Olvera Street after the killing of a 37-year-old man by immigration officers in Minneapolis on Saturday.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
By around 5 p.m., the protest had grown to at least 400 people. The crowd began marching down Los Angeles Street, blocking traffic. Demonstrators congregated in front of the federal building, many of them chanting, “The people united will never be defeated.”
A police helicopter circled overhead.
Prior to the protest, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass issued a statement assailing the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a nurse, by federal agents in Minneapolis, the second such death in that city this month involving U.S. immigration officers.
“This morning we learned of yet another tragic shooting in Minneapolis at the hands of federal agents,” Bass said. “This violence has to stop and the president must remove these armed federal forces from Minneapolis and other American cities.”
The Los Angeles County Republican Party cautioned against a rush to judgment in what is certain to be another highly volatile case.
“In the aftermath of any officer involved shooting, it’s important to figure out what happened, which often is not possible to ascertain immediately,” the party’s chairman said in a statement provided to City News Service. “We were not present at the scene of this regrettable incident in Minneapolis, and neither was Mayor Karen Bass.”
At the federal building demonstration, Oscar Zarate, 30, director of external affairs for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), said that when he watched the video Saturday morning of Pretti’s killing, he had “no words.”
“The violence, the carelessness, the recklessness, the complete abandonment of Alex’s humanity … I just felt it in my soul,” he said.
Zarate said many feel a lack of action from leaders, with House Democrats just last week failing to block a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security. He and others are “tired of feeling impotent and angry.”
But he hopes people in L.A. and across the country find ways to channel their anger toward helping their community.
“I think it looks like what we saw in Minnesota yesterday, with the general strike and the amazing mutual aid after the fires,” he said. “That’s the kind of humanity I’m looking to build.”
As Zarate and other immigrant rights advocates and faith leaders gathered in front of the federal building, around back another group of protesters blew horns and banged on drums.
They marched to the freeway onramp, briefly confronting California Highway Patrol officers, before dispersing.
City News Service contributed to this report.
A peaceful protest in support of a 37-year-old man shot and killed by immigration officers in Minneapolis took place Saturday evening in downtown Los Angeles.
Demonstrators gathered first at the historic Placita Olvera marketplace. A banner fluttered above reading, “From Los Angeles to Minneapolis, stop ICE terror.”
As the afternoon light began to fade, speakers led chants to “abolish ICE” and urged “ICE out of Minnesota, ICE out of L.A.”
They carried signs printed with messages including “America hates ICE” and “Drop the charges on Minnesota activists.”
Aida Ashouri, a candidate running for city attorney, said she couldn’t imagine if she had been snatched as a child and deported to Iran, where her family is from. She said local city officials had created funds to aid families affected by raids, but criticized some of those same officials for approving surveillance technology used by law enforcement.
Adi Renee, an educator who spoke at the rally, said that Minneapolis protests, during which thousands of workers and hundreds of businesses shut down on Friday, had shown that labor unions could help to lead a political strike against ICE and the Trump administration.
“I’m really grateful to Minneapolis,” she said. “They’ve shown us that our public unions can call a political strike and they need to do it now.”
A speaker at the rally who identified herself as a member of the Democratic Socialists of America denounced violence by federal agents in Minnesota.
“We are here again after another shooting,” she said into a megaphone. “Our elected officials continue to fund ICE [which is] murdering and kidnapping our neighbors in the streets.”
Rachel Lee Goldenberg of L.A. participates in a candlelight vigil during a peaceful protest along Olvera Street after the killing of a 37-year-old man by immigration officers in Minneapolis on Saturday.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
By around 5 p.m., the protest had grown to at least 400 people. The crowd began marching down Los Angeles Street, blocking traffic. Demonstrators congregated in front of the federal building, many of them chanting, “The people united will never be defeated.”
A police helicopter circled overhead.
Prior to the protest, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass issued a statement assailing the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a nurse, by federal agents in Minneapolis, the second such death in that city this month involving U.S. immigration officers.
“This morning we learned of yet another tragic shooting in Minneapolis at the hands of federal agents,” Bass said. “This violence has to stop and the president must remove these armed federal forces from Minneapolis and other American cities.”
