LOS ANGELES, May 2, 2008 – May Day demonstrations and marches were held throughout the region yesterday. Two marches converged downtown at 5th and Broadway in the late afternoon. An estimated 8,000 to 10,000 people took part in the downtown demonstrations. Although not as large as the past two years the marches were described as festive and high spirited. Immigrant rights was the primary focus of the demonstration, but other issues such as the Iraq war were featured as well.
Scattered student walkouts and sit outs also took place at a number of local high schools. Dockworkers at the port of Los Angeles staged a one day strike that halted port operations for the day. The dockworkers’ strike, which included all west coast ports, was called by the workers to protest the continuing US war on Iraq.
Reports from the newswire: Workers/Immigrants March Rally in LA on May 1 by AJLPP | | Venice High School Students Walk out of Class by Marcus | | May Day Time Line by LA-IMC
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May Day Strike Against the War Shuts Down All U.S. West Coast Ports by Internationalist Group
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MARCH AND RALLY FOR IMMIGRANT RIGHTS! by AJLPP
PHOTOS: Marcha Primero de Mayo by Oliver Santana | | MAY DAY 08 in LA by Marcus
| | MARCH AND RALLY FOR IMMIGRANT RIGHTS! by AJLPP
VIDEO: ¡Afuera Con La Migra! May Day Video & May Day March in Downtown. Video by Que Chido
From Democracy Now: Report on dockworkers' strike
In related news: Did Google Block ILWU Web Page?
Video report from Oxnard: May 1, Oxnard : Farmworkers, Longshoremen, and Youth Take to the Streets by FCR-VC
LOS ANGELES, April 30, 2008 – Environmental activists from AmazonWatch with support from the LA Greens and other local groups paid a visit to Occidental Petroleum’s corporate headquarters today. Dressed up in Haz Mat uniforms demonstrators staged a mock toxic clean up outside the Oxy building in Westwood.
Activists are demanding that Oxy pay for the clean up of an area of the Amazon home to the Achuar people. Oxy is blamed for the poisoning of an entire ecosystem that the Achuar depend on for their survival. Today’s demonstration was the first of two planned for this week. The next protest will be held at Oxy’s shareholders meeting this Friday, May 2nd at 9am at the Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica.From the Newswire: AmazonWatch Clean Up Crew Hits Occidental Petroleum Headquarters | | PHOTOS - From Oxy Protest | | "This is What a Clean-Up Looks Like!" by RP | | MP3 AUDIO – Protest at Occidental Petroleum Headquarters by A
On Wednesday April 30 and Friday May 2, there will be demonstrations against L.A.-based Occidental Petroleum over pollution and illness caused by nearly 30 years of oil sdrilling in the Peruvian Amazon. The first event, a mock clean-up will take place at the company's headquarters, the second will be outside the annual shareholder's meeting. According to Amazon Watch, Occidental Petroleum is sensitive to this kind of publicity.
Full story: Two Upcoming Events to Expose Pollution, Sickness in Peru Caused by Occidental Petroleum by RP
Announcements: *Wednesday event *Friday event