More than 1,000 people gathered in downtown Los Angeles Sunday to protest COVID vaccine mandates, saying that rules requiring workers at many government agencies and private companies to get vaccinated are unconstitutional and have cost thousands of people their jobs.
“We’re here to re-claim our territory,” master of ceremonies Kevin Jenkins told the crowd at Grand Park after singer Jimmy Levy performed the national anthem. “We’re going to re-generate the soil. This is our defining moment.”
The crowd booed when Jenkins mentioned Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief medical adviser to the president, who has come to be viewed by many as the face of the official government response to the pandemic.
Sunday’s rally was hosted by the organization Defeat the Mandates, which has sponsored anti-vaccine and anti-mandate events across the country.
The dozens of scheduled speakers included best-selling author Naomi Wolf, comedian Jimmy Dore, former “60 Minutes” correspondent Lara Logan, Dicky Barrett — former lead singer of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” announcer — and Dr. Robert Malone, who was involved in early mRNA vaccine development.
“The idea that our government wants to mandate forced vaccination as a prerequisite to having a job in this state is absolutely unacceptable and, we believe, unconstitutional,” John Knox of the group Firefighters4Freedom said in a statement released by rally organizers.
According to organizers, “Americans face growing censorship, and even risk losing their jobs and being deplatformed on social media, for voicing personal opinions that run counter to the ever-changing narrative of government regulatory agencies which have been captured by the pharmaceutical industry. Many feel that discrimination on the basis of vaccination status in countless facets of American life is un-American.”
A Monmouth University poll in March showed 50% of Americans would prefer to see the government continue to adjust Covid guidelines and mandates in response to different variants as they arise. Another 14% want to settle on a consistent set of protocols and 34% want to get rid of all Covid regulations and mandates. Most Democrats — 82% — want to maintain flexibility, while most Republicans — 67% — want to do away with all Covid regulations.
The Grand Park event featured various booths selling black T-shirts criticizing President Joe Biden that read: “Let’s Go Brandon” and “Traitor Joe’s,” as well as people wearing red “Trump 2024” hats, sprinkled with people carrying the American flag and signs reading “Help Us Defeat The Mandate,” “Stop Medical Tyranny!!! United For Freedom!!!” “Land of Free!!! No Mandates!!!” and at least three booths attempting to garner petition signatures to recall Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón for his reform policies, which many have assailed as soft on crime.
The rally also featured the “People’s Convoy” of truckers that spent several weeks clogging traffic in Washington, D.C., in protest of COVID-19 public health restrictions and vaccination mandates.
The convoy, which included roughly 100 vehicles in the nation’s capital, initially left from San Bernardino County en route to Capitol Hill to protest COVID mandates earlier this year. After three weeks in Washington, the convoy began making its way back to the West Coast in late March.
When the convoy left Washington, D.C., organizers announced their intent to travel back to California, highlighting a series of bills pending in the state Legislature relating to COVID and vaccine mandates that the group opposes.
With COVID-19 case numbers slowly on the rise again in the Los Angeles area, local health officials are preaching vigilance, particularly as the spring holidays approach. The county has seen a daily rise in COVID infections correlating with the local spread of BA.2, an offshoot of the Omicron variant that fueled a winter surge of cases. Considered far more infectious than Omicron, BA.2 is being blamed for infection spikes in areas such as Australia and the United Kingdom.
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I’m surprised Piglosi and the Radical Left didn’t try to shut this down.
Give them time..
When will the democrats understand they work for us not the other way around. Some are so brainwashed they only “party” is how they think.
you folks voted for this disgraceful party of socialist slavery.
Just what I was thinking. They had their chance during the recall election to have Larry Elder take over, but those idiots chose to stay with ugly old stupid drunk hag’s nephew. If they don’t like it in California, then why are they staying?
They had their chance, and blew it.. So i have little to no sympathy left for them.