LOS ANGELES, January 21, 2009 - Last Sunday saw a group of Los Angeles families and friends gather to protest at MacArthur park. The demonstrations were organized by The Coalition For Justice Against Police Murder. The rally formed into a march on the Rampart police station where speeches, testimonials and grass roots organizing techniques were given from the steps without police interference. The crowd was small, orderly and diverse. The police presence for the entire protest was absent which gave it a spontaneous and genuine feel. At the events closing the group petitioned the station supervisor by entering the facility and gently but affirmatively demanding investigative action on various deaths that allegedly were caused by LAPD misconduct.
From the Newswire: Families of Police Murder Victims March to Rampart by Robert Stuart Lowden
Related Story: Oscar Grant! No Isolated Incident! A Photo Journey of Unarmed Folks Killed by Cops Worldwide by T. Love
Marching at the largest Martin Luther King Jr Day-the 24th year commemoration last January 19, 2009 from Western to Leimert Park, hundreds of peace activist and anti-war advocates marched with thousands of people chanting: “ MONEY FOR JOBS AND EDUCATION. NOT FOR WAR AND OCCUPATION!” The more than 200 protestors marched under the lead banner of the Topanga Peace Alliance and Veterans for Peace and led by the Cuahtemoc Azteca Dancers banging their drums. They marched together with more than 400 different delegations, floats and marching bands representing all shades and political color all over Southern California marched past the mains stage located at Crenshaw Blvd.
From the newswire: ANTI WAR PEACE ADVOCATES MARCH AT MLK DAY in LA by Echo Park Communtiy Coalition
| | Peace Activists At the MLK Jr. parade by Cliff Olin | New: Video by Cliff Olin
Monday, January 19, 2009 - As the final hours of the Bush-Cheney regime draw nearer millions around the world are breathing a collective sign of relief that they survived the Bush-Cheney era. The one word Obama campaign slogan: Hope, is still the operative word in the minds of the public. The crowds at the 2009 inauguration are expected to break all records with perhaps over 3 million people lining the parade route. Not in recent history as a president entered the office with expectations so high.
Corporate media has transformed the event from an inauguration into a coronation.
The pre-inaugural hype now resembles that of the Rose Parade or a Super Bowl game. The voices of alternative viewpoints lost in the spectacle of the parade and tournament. With the news that KPFK, a major local outlet of alternative news, has been denied access to broadcast facilities at the inauguration non-corporate representation of the event will be very limited.
Fortunately Indymedia activists are gearing up to cover counter-inaugural events.
The DC-Indymedia web site has a redesigned homepage for special coverage. There are reporters from Urbana-Champaign IMC in DC now and filing reports. Also there is a live webcast at Radio Portland IMC. Locally here in Los Angeles there is a counter-inaugural event downtown planned for Tuesday.
Latest from the newswire: Commentary - Some Thoughts on Obama and the US Empire by Chris Burnett