Thirteen arrested at Century City protest
SEIU United Service Workers West Union protest
CENTURY CITY - Thirteen people were arrested today in Century City during a march and rally in support of recently laid off janitors, police said.
About 300 people attended the march and rally outside the Century Plaza office building, where the janitors used to work, said Richard French of the Los Angeles Police Department.
"Thirteen people were arrested for blocking traffic. The arrests were without incident," French said.
Earlier, Jacob Hay of SEIU United Service Workers West, the union organizing the protest, said the rally could lead to civil disobedience, including blocking traffic on Avenue of the Stars, Century Park East and Constellation Boulevard.
"It was a peaceful protest," Hay said. "Even the arrests were peaceful. The police did their thing, but there were no incidents."
The protest ended around 3 p.m.
The rally was part of a four-day series of events that began this past Tuesday on behalf of 16 laid-off janitors who worked at the building, Hay said.
More than 1,500 people—mostly students and community residents—attended a forum on the USC campus Tuesday night to voice concern about recent actions by law enforcement officials where African Americans feel they were racially profiled.
The forum followed a sit-in at the Tommy Trojan statue Monday by USC students upset about how police shut down two parties early Sunday, and arrested six students.
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—Members of various civil-rights and community groups plan to hold a rally and march in downtown Los Angeles today demanding justice for Trayvon Martin, who was fatally shot in Florida by a neighborhood watch captain who has not been arrested.
Marchers will gather at 4 p.m. at Pershing Square, at Fifth and Hill streets, and begin walking to City Hall at 6 p.m. for a rally on the west side of the building at First and Spring streets, according to the ANSWER Los Angeles Coalition.
Seven candidates are in the running to become interim council member for District 1, filling the position that Danny Tabor vacated when he was elected mayor on Aug. 31.
The special election will be held on Jan. 11, and if no candidate wins a 51 percent majority, the two top vote-getters will square off in another election. The winner will hold office at least until March, when District 1 voters will be asked to elect a representative to a full term.
In the movie “Django Unchained,” a slave gets his revenge on White slave owners by killing them. Many believe this modern-day “Spaghetti Western” created the label of the “bad Black man” (Django) that has been given to accused murderer and ex-Los Angeles Police Officer Christopher Dorner.
LOS ANGELES, CALIF.—The Los Angeles City Council today gave the green light for a $2 billion Century City redevelopment project with the Century Plaza hotel as the cornerstone.
On separate votes, the council unanimously approved a 15-year development agreement and an environmental impact report for the 1.5 million- square-foot mixed-use project.
