Chanting slogans such as “Up With the People, Down With La Migra” and waiving signs that read “Justice for Immigrants” and “Arizona Resiste”, approximately 200 people demonstrated in the intersection of Highland Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard on July 29 against the Arizona immigration law, SB 1070.

Demonstrators carried signs with slogans such a "Justice for Immigrants" during the protest on July 29. (photo by Edwin Folven)

The demonstration blocked traffic on both Highland Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard for at least four hours as several demonstrators chained themselves together while lying on the ground in the middle of the intersection. Police declared the protest an unlawful assembly around 2:00pm, but gave protesters time to clear the area. Ten people were arrested for refusing to comply with the order to disperse, according to Officer Rosario Herrera, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson.

The demonstration was held on the same day the law took effect in Arizona. A federal judge the previous day had blocked several provisions of Arizona SB 1070, including one that required police to determine an individual’s immigration status when they are stopped, and then arrest them if they are in the country illegally. The demonstration was organized by Todos Somos Arizona (We Are Arizona), a grassroots pro-immigration group that includes members from throughout Los Angeles. The location of the protest was chosen because GS4 Wackenhut Security, a company that contracts with the federal government to provide security services, has offices in a building located at the corner of Highland Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard. Many of the demonstrators accused GS4 Wackenhut of being involved in efforts to deport illegal immigrants.

Molly Talcott, one of the organizers with Todos Somos Arizona, said the demonstrators wanted to show support for the immigrant population in Arizona.

“We are here acting in the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in response to unjust laws,” Talcott said. “We want to stand up to say SB 1070 is unjust. It doesn’t just affect people in Arizona, there are similar laws planned in many other states.”

Another demonstrator, Hamid Kahn, said he was involved primarily to show opposition to GS4 Wackenhut.

“Private companies are deeply involved, and private corporations are making a profit on the racist nature of these laws,” Khan said. “Corporations are making millions of dollars detaining, transporting and deporting the immigrant community.

Eric Romann, a demonstrator who lives in Koreatown, said he participated to show solidarity with the immigrant community.

“The idea is to stand in support of the people of Arizona, and to let people know this is something that is happening all around the country,” Romann added. “We are a coalition of activists, and we want the immigrants in Arizona to know that we stand behind them.”

Capt. Eric Davis, commanding officer of the LAPD’s Wilshire Division, said police have a policy of allowing the demonstration to take place for a period of time that is determined on a case-by-case basis. Police officials and the organizers of the demonstration met several times at the site prior to declaring it an unlawful assembly, and a majority of the protesters complied with police instructions to disperse from the area.