Thousands Gather for 2018 LA Women's March

Viola Davis, Scarlett Johansson, Others Rally Thousands at Los Angeles Women’s March

Thousands of people began to march through downtown Sunday for the next annual Women's March Los Angeles, with thousands more already gathered at the event's City Hall end point. The crowd at last year's inaugural WMLA far exceeded the expectations of organizers, who said that about 750,000 people attended, although fire officials estimated the crowd at about 350,000. Organizers expected at least 200,000 this year. Officials with both the Los Angeles Fireplace Department and Los Angeles Police Division said they might not be offering any audience size estimates. Police said there are no dynamic risks against the march, which is among the many being held around the united states on the one-year anniversary of Leader Donald Trump's inauguration. Last year, around 3 million to 4 million people marched countrywide.

"We want to an extremely successful event, an extremely active group of marches in the downtown area. The biggest consideration is going to  be traffic," LA Police Department Assistant Chief Michel Moore said Fri. "We ask visitors to use the transit systems, bus and rail. We will have more than sufficient officers that will facilitate. We've no threats from this event." The Women's March Los Angeles started at 8:30 a.m. at  Pershing Square, with guests needs to march at 10 a.m. and set to attain Grand Park close to City Hall at 11 a.m., although thousands have already collected at the park and thousands still stay near Pershing Square and extended during downtown. Politicians, activists and celebrities are planned to speak until 4 p.m. Other marches are being kept in Santa Ana and Palm Springs, along with others around California and the country, including in Washington, D.C.

Last year's march saw a multitude of priorities being advocated, including women's legal rights, environmental protection, usage of health care,  criminal justice reform, voting rights, immigrant and LGBTQ legal rights. The L.A. event sprung up with others around the united states after the main march was structured in Washington, D.C., on your day of Trump's inauguration.

The president, who lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton but won the electoral college, has shown to be one of the very most polarizing  politicians of contemporary times after taking aggressive stances on immigration, international relations, the surroundings and other problems while expressing himself in sometimes blunt ways his critics contend are unbecoming of the office he holds.

But it was his perceived attitude and claims toward women during his campaign and before, including an audiotaped conversation where Trump bragged about kissing and grabbing women by the genitals that was the focus of many marchers last year who carried a note of feminine  empowerment.

Organizers of the Los Angeles March on Facebook said last year's event was centered on "hear our tone of voice," but this year is shifting to "hear our vote." They also said the function is not a protest but a "pro-peace, pro- inclusivity event focused on marginalized voices and the energy of voting. Component of our level of resistance is focusing about how we will use our vote to generate the future we wish. We respectfully
ask that `anti' sentiments are not the focus of this event."

Moore advised attendees to leave backpacks and other bulky items at home and minimize the materials that they take with them. The march is the first large open public event to be held since the City Council enacted a fresh set of rules last October on what is allowed at a public event where First Amendment rights are expressed.

Over concerns that protests or marches in L.A. could see outbreaks of assault comparable to ones in Charlottesville, Virginia, and other   metropolitan areas, the town Council approved an extended set of items prohibited from general public First Amendment occasions, including firearms, kitchen knives, swords, shields, football or softball bats, aerosol spray, rip gas, mace, glass bottles, axes, ice picks, nunchucks, Tasers, projectile launchers, containers or water weapons filled with hazardous liquid, open fire torches and ball bearings. The town also regulates signs and banners and the handles they're mounted on. Symptoms and banners must be produced of soft material such as material, plastic or cardboard.

Metallic sticks are also banned, while timber or plastic material sticks are barred unless they are a quarter-inch or less in thickness, 2 inches or less wide or not go beyond three-quarters of an inch in sizing.

Plastic material sticks under those dimensions must be hollow rather than filled with any material.

Anyone in violation can first receive a warning from an officer before being cited or arrested.

Scenes From Women's March 2018 in Los Angeles