Hundreds of protesters block downtown L.A. intersection
Hundreds of people converged in the financial district of downtown Los Angeles on Thursday morning -- a convergence of Good Jobs LA's "National Day of Action" and Occupy Los Angeles.
Protesters shut down the intersection at Figueroa and 4th streets as planned. Shortly after 8:30 a.m., the protest remained peaceful and Los Angeles police said they had not made any arrests.
Twenty protesters linked arms are and circled four tents in the middle of Figueroa. The police permit for the protest had expired, and the thousand or so protesters who marched had cleared the street and were standing on the sidewalk and chanting: "This is what democracy looks like."
Among those prepared to be arrested was 81-year-old Bertha Jordan. A registered nurse and a member of the Service Employees International Union, said she was there to send a message that banks need to pay their fair dues.
She said she had never been arrested before, and felt nervous and excited. "Well I don't know how to feel," she said. "But I've got to do what I've got to do."
The protest snarled the morning commute on surface streets downtown as buses were diverted to avoid the moving crowd.
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-- Kate Linthicum
Photo: Occupy protesters block the intersection at Figueroa and 4th streets. Credit: Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times
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