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Century Blvd. Mass Civil Disobedience
With just one week until May Day protests fill the streets, today we remember one of the largest civil disobedience actions in Los Angeles history. In September 2006, union members, religious leaders, elected officials and community allies joined in a large march to protest low wages at corporate hotels along Century Blvd. outside of Los Angeles International Airport. Organized by UNITE HERE Local 11, the protest demonstrated the unionās ability to build a broad coalition in support of worker and immigrant rights at a time when the union was negotiating with hotel employers over a new contract. Building on the themes of the spring 2006 immigrant rights marches, Century Blvd. marchers also adopted a slogan inspired by the Black freedom struggle: āI am a Human Being,ā echoing the famous message used by Memphis sanitation workers during their 1968 strike, āI am a Man.ā Over 300 demonstrators were arrested by Los Angeles Police and bused to Van Nuys for processing. Produced by UNITE-HERE Local 11, this film combines TV news footage, interviews, and street scenes to document the unionās mass action on Century Blvd.
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