May Day rally expected to draw fewer activists than past years

This year's May Day rally is expected to draw fewer immigrant-rights activists to downtown Los Angeles than in past years, but police said they will be prepared for any problems that may occur whatever the turnout.

Marchers will assemble at the intersection of Broadway and Olympic Boulevard at 10 a.m. Sunday and walk north on Broadway toward City Hall, officials said. The march is to conclude with a rally on Broadway between Spring and Temple streets.

Organizers said the rally could draw up to 50,000 people, but permits sought for the march estimate a crowd of about 10,000. Two separate groups applied for permits, but they were was consolidated into one.

Last year, police said about 60,000 people participated in the May Day march, galvanized by Arizona's controversial anti-illegal-immigration law.

Whatever this year's turnout, police said they will be ready with a significant deployment of officers.

"We are going to have a large enough deployment to handling anything," said LAPD Deputy Chief Jose Perez. "Our posture will be consistent with what we've had the last two years. We want to keep a lid on anything but, ideally, we are going to maintain a low profile and facilitate allowing everybody to express their 1st Amendment views in a peaceful and organized manner."

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-- Andrew Blankstein

Comments

[Happy Jack]

So what?

[Steven M.]

LAPD Chief Parker had an effective solution- Round them up and ship them off to INS, for processing.

[Rob]

deploy enough officers to round up the illegals and deport them.

[Do you know?]

If you don't know how May Day originated, google it. It's not what a lot of people think.