The Los Angeles County Republican Party cautioned against a rush to judgment in what is certain to be another highly volatile case.
“In the aftermath of any officer involved shooting, it’s important to figure out what happened, which often is not possible to ascertain immediately,” the party’s chairman said in a statement provided to City News Service. “We were not present at the scene of this regrettable incident in Minneapolis, and neither was Mayor Karen Bass.”
At the federal building demonstration, Oscar Zarate, 30, director of external affairs for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), said that when he watched the video Saturday morning of Pretti’s killing, he had “no words.”
“The violence, the carelessness, the recklessness, the complete abandonment of Alex’s humanity … I just felt it in my soul,” he said.
Zarate said many feel a lack of action from leaders, with House Democrats just last week failing to block a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security. He and others are “tired of feeling impotent and angry.”
But he hopes people in L.A. and across the country find ways to channel their anger toward helping their community.
“I think it looks like what we saw in Minnesota yesterday, with the general strike and the amazing mutual aid after the fires,” he said. “That’s the kind of humanity I’m looking to build.”
As Zarate and other immigrant rights advocates and faith leaders gathered in front of the federal building, around back another group of protesters blew horns and banged on drums.
They marched to the freeway onramp, briefly confronting California Highway Patrol officers, before dispersing.
City News Service contributed to this report.
A peaceful protest in support of a 37-year-old man shot and killed by immigration officers in Minneapolis took place Saturday evening in downtown Los Angeles.
Demonstrators gathered first at the historic Placita Olvera marketplace. A banner fluttered above reading, “From Los Angeles to Minneapolis, stop ICE terror.”
As the afternoon light began to fade, speakers led chants to “abolish ICE” and urged “ICE out of Minnesota, ICE out of L.A.”
They carried signs printed with messages including “America hates ICE” and “Drop the charges on Minnesota activists.”
Aida Ashouri, a candidate running for city attorney, said she couldn’t imagine if she had been snatched as a child and deported to Iran, where her family is from. She said local city officials had created funds to aid families affected by raids, but criticized some of those same officials for approving surveillance technology used by law enforcement.
Adi Renee, an educator who spoke at the rally, said that Minneapolis protests, during which thousands of workers and hundreds of businesses shut down on Friday, had shown that labor unions could help to lead a political strike against ICE and the Trump administration.
“I’m really grateful to Minneapolis,” she said. “They’ve shown us that our public unions can call a political strike and they need to do it now.”
A speaker at the rally who identified herself as a member of the Democratic Socialists of America denounced violence by federal agents in Minnesota.
“We are here again after another shooting,” she said into a megaphone. “Our elected officials continue to fund ICE [which is] murdering and kidnapping our neighbors in the streets.”
Rachel Lee Goldenberg of L.A. participates in a candlelight vigil during a peaceful protest along Olvera Street after the killing of a 37-year-old man by immigration officers in Minneapolis on Saturday.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
By around 5 p.m., the protest had grown to at least 400 people. The crowd began marching down Los Angeles Street, blocking traffic. Demonstrators congregated in front of the federal building, many of them chanting, “The people united will never be defeated.”
A police helicopter circled overhead.
Prior to the protest, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass issued a statement assailing the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a nurse, by federal agents in Minneapolis, the second such death in that city this month involving U.S. immigration officers.
“This morning we learned of yet another tragic shooting in Minneapolis at the hands of federal agents,” Bass said. “This violence has to stop and the president must remove these armed federal forces from Minneapolis and other American cities.”
The Los Angeles County Republican Party cautioned against a rush to judgment in what is certain to be another highly volatile case.
“In the aftermath of any officer involved shooting, it’s important to figure out what happened, which often is not possible to ascertain immediately,” the party’s chairman said in a statement provided to City News Service. “We were not present at the scene of this regrettable incident in Minneapolis, and neither was Mayor Karen Bass.”
At the federal building demonstration, Oscar Zarate, 30, director of external affairs for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), said that when he watched the video Saturday morning of Pretti’s killing, he had “no words.”
“The violence, the carelessness, the recklessness, the complete abandonment of Alex’s humanity … I just felt it in my soul,” he said.
