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“If you can’t show up here, don’t shop at these big corporations that won’t speak out about the illegal raids that are happening,” Simboa Wright, vice president of the SEIU Local 721 union that supports the protest, told KTLA’s Ellina Abovian.

“We are going to take back MacArthur Park,” said Felipe Caceres, an organizer with SEIU 721. “For 24 hours we are reclaiming our power to stop the Trump terror. For 24 hours we are going to boycott companies.”

Since aggressive enforcement operations started, federal agents have made a total of 4,163 arrests in the LA area, Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement Friday to the Los Angeles Times.

The coalition is demanding a stop to the immigration raids, the end of the military occupation of LA, the end to local law enforcement collaborating with federal immigration agents and to “Free Our Families, Free Them All.”

“We’re here united to say, ‘Hey, we’re not longer going to stand for these big corporations that won’t speak out against what’s going on with this administration,” said Simboa Wright, a member of SEIU 721.

A coalition of organizations, including CHIRLA, SEIU 721, UTLA and CARCEN-LA, says the federal enforcement is escalating, and they plan “stop the Trump terror through non-violent resistance such as rallying, car caravans, and marching.”

David Green, president of Service Employees International Union Local 721, called the move “irresponsible” and “retaliatory” — and said it would hit a city already reeling from a $1 billion budget shortfall.

“On Tuesday, August 12, 2025, for 24 hours we are reclaiming our power to stop the Trump terror. For 24 hours, we are going to boycott companies. We are going to rally, and we are going to support local businesses and street vendors that support our people,” Felipe Caceres, a member of Service Employees International Union Local 721, said.

The employee status of student workers—such as graduate teaching assistants, undergraduate resident assistants, and other campus workers—will be determined by the NLRB, the agency that decides how the National Labor Relations Act is applied to protect employees and oversees petitions for union recognition.

While facing resistance from LACPD administration, Joseph Lopez found strong allies in the system’s labor unions. Organizations like SEIU Local 721, AFSCME Local 685 recognized the value of WestCal® programming and supported expanding it throughout the juvenile halls and camps.