Ready to Resist? (Or Avoid?) Here’s What You Need to Know about Sunday’s March

Ready to Resist? Or maybe you want to avoid. In either case, here is the latest information about the Resist March scheduled for June 11 in Hollywood and West Hollywood.

WHAT IS IT ABOUT?

The Resist March website explains that clearly: “We are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer. We are people of color. We are people of different faiths. We are people of all genders and no gender. We are immigrants. We are dreamers. We are people with disabilities. We are parents. We are allies. And we are beautiful intersections of these. But most of all, we are American. Yet our rights are in jeopardy. Forces are gathering in government that intend to take away our hard-won basic human rights.

“We are calling on everyone to peacefully march with us on June 11th from Hollywood and Highland to West Hollywood. Instead of a Pride Parade meant to celebrate our past progress, we are going to march to ensure all our futures. Just as we did in 1970’s first LGBTQ+ Pride, we are going to march in unity with those who believe that America’s strength is its diversity. Not just LGBTQ+ people but all Americans and dreamers will be wrapped in the Rainbow Flag and our unique, diverse, intersectional voices will come together in one harmonized proclamation.”

Is the march a protest against Donald Trump? That depends on who you talk to. Organizations such as the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, a sponsor of the march, are careful to say it isn’t about Trump. But given the language on the signs created for the event and the fact that it is taking place after a series of actions by the current president to roll back protections for women and minority groups, it probably wouldn’t be wise to join it if you are down for the Donald.

The march will begin and end with speakers. Those scheduled so far include U.S. Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, the House minority leader; U.S. Congressman Adam Schiff, whose district includes West Hollywood; U.S. Congresswoman Maxine Waters; West Hollywood Mayor John Heilman; transgender activist Bamby Salcedo; Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign, and activist musicians Haim and Adam Lambert and Margaret Cho.  The Resist March replaces the annual L.A, Pride parade, which will resume next year.

WHEN AND WHERE IS IT TAKING PLACE?

Participants in the march will gather on Sunday at 8 a.m. at Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue in Los Angeles. From there they will march down La Brea Avenue to Sunset Boulevard. At Sunset, the marchers will head west to North Fairfax Avenue and enter the City of West Hollywood. At North Fairfax, they will march south to Santa Monica Boulevard. The march then will head west on Santa Monica Boulevard and conclude near La Peer, just west of the intersection of Santa Monica and Robertson boulevards.

If you want to gather with friends to march as a group, Resist March suggests you pick a meeting place such as a coffee shop. But do avoid El Cerrito Place, which will be closed for production vehicles.

HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL BE MARCHING?

No one will know until the march is underway.  Consider that the annual L.A. Pride parade attracts around 125,000 people.  But also consider that the Women’s March in downtown Los Angeles this year attracted 750,000 to protest the Trump administration proposals that would affect women’s rights.  The Resist March will be one of several similar marches in cities such as Washington, D.C., Austin, Indianapolis, Seattle and Sydney.

HOW DO I GET THERE?

WEHO CITYLINEX AND THE PICKUP.    CityLineX vehicles will leave WeHo at regular intervals from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. to transport people to Hollywood and Highland, where  the Resist March will take place beginning at 8 a.m. CityLineX vehicles will depart from the following stops:

• Pacific Design Center, loading area located at the corner of Melrose Avenue and San Vicente Boulevard;
• Santa Monica Boulevard at Kings Road;
• Santa Monica Boulevard at Fairfax Avenue;
• Santa Monica Boulevard at Sierra Bonita Avenue; and
• Santa Monica Boulevard at La Brea Avenue.

CityLineX vehicles will drop marchers off near the corner of Hawthorn Avenue near Highland Avenue (just south of Hollywood Boulevard on the west side of Highland Avenue) until street closures go into effect at approximately 9 a.m. (or earlier depending on crowds). Once area roads are closed, the drop-off location will change to De Longpre Avenue at La Brea Avenue (just south of Sunset Boulevard on the east side of La Brea Avenue). Shuttles also will be stationed near Santa Monica Blvd east of Fairfax during the march as support for those who may not be able to walk the entire route.

Following the march, Pride Ride will provide return service to Hollywood and Highland aboard CityLineX vehicles from the Pacific Design Center stop (from the loading area located at the corner of Melrose Avenue and San Vicente Boulevard) beginning at approximately 1 p.m. until approximately 5 p.m. Drop-off stops for eastbound service will be Santa Monica Boulevard/Fairfax Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard/La Brea en route to Hollywood and Highland.

The PickUp will run eastbound and westbound in a continuous loop from La Brea Avenue to Kings Road from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.; then the PickUp will resume its regular route from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.

METRO. If you have easy access to a Metro line, consider heading to the Red Line’s Hollywood and Highland station. Another option is to get off at the Hollywood and Vine station and take what should be a 19-minute walk to Hollywood and Highland. A digital map to help you figure out how to get to the station is available here.

AN MTA BUS. Local MTA buses will operate until the start of the march. For West Hollywood residents Resist March recommends taking the 2 or 302 anywhere along Sunset Boulevard to Sunset and Highland. It is a 20 minute journey plus five minutes of walking. Click here for the 2/302 timetable. “If you intend to use local bus services or the Metro we suggest purchasing a $7 day pass,” Resist March says. “Single ride bus and Metro journeys are $1.75. There will be portable TAP vendors at Hollywood & Highland and North Hollywood. We recommend purchasing/reloading TAP cards before Sunday. Information on Metro fares and payment methods can be found online.

A BUS FROM AFAR. Resist March is partnering with Bus.com, which will pick up people as far away as Berkeley. You can book a ticket online. Resist March expects the drop off location to be Highland Avenue north of Franklin, although that hasn’t yet been confirmed. Bus.com vehicles will pick up passengers on San Vicente Boulevard between Melrose Avenue and Beverly Boulevard up until 3 p.m.

Resist March says it currently has the following locations available via Bus.com:

— Berkeley – University of California, Santa Cruz
— Davis – University of California, Davis
— Irvine – University of California, Irvine
— Long Beach – California State University Long Beach
— Los Angeles – 1111 S Figueroa St
— Los Angeles – 255 Main St.
— Los Angeles – University of California, Los Angeles
— Merced – UC Merced
— Palm Desert – Whole Foods Market Palm Desert
— Pasadena – 777 E Colorado Blvd
— Riverside – University of California, Riverside
— San Diego – University of California, San Diego
— San Francisco – UC San Francisco (UCSF)
— Santa Barbara – University of California, Santa Barbara
— Santa Cruz – University of California, Santa Cruz
— Santa Monica – 1260 18th Street
— Stevenson Roach – 25450 The Old Road

TAXI/UBER/LYFT. If you haven’t already done it, download that Uber or Lyft app or call for a taxi. Taxis to consider (note that not all are authorized to do pickups in WeHo) include:

— United Independent Taxi – (323) 653-5050
— United Taxi of San Fernando Valley – (818) 222-0000
— Yellow Cab – (800) 200-1085
— Bell Cab – (800) 666-6664
— Beverly Hills Cab Company – (800) 273-6611
— L.A. Checker Cab – (800) 300-5007
— City Cab – (800) 750-4400
— Independent Taxi – (800) 521-8294
— United Checker Cab – (310) 834-1121

DON’T DRIVE. But if you have to, consider the WeHo road closures listed below and those in Los Angeles on the map below. As for parking, consider downloading Parking Panda, a mobile app that can help you find nearby private lots and driveways that are renting spots for that day.

Driving will be more complicated because of the street closures. In West Hollywood, Santa Monica Boulevard from Doheny Drive to La Cienega Boulevard will be closed from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m., including streets one block north and south of Santa Monica. On the city’s east side, Santa Monica Boulevard will be closed from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. from La Cienega Boulevard to Genessee Avenue. Fairfax Avenue will be closed fro Sunset to Santa Monica from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

HOW DO I GET HOME?

BY BUS.  All regular West – East services (via Sunset, Santa Monica, Melrose) will be diverted via Beverly Boulevard until public safety officers decide it is safe to reopen the streets and buses can return to their normal routes. Until then, buses will be diverted at Beverly / Santa Monica (in Beverly Hills) thru Beverly / Highland. They will be 42 buses stopping on Beverly Boulevard at San Vicente or Beverly boulevards and La Brea Avenue between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., with a bus approximately every 6 minutes (lines 4, 14, and 704 on a Sunday schedule).

METRO RED LINE. To get back to the Red Line, there are many different bus routes from West Hollywood to all the Red Line stations, illustrated on the chart here.

WILL I BE SAFE?

Capt. Sergio Aloma of the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station says both the Sheriff’s Department and the Los Angeles Police Department are working together to provide public safety for this march. This year’s event will have twice the public safety staffing as last year’s Pride parade, he said.

The Sheriff’s Station will keep one lane open on all streets so that those responding to medical or other emergencies can get where they need to go.

There are rules everyone in the march must follow to ensure safety:

— Do not use metal sticks of any kind. If you are going to use a wooden stick for your protest sign, it can’t be thicker than one-fourth inch or wider than two inches. A square wooden stick cannot be not more than three-quarters of an inch wide (the same width as a penny). (Consider using a cardboard tube as your sign post instead).

— Do not bring large bags.

— Do not bring pets

It people are protesting the march, Resist March advises that you shouldn’t engage with them. ”When they go low, we go high,” it says, quoting Michelle  Obama. There will be legal observers at the march, including law students, legal workers and lawyers. The legal hotline number is (323) 710-4374.

WHAT SHOULD I BRING?

Your ID and some cash for the entry into the L.A. Pride festival at the end of the march. To keep yourself energetic, bring a bottle of water (there will be water stations along the route to refill) and snacks. Sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat would be smart. And then, of course, signs and flags (but nothing that could potentially be used as a weapon.) Don’t forget your mobile phone so you can share what’s going on on Facebook and Instagram and Twitter.

WHAT IF I’M DISABLED?

The Resist March is providing several services to accommodate people with disabilities. There will be an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter on both stages at the start and end of the march. There also will be special seating area in front and to the side of both stages for the less-abled and elderly. There will be ADA-compliant restrooms along Hollywood Boulevard, along other parts of the course and on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood. Resist is hoping to secure some transportation for disabled people as well.

AND THEN WHAT?

After listening to the speakers at the end of the parade, take a short walk to West Hollywood Park and enter the annual Pride festival and have some fun. Sunday’s lineup includes DJ Ben Castro, Jesse Montana, Tish Hyman, DJ Patrick Kuzara, Spencer Ludwig, Starley, Brook Candy, DJ Casey Alva, DJ Jeremy Blacklow, Erika Jayne and the famous Brandy. Tickets for the festival are available for purchase online .