Protests and Demonstrations

Straight Outta Syria

Orange County is home to growing numbers of refugees from that country's growing civil war

Group Plans To Protest Arab American Festival in Garden Grove This Weekend Because Founder Supports Syrian Dictator

Local Syrian activists are planning a protest against the 17th annual Arab American Day Festival in Garden Grove because they claim its founder's Arabic-language newspaper supports Syrian ruler Bashar Al-Assad's regime, which has cracked down on pro-democracy protesters in a brutal conflict that has ... More >>

Alone and Unoccupied

[Ask Exene] We've all been ruined by the government, the media and . . . sodium fluoride?

What Next, Anaheim?

Click here for our Anaheim police shooting archivesLess than two weeks after Anaheim police shot and killed unarmed 24-year-old Manuel Diaz, it's starting to look (from the outside at least) as if the resulting wave of civic anger unleashed on the neighborhoods north of Disneyland has subsided. Whil ... More >>

[UPDATE: VIDEO PROOF] Was There a Police Plant at the Anaheim Protests Who Threw Bottles at Officers to Incite a Riot?

Click here for our Anaheim police shooting archivesGo to the end of this post for the latest... ORIGINAL POST, JULY 27, 10:26 A.M.: Facebook is currently abuzz with members of Kelly's Army who were at the Anaheim protest on Tuesday alleging that they caught a police plant.According to onlookers ... More >>

Anonymous Publishes Home Address of Anaheim Police Chief John Welters in Preparation for "Operation Anaheim"

Click here for our Anaheim police shooting archivesTomorrow, protests are being planned across the country in solidarity with the protests against police brutality and city council incompetence that has plagued Anaheim for a good decade. On Sunday, there are at least THREE scheduled protests: one or ... More >>

Police Protests in Anaheim Last Night Echo the Citrus War of Yesteryear

Click here for our Anaheim police shooting archivesAs more than a thousand protestors clashed in Anaheim with police in the streets below, several helicopters hovered above the night's sky while Disneyland's fireworks exploded in air, oblivious to it all. The juxtaposition between the virtual and re ... More >>

March and Rally on 'Day of the Janitor' in Irvine Demands Workers' Rights

Janitors in Orange County will mark an important anniversary in labor history by continuing la lucha. Back in the day, on June 15, 1990, a peaceful protest by those who keep offices and properties clean for a living was repressed by la chota in Los Angeles, garnering worldwide sympathy for their dem ... More >>

[UPDATED with Occupy vs. Tea Party results] Mitt Romney Cruising into Newport Beach For Friday Fundraiser!

Both Occupy and pro-Ron Paul protesters were on hand outside of the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach for a Mitt Romney fundraiser. Members of Occupy Orange County organized a Billionaires for Mitt Romney demonstration, encouraging participants to dress up and act like the 1%, as Occupy protesters ha ... More >>

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher on Peeing

​In the 1990s, Congressman Dana Rohrabacher lobbied in Washington, D.C. on behalf of the Taliban at the exact time it harbored international criminal Osama bin Laden before the 9-11 terrorist attacks.Rohrabacher felt comfortable asserting in public that the American news media had unfairly smeared ... More >>

Calvary Chapels in Gardena, Downey Doing Chuck Smith Proud by Trying to Shutter Businesses They Don't Like

​While Calvary Chapel founder Chuck Smith battles lung cancer, he no doubts take solace in know that his acolytes are continuing the movement's raison d'etre (besides gay bashing, of course): being moralistic NIMBYers.The big story right now involves Calvary Chapel South Bay, located in Gardena. T ... More >>

Occupy OC Protesters Duped For Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's Orange County Event

​About 50 liberal Orange County activists protested a Republican event here tonight for Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, but rallied at the wrong location.The error wasn't necessarily the activists' fault. The Walker event was scheduled for the private, Newport Beach offices of Orange County Republica ... More >>