Zarate said many feel a lack of action from leaders, with House Democrats just last week failing to block a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security. He and others are “tired of feeling impotent and angry.”
But he hopes people in L.A. and across the country find ways to channel their anger toward helping their community.
“I think it looks like what we saw in Minnesota yesterday, with the general strike and the amazing mutual aid after the fires,” he said. “That’s the kind of humanity I’m looking to build.”
As Zarate and other immigrant rights advocates and faith leaders gathered in front of the federal building, around back another group of protesters blew horns and banged on drums.
They marched to the freeway onramp, briefly confronting California Highway Patrol officers, before dispersing.
City News Service contributed to this report.
A peaceful protest in support of a 37-year-old man shot and killed by immigration officers in Minneapolis took place Saturday evening in downtown Los Angeles.
Demonstrators gathered first at the historic Placita Olvera marketplace. A banner fluttered above reading, “From Los Angeles to Minneapolis, stop ICE terror.”
As the afternoon light began to fade, speakers led chants to “abolish ICE” and urged “ICE out of Minnesota, ICE out of L.A.”
They carried signs printed with messages including “America hates ICE” and “Drop the charges on Minnesota activists.”
Aida Ashouri, a candidate running for city attorney, said she couldn’t imagine if she had been snatched as a child and deported to Iran, where her family is from. She said local city officials had created funds to aid families affected by raids, but criticized some of those same officials for approving surveillance technology used by law enforcement.
Adi Renee, an educator who spoke at the rally, said that Minneapolis protests, during which thousands of workers and hundreds of businesses shut down on Friday, had shown that labor unions could help to lead a political strike against ICE and the Trump administration.
“I’m really grateful to Minneapolis,” she said. “They’ve shown us that our public unions can call a political strike and they need to do it now.”
A speaker at the rally who identified herself as a member of the Democratic Socialists of America denounced violence by federal agents in Minnesota.
“We are here again after another shooting,” she said into a megaphone. “Our elected officials continue to fund ICE [which is] murdering and kidnapping our neighbors in the streets.”
Rachel Lee Goldenberg of L.A. participates in a candlelight vigil during a peaceful protest along Olvera Street after the killing of a 37-year-old man by immigration officers in Minneapolis on Saturday.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
By around 5 p.m., the protest had grown to at least 400 people. The crowd began marching down Los Angeles Street, blocking traffic. Demonstrators congregated in front of the federal building, many of them chanting, “The people united will never be defeated.”
A police helicopter circled overhead.
Prior to the protest, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass issued a statement assailing the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a nurse, by federal agents in Minneapolis, the second such death in that city this month involving U.S. immigration officers.
“This morning we learned of yet another tragic shooting in Minneapolis at the hands of federal agents,” Bass said. “This violence has to stop and the president must remove these armed federal forces from Minneapolis and other American cities.”
The Los Angeles County Republican Party cautioned against a rush to judgment in what is certain to be another highly volatile case.
“In the aftermath of any officer involved shooting, it’s important to figure out what happened, which often is not possible to ascertain immediately,” the party’s chairman said in a statement provided to City News Service. “We were not present at the scene of this regrettable incident in Minneapolis, and neither was Mayor Karen Bass.”
At the federal building demonstration, Oscar Zarate, 30, director of external affairs for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), said that when he watched the video Saturday morning of Pretti’s killing, he had “no words.”
“The violence, the carelessness, the recklessness, the complete abandonment of Alex’s humanity … I just felt it in my soul,” he said.
Zarate said many feel a lack of action from leaders, with House Democrats just last week failing to block a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security. He and others are “tired of feeling impotent and angry.”
But he hopes people in L.A. and across the country find ways to channel their anger toward helping their community.
“I think it looks like what we saw in Minnesota yesterday, with the general strike and the amazing mutual aid after the fires,” he said. “That’s the kind of humanity I’m looking to build.”
As Zarate and other immigrant rights advocates and faith leaders gathered in front of the federal building, around back another group of protesters blew horns and banged on drums.
They marched to the freeway onramp, briefly confronting California Highway Patrol officers, before dispersing.
City News Service contributed to this report.
