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Large crowds turn out for May Day rallies in LA and OC
People gathering in downtown L.A. on Thursday, May 1, 2025.
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Frank Stoltze
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LAist
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Thousands of people will gather across Southern California today to commemorate International Workers’ Day, shutting down streets at locations across the region.
Typically, May Day protests and rallies commemorate the achievements of labor unions and workers. This year, the planned demonstrations are expected to become a platform to protest President Donald Trump’s deportation push aimed at immigrant communities. (May Day has a long history in SoCal.)
As crowds of people assembled in downtown L.A., Yolanda Mims-Reed said she was there "to stand in solidarity" for the things "we need to fight for."
"We need fair wages. We need our jobs to not be outsourced. We need immigration rights," she said. "We need them not bringing ICE onto our campuses and we also need decent wages and respect."
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Leticia Gutierrez, who lives in Boyle Heights, said she was at the downtown rally “to support immigrants, who are the backbone of the economy here and in the United States.”
As the rally kicked off with a series of speakers on the itinerary, Yvonne Wheeler, president of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, told LAist her message was one of unity.
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Large crowds turn out for May Day rallies in LA and OC
"Immigrants are being deported and workers are under attack, and so we have to stay united and in solidarity with one another," she said. "One fight, one message, one struggle, one fight. Workers are united today."
Below is a list of planned protests. Be prepared to look for alternative traffic routes and additional commute times.
Some of the signs from the downtown L.A. gathering on Thursday, May 1, 2025.
(
Frank Stoltze
/
LAist
)
Los Angeles May Day Coalition
The rally started in downtown Los Angeles at the intersection of Olympic Boulevard and Figueroa Street to highlight contributions of immigrant workers.
Street closure: Figueroa was closed from Olympic to Chick Hearn Court starting at 7 a.m. for a march that started at 11 a.m.
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Protestors gather for a May Day Workers Unite! march on May 1, 2025.
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Patrick T. Fallon
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AFP via Getty Images
)
Centro CSO May Day rally
In Boyle Heights, the group Centro CSO was to start marching to the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles from Mariachi Plaza to call for the end of deportations.
The rally was slated for 4:30 p.m. before a march at 5 p.m.
MacArthur Park May Day Rally
Groups including United Teachers Los Angeles, Unión del Barrio, Stop LAPD Spying and Palestine Youth Movement were to unite under the umbrella Community Self-Defense Coalition to call for the end of deportations and abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The rally was slated to begin at 4:30 p.m. at the east end of MacArthur Park.
SURJ Long Beach
The Long Beach chapter of Showing Up for Racial Justice planned to host a rally at Lincoln Park, 101 Pacific Ave., Long Beach, starting at 5 p.m. Organizers were requiring face coverings at the event.
OC May Day Coalition
A group of organizations in Orange County, including Action Network, El Centro Cultural de Mexico, Colectivo Tonanzin, Chicanos Unidos, VietRISE and OC Environmental Justice, was slated to rally in Santa Ana to call for “an end to the attack on immigrant and refugee families.”
The rally was scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at El Centro Cultural de Mexico, 837 N. Ross St., Santa Ana.
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