Long Beach community members looking to avoid traffic and parking hassles during the third annual Women’s March in Downtown Los Angeles can join fellow locals and hop on a chartered bus to get there.
Chartered buses will be provided once again at no cost to riders by Councilwoman Jeannine Pearce, who is co-hosting the ride this year with multiple elected leaders like council members Lena Gonzalez, Rex Richardson, Roberto Uranga, Stacy Mungo and Suzie Priece as well as County Supervisor Janice Hahn and local congress members among others.
The Women’s March began two years ago with a Facebook post as a grassroots protest against President Donald Trump and spread to multiple cities across the country with the mission to unite and empower those who stand for human rights, civil liberties and social justice for all, according to organizers.
Some of the leaders with the national Women’s March Inc. organization have found themselves in controversy in recent months due to their perceived ties to black nationalist Louis Farrakhan and his statements about Jewish and LGBTQI people.
The Los Angeles based group has denounced those statements on its website.
The Los Angeles event will be held Saturday, Jan. 19, and kick off with speeches from politicians and community activists at Pershing Square at 8:30 a.m. The march will follow at 10 a.m. and end at Grand Park.
Buses will arrive in Long Beach at 6 a.m. with riders expected to board from 6:15 to 6:45 a.m. Buses will then depart at 7 a.m.
After the event, riders will need to board the bus in Los Angeles from 1:30 to 2 p.m. The buses will depart at 2 p.m. and arrive in Long Beach at about 3 p.m. Riders can park at the parking garage behind the meeting location, Harvey Milk Park, 195 E. 3rd St. Those interested must RSVP here by Thursday, Jan. 17 at 8 p.m. to secure a seat.
A second departure location has also been added to the event for community members in North Long Beach, organized by Richardson.
Participants can be picked up at Michelle Obama Library, 5870 Atlantic Ave. That location will include the same boarding and departure schedule.
Editor’s note: this story was updated to include a second pick-up/drop-off location and an updated list of co-hosts.