After a group of protesters on Saturday managed to disrupt operations at the COVID-19 mass vaccination at Dodger Stadium, some Los Angeles officials expressed anger over the protesters as they called for increased security at test and vaccination installations.
Los Angeles firefighters closed the main entrance to the stadium – one of the largest vaccination rooms in the country – for about an hour on Saturday after a group of between 40 and 60 protesters appeared on Stadium Way with signs in which they masks cut off while shouting unfounded claims. about the dangers of the vaccine.
The group dispersed around 3pm and according to LAFD Asst no arrests or injuries were reported. Chief Ellsworth Fortman, who oversees the department’s COVID-19 response. Fortman said about 5,740 doses of the vaccine were released on the site Saturday, distributing between 5,700 and 7,700 doses daily. Workers still vaccinated people in the stadium during the hour that the main entrance was closed, he said.
Both firefighters and police officers said the group was not violent and that the decision to close the entrance to the facility was a precautionary measure. The protest angered several city leaders, and some asked why the police were no longer aggressive towards protesters, claiming that the LAPD was more proactive in destroying protest action against the police or Black Lives Matter.
“Look, the world sees it. What it does do is undermine our public safety community. “It is not good for our public safety community that people believe that there is an unfair treatment,” said Gil City Councilor Gil Cedillo. “It does not help them to do their job. If some people get confused and others do not. ‘
The protest comes as frustrations over government officials and provincial officials’ handling of the virus remain high. The number of coronavirus deaths in California exceeded 40,000 on Friday. More than half of the deaths have occurred since November 1, 2020, as part of a frightening surge in the lethality of the virus, amid concerns that more dangerous strains are emerging. At the same time, business owners struggling to keep their lights on have repeatedly called for the relaxation of rules restricting dining and other gatherings.
Fortman said the decision to close the gate was taken after protesters approached the entrance to the Stadium Way, due to concerns about the safety of the workers inside and the protesters themselves, who he said could be hit by cars as they passed through the yard advanced.
After 45 minutes, Fortman said, LAPD officers approached the group and warned them that they could be quoted or arrested if they entered the vaccination site and ordered them to get out of the street. According to Fortman, the group heeded it and distributed it largely by 3 p.m., saying the protesters’ actions ultimately did not hinder the distribution of vaccine.
“At the end of the day, it didn’t really have a big impact,” he said. ‘I feel bad for the people [who] finally I waited another 50 minutes. ”
It was unclear how many people left the queue to enter the site and missed their appointment during the close of nearly an hour, but long queues are already a major deterrent for elderly Angelenos seeking the vaccine. Some expressed their concern on Saturday that their grandparents probably gave up because of the protest to be vaccinated on Saturday.
Despite the fact that the protesters’ actions led to firefighters closing the entrance of the stadium, police said there would have been no reason to declare an illegal meeting or order arrests on Saturday. LAPD spokesman Mike Lopez said the protesters heeded police orders to stay off the streets and violated no other laws or ordinances while outside Dodger Stadium.
Andrea Garcia, a spokeswoman for Mayor Eric Garcetti, said the city was reviewing a vaccine safety protocol after the incident and would set up designated spaces for protesters should demonstrations take place at vaccination sites in the future.
Although it is not clear who exactly organized the protest, kites promoting the event were shared online by the group ‘Shop Mask Free Los Angeles’, whose members have repeatedly visited and attempted at local supermarkets and retail stores in recent months. to buy items without masks. The events usually end in arguments between the members of the group and store employees, and sometimes lead to reactions from law enforcement, according to videos the group has published online.
The LAPD responded to several incidents in which the group was involved, which normally ended their demonstrations peacefully, but rarely issued quotes despite the group’s clearly repeated violations in the city and province’s health laws requiring the wearing of masks. According to police officers, Los Angeles police did arrest one member of the group during an incident on Jan. 20, but Lopez could not immediately provide information about the incident or other contacts between the LAPD and the protesters.
Cedillo said he was particularly furious that the protest was taking place in his district, which was hit hard by the virus. Over the past few weeks, Cedillo’s office has placed multilingual signs in parts of Westlake, Lincoln Heights, Highland Park and Koreatown to warn people that they are entering a ‘high-risk area’ for COVID-19, and he also said he has sent staff members to knock on. doors to provide information on vaccinations to older residents.
Cedillo’s district contains several neighborhoods that are primarily working class and Latino, two groups affected disproportionately by the virus. The number of Latinos in LA County dying daily from the virus has increased shockingly in recent weeks.
‘This crowd feels that they have the right to try to prevent people like the elderly, housekeepers, restaurant workers and supermarket workers from getting the vaccine they desire. That they want, ”Cedillo said. “It’s just very offensive. Very arrogant. It’s an incredible sense of justice. ”