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After a group of protesters managed to disrupt operations at the Dodger Stadium mass COVID-19 vaccination site on Saturday, some Los Angeles officials expressed fury at the protesters while calling for increased security in the areas. testing and vaccination facilities.
Los Angeles Fire Department officials closed the main entrance to the stadium – one of the nation’s largest vaccination sites – for about an hour on Saturday after a group of 40 to 60 protesters appeared on Stadium Way while holding up signs denouncing the masks while shouting unfounded claims about the dangers of the vaccine.
The group dispersed around 3 p.m. and no arrests or injuries were reported, according to LAFD Asst. Chief Ellsworth Fortman, who oversees the department’s COVID-19 response. Fortman said about 5,740 doses of the vaccine were delivered to the site on Saturday, which dispenses between 5,700 and 7,700 doses per day. Workers were still vaccinating people inside the stadium during the hour when the main entrance was closed, he said.
Fire and police officials said the group was nonviolent and the decision to close the entrance to the facility was a precaution. The protest infuriated several city leaders, with some questioning why police weren’t more aggressive towards protesters, claiming the LAPD had been more proactive in calling off anti-police or Black Lives Matter protests.
“Look, the world sees it. What it does is it undermines our public safety community. It’s not good for our public safety community for people to believe there is unfair treatment, ”said Gil Cedillo, city councilor for LA City, whose district includes Dodger Stadium. “It doesn’t help them do their jobs. When some people are pampered and others are not. “
The protest came as frustrations over the handling of the virus by state and county authorities remain high. California’s coronavirus death toll topped 40,000 on Friday. More than half of those deaths have occurred since November 1, 2020, as part of a surprising increase in the lethality of the virus, amid concerns about the emergence of more dangerous strains. At the same time, business owners who struggle to keep their lights on have repeatedly called for the relaxation of rules limiting meals and other gatherings.
Fortman said the decision to close the gate was made after protesters approached the entrance to the Stadium Way, over concerns for the safety of workers inside and the protesters themselves, who, according to him, could have been struck by cars while crossing the site.
After 45 minutes, Fortman said, LAPD officers approached the group and warned them that they could be cited or arrested if they entered the vaccination site and ordered them to come off the street. The group complied and dispersed widely by 3 p.m., according to Fortman, who said the protesters’ actions ultimately did little to prevent the distribution of vaccines.
“At the end of the day, it didn’t really have an impact,” he said. “I feel bad for these people [who] ended up waiting another 50 minutes. “
It’s unclear how many people left the queue to enter the site and missed their appointments during the nearly hour-long shutdown, but long lines have already proven to be a way of major deterrent for elderly Angelenos seeking vaccine. Some expressed concern online Saturday that their grandparents had probably given up on getting vaccinated on Saturday because of the protest.
Despite the protesters’ actions leading firefighters to close the entrance to the stadium, police said there would have been no reason to declare a gathering illegal or to order arrests on Saturday. Officer Mike Lopez, a spokesperson for the LAPD, said the protesters complied with police orders to stay off the streets and did not violate any other laws or ordinances outside the Dodger Stadium.
Andrea Garcia, a spokesperson for Mayor Eric Garcetti, said the city was “reviewing vaccination site safety protocol” after the incident and would establish designated spaces for protesters if protests took place at vaccination sites in the future.
While it is not known exactly who organized the protest, flyers promoting the event were shared online by the “Shop Mask Free Los Angeles” group, whose members have shown up on several occasions in local supermarkets and retail stores in recent months and have attempted to purchase items without masks. Events typically end with arguments between group members and store workers, and sometimes elicit responses from law enforcement, according to videos the group posted online.
The LAPD has responded to several incidents involving the group, normally ending their protests peacefully, but rarely issuing citations despite the group’s repeated and obvious violations of city and county health ordinances that require the wearing of masks. Los Angeles Police arrested a member of the group in an incident on January 20, according to city officials, but Lopez could not immediately provide information about this incident or other contacts between the LAPD and these protesters.
Cedillo said he was particularly furious that the protest took place in his neighborhood, which has been hit hard by the virus. In recent weeks, Cedillo’s office has posted multilingual signs in parts of Westlake, Lincoln Heights, Highland Park and Koreatown warning people they are entering a “high risk area” for COVID-19, and it has also said he sent staff members to strike. doors to provide information on vaccinations to elderly residents.
The Cedillo neighborhood includes several predominantly working-class and Latino neighborhoods, two groups that have been disproportionately affected by the virus. The number of Latinos in LA County who die from the virus daily has increased to a shocking degree in recent weeks.
“This crowd believes it has a right to try to prevent people such as the elderly, janitors, housekeepers, restaurant workers and supermarket workers from getting vaccinated. What they want, ”Cedillo said. “It’s just very offensive. Very arrogant. It is an incredible feeling of entitlement. “
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