Los Angeles Indymedia : Activist News

Once again, multiple groups engaged in activism at the Rose Parade--despite this year's cold temperature. (Last year, animal rights activists protested a Sea World float while Occupy Wall St. preceded the parade with an unofficial float).

On New Year's Eve, local activists visited the parade route carrying signs conveying the number of U.S. troops killed in America's military ventures in the Middle East. (Each casualty was represented by a "rose"--needless to say, there were a lot of "roses" on the signs.)

On New Year's Day, one group (organized by Stop Mass Incarceration Network, So Cal) protested the police murders of people of color. Before the parade, they stood at several locations, including parts of Old Town, dressed in black, holding signs, and chanting, "I can't breath." (Some parade spectators responded with, "I can breath." Other bystanders reportedly joined the demonstrations.) Police were especially strict with this group, forbidding them from even walking on Colorado Boulevard, which tends to be pretty accessible before the parade--even by activists, usually--and being rather particular about where they could stand on sidewalks.

Meanwhile, Occupy Wall St. followed the Rose Parade with a "people's parade." Despite being held up for a time by police and Homeland Security, Occupy made their way up the route and received a lot of notice. One float with the message "Gov Brown: Don't Frack CA" prompted spectators to ask what fracking is. Reportedly, "thousands of spectators remained in the grandstands to watch the unsanctioned post-parade."

Report, photos, and links to videos: Occupy the Rose Parade: People's Parade Follows Pasadena's Tournament of Roses Parade by Jessica Lux

A coalition of lawyers, law students, and others acting in solidarity protested police killings of unarmed people by staging a die-in outside Stanley Mosk Courthouse on the raining morning of Tuesday, December 16, 2014. The call to action encouraged others "to protest these police killings, the failure to hold police accountable for these deaths, and the system that perpetuates these racist practices. We act in solidarity with others taking action to show that Black Lives Matter."

Article, photos, and links: #BlackLivesMatter Massive Lawyer Die-In at Los Angeles Courthouse by Occupy Los Angeles OWS

On Black Friday, three demonstrations against Hewlett-Packard occurred in front of large stores in Greater Los Angeles.

Besides its involvement with Israel, HP is involved in government surveillance of citizens around the world, including in the U.S. About a dozen people turned out for each of the two-hour demonstrations.

Report and photos: Protesting Hewlett-Packard on Black Friday by RP

SAN FERNANDO, CA – On Tuesday, November 11, veterans fighting foreclosure and homeless vets joined Occupy Fights Foreclosures marching in the San Fernando Valley Veterans Day Parade. One out of three unhoused people are veterans. Veteran homeowners and homeless are marching to bring awareness to the ongoing foreclosure crisis. Many veterans continue to fight to stay in their homes while some less fortunate already have joined the countless other homeless people and families on the streets without a roof over their heads. During the foreclosure crisis, banks have taken full advantage of our veterans, who not only have to fight to keep and find jobs, but have to deal with long term illnesses, the high cost of medications, and a bureaucratic system moves slowly, putting them at high risk to lose their homes.

Full story and pictures: Veterans Against Foreclosures Marches in San Fernando Veterans Day Parade by Occupy Fights Foreclosures

Lamoreaux judges turned Lexi Dillon (pictured at left) over to a foreigner whom the Tustin police cast reports showed sodomized and raped the girl repeatedly. The foreigner is no longer allowed in the U.S. and due to a lifting of the travel ban on Lexi, as far as anyone knows, neither is she. The alleged molester only has citizenship in Thailand, the site of considerable sex trafficking.

Massive fear surrounds the trafficking of Jonah Rief to Australia via the San Diego courts. A man who is not the father and who did not have to prove paternity was allowed to take Jonah Rief to Australia and he did so using a falsified passport calling the "Rief" boy "Sullivan." Alabama had issued a protective order against Brian Sullivan on behalf of the child and on behalf of the mother Tammy Rief after Sullivan or someone associated with him uploaded misleading YouTube videos appearing to be aimed at getting people to kidnap Jonah from his Alabama home. California chose not to respect the jurisdictional orders of the court in Alabama, which was Jonah Rief's home state. Jonah entered Australia with Sullivan on February 26, 2013 and disappeared. Nude photos that appeared on March 4, 2013, on the Facebook page of Sullivan's accomplice Sara Francis AKA Denise Glasier AKA Denise Sullivan are believed to have been sales photos.

Full story: Activists Hold Prayer Vigil for Lexi Dillon and Jonah Rief in Orange County by Stand Up Orange County Coalition

More: Pressure on Orange County District Attorney to Prosecute Minors Counsel by PAA: Parents Against Abuse