On Oct. 30, people will march at the National Mall in Washington D.C. at the beckoning of “Daily Show” host Jon Stewart; Stephen Colbert of the “Colbert Report,” will host “Keep Fear Alive,” a counter-rally; and satellite rallies will occur in dozens of other cities, including Los Angeles.
The L.A. rally organizers hope comedians, speakers and a large LED screen, for attendees to watch a live feed of events from D.C, will draw the crowds.
So far, over 3,000 joined the Facebook event page for the L.A. rally.
Initial plans to hold the rally in Pershing Square, a park in downtown L.A., fell through, due to a scheduling conflict, said Andrea Epstein, a spokesperson for the L.A. City Department of Recreation and Parks, which, in addition to Pershing, runs approximately 400 facilities.
The department staff said they offered to help the L.A. rally organizers find another venue, but the rally organizers declined assistance, Epstein said.
The event organizers – Amy Lee and Ashley Wright – were not available for comment. A post on the Facebook page for the L.A. rally explains that while Pershing Square is out, another venue will be found as soon as possible.
$16,000 is needed in funding. The current donation total is $4,860, according to a Wednesday update on the Facebook page.
L.A. resident Linda Kasoff donated to the cause. “I feel like this event represents me… it encourages a healthy discourse, a more respectful civilized way of expressing ourselves publicly and unifying that I think we need,” she said.
The event, she added, doesn’t feel political. “It feels like a peace event or an anti-war protest where people come together and express what’s important, as opposed to a political event. Sounds very kumbaya when I say it like that, but that’s how I feel.”