[UPDATED with UCI Chief "Appalled":] UC Protesters Get Help From Above to Stop Campus Cops' Baton Jabs and Pepper Spraying

​UPDATE, NOV. 23, 10:24 A.M.: UC Irvine Chancellor Michael Drake has issued a statement where he says that he is "appalled" by the police response to peaceful demonstrators on other campuses as witnessed in recent YouTube videos. The brutal actions violate UC policies, procedures and the sense of ... More >>

Hazem Chehabi, Syrian Consul General and UCI Foundation Chairman, Draws Another Protest

UCI.edu2010 UCI Medal Award winners Salma and Hazem Chehabi​After a few months of monitoring and protesting against the Syrian government's mistreatment of its own citizens, some Southern California Syrians are turning their ire back at Newport Beach radiologist and philanthropist Dr. Hazem Cheha ... More >>

Four Arrested at Occupy Orange County Santa Ana For Camping

Kevin Liu/OC Weekly​UPDATE: We've got images from the protest earlier today. Click to see the slideshow.We've got the names of the four protesters arrested for camping out in the name of Occupy OC at Ronald Reagan Federal Courthouse: Iraq war vet Anthony Velloza, Shay Palmer, Timothy Craven, Osama ... More >>

[UPDATED: Santa Ana Police Respond to Camping Request] Occupy Orange County in Santa Ana Tomorrow

Update, October 21, 7:50 P.M.:  The Santa Ana Police Department sent out a press release this evening stating that Occupy Orange County protesters won't be able to camp on city property. The release states that though the police will continue to work with protesters to ensure their first amendm ... More >>

Occupy OC Plays the Percentages

[Moxley Confidential] Even Orange County has far more 99 percenters than 1 percenters. Can Occupy OC be part of effecting real change?

Lawyers Guild Offers Assistance to Occupy Protest Groups

National Lawyers Guild​Assemble the lawyers: The Mass Defense Committee of the National Lawyers Guild sent out a press release this morning announcing their intentions to help Occupy groups in what co chair Mara Verheyden-Hilliard called "The single largest support effort for protesters since the ... More >>

Santa Ana Police Threaten Occupy Activists with Arrest

​That whole "occupy" part of Occupy Santa Ana is proving to be a bit difficult. Santa Ana Police officials and City Attorney Teresa Judd met with members of Occupy Santa Ana yesterday and informed them that the municipal code doesn't allow camping on city property. The group initially planned to o ... More >>

Orange County Labor Federation Keeps Protests Rolling

OC Labor Federation Official Flickr​The Register has reported yet another protest against the banking industry was held at the Chase branch located on Lincoln Ave. and Harbor Blvd. in Anaheim yesterday. The group of approximately 75 people, organized by the Orange County Labor Federation, rallied ... More >>

Protesters Disrupt Bankers Meeting at Balboa Club

​The LA Times is reporting that protesters disrupted a bankers conference held at a Newport Beach yacht club on Monday. According to Sgt. Steve Burdette, Newport Beach Police responded to the Balboa Bay Club Monday at 10 A.M., where a large group of protesters with a campaign known as ReFund Calif ... More >>

Kelly's Army Strong

The eclectic mix of protesters demanding justice for Kelly Thomas still has battles to fight, even after two officers were charged in his death

[UPDATED with UCI Nixing Meeting:] Dr. Hazem Chehabi Urged to Cut Ties With Syria's Brutal Regime or Step Down From UC Irvine Foundation Board

​UPDATE, JULY 8, 5:25 P.M.: Syrian freedom activists say that when they protested at UC Irvine the morning of June 9, a campus official promised a future meeting with an associate chancellor to discuss what they consider a troubling relationship between Syria's brutal regime and Dr. Hazem Chehabi, ... More >>

[UPDATED with UCI Promising Meeting:] Dr. Hazem Chehabi Urged to Cut Ties With Syria's Brutal Regime or Step Down From UC Irvine Foundation Board

​UPDATE, JUNE 9, 4:31 P.M.: This morning's rally at UC Irvine targeting Dr. Hazem H. Chehabi--the UCI Foundation's president-elect, Syria's honorary consul general in Newport Beach and a prominent Orange County philanthropist and nuclear medicine specialist--went "smooth," according to an organize ... More >>

Avalon Bar's Anti-Sobriety Protest Friday Night

Ryan Ritchie​Lest anyone think the cops don't know what's happening on the streets, read this: Avalon Bar's anti-sobriety protest was slated to begin at 9 p.m. Friday. And it did. By 9:05, there were four people holding signs that read stuff like "There's a party in my pants" and "I'm drunk." Ther ... More >>

Feminist Activists Shout Down Santa Ana's Santora Arts Building During Artwalk

Carla Zarate​As people strolled down Sycamore Street for Saturday's Santa Ana Artists Village Artwalk, they were greeted by the spectacle of a squared circle and Lucha Libre. After 8 p.m. on Broadway in front of the Santora Arts Building, onlookers happened upon a much different scene of la lucha ... More >>

Supreme Court Rules for Reverend Fred Phelps' 'God Hates Fags' Picketing Outside Military Funerals

​The Reverend Fred Phelps' God-Hates-Faggetry that plays out outside military funerals, political conventions and Rent productions at Corona del Mar High School won U.S. Supreme Court protection this morning.Justices voted 8-1 to uphold an appeals-court ruling that threw out a $5 million judgment ... More >>

Seal Beach Neighbors to Protest BP and Arco

​Residents of the Bridgeport neighborhood in Seal Beach have previously warned those living along the Gulf of Mexico shoreline that they may have a long wait before British Petroluem (BP) cleans up its oily mess. The Orange Countians know because they have been fighting BP for years over contamina ... More >>

Joe Arpaio Visits Santa Ana Cholo Bar, Gets Protested, Ducks OC Weekly Questions!

Photo by Beth StirnamanArpayaso, CCIR head witch Barbara Coe, and Hunt: Who is the biggest clown?​The big protest against Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio--in town because OC sheriff's candidate Bill Hunt has a massive man-crush on America's Most-Corrupt Sheriff--is supposed to be happening outs ... More >>

Dueling Protests: Two Groups Picket OC Superior Court

Christopher Victorio​Two groups with quite different agendas but upset at the same thing--Orange County's justice system-- joined forces today at OC Superior Court in Santa Ana, carrying signs and chanting slogans in an effort to alert the public to problems inside OC's main courthouse. In front o ... More >>

Healthcare Workers to Protest Job Cuts at Kaiser Orange County

Coming to Anaheim Thursday.​Kaiser Permanente employees will picket outside the Kaiser Orange County facility Thursday to protest the health behemoth's plans to slash 1,350 jobs in coming months.Kaiser workers in purple shirts are scheduled to chant, carry signs and speak with patients about the e ... More >>

Sanchez Navigates I've-Got-Mines to Get to Newport Beach Cash

Sanchez: Slummin'.Following the lead of politicians of every stripe, Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Garden Grove) swooped down on GOP-friendly Newport Beach Tuesday morning to blab, push cold eggs around her plate and, most importantly, pick up hard campaign cash at the Balboa Bay Clu ... More >>

Little Gaza Protest: the More Things Don't Change

Here is a photo from the protest at the "Little Gaza" area of Brookhurst Street over Israel's violent actions against Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip.But here's the twist: photographer S. Twair did not snap the shot during Sunday's demonstration, which drew about 200 people over four hours pro ... More >>

[Election 2008] Ron Kovic's War on War

Live Review: Ludacris on 02/23

Review, video and photos by Patrick Chavis. Ludacris, Pacific Division Walter Pyramid, Cal State University Long Beach February 23, 2008 A night of protests, hos and intellectual conversation in the LBC: isn’t that what hip-hop’s all about? The opening act—Pacific Division from Palmdