Carrying signs and placards with messages such as “I can’t breathe,” “Black Lives Matter” among others, about 100 students and a smattering of adults staged a peaceful protest Tuesday in front of Los Alamitos High School.
The protest was held on public right-of-way in front of the school and not on school property. Supt. Andrew Pulver said the school district was not associated with the protest. Social media posts the night before noted that permits for a protest had yet to be issued and students at the protest said they organized the event.
As protesters chanted “No justice, no peace,” passing cars and trucks honked, some wildly, to support the student protesters as students roared their approval.
Los Al police passed regularly through the intersection of Los Alamitos Boulevard and Cerritos Ave. but did not intervene. The Los Alamitos Police Department had issued a warning in advance of the rally noting they would not tolerate any acts of violence, looting or vandalism.
Social media posts during the protest urged participants to remain peaceful and to take precautions about spreading the coronavirus. Most every protester wore a face mask.
Los Al Police has confirmed there will be another protest today, Wednesday, starting at 2:30 p.m. at the high school.
Police say they are expecting another peaceful march but will be keeping a close eye on the event and have a plan to keep the city safe.
There is another protest march scheduled for Cypress on Friday, and although details continue to change, protest organizers are telling participants to assemble at Walker and Katella for a planned peaceful march to Cypress city hall.
We will keep the community informed on all relevant developments. Event News photo