Hundreds of protesters gathered at the Los Angeles City Hall on Friday to oppose Gov. Gavin Newsom’s coronavirus stay-at-home orders and to demand the economy be re-opened.
Hundreds more circled the area on a parade route of vehicles, many decorated with American flags and protest signs — “Freedom is essential” — honking their horns in solidarity with the crowd on the City Hall steps.
The protest was organized by a group called “We Have Rights,” with the support of other groups, such as the Libertarian Party of Los Angeles County. Half a dozen rallies were held Friday across Southern California.
A woman who identified herself as a nurse, holding a sign that said, “Stop Newsom Open California,” told Breitbart News that she wanted to see the whole country reopened — “Not just California, all the states.”
She noted that while she had been able to stay at work without becoming sick, many patients in need of care had been unable to come to the hospital for treatments other than for coronavirus. “People are suffering,” she said.
Almost all of the signs were homemade. One man drew an image of the Statue of Liberty being arrested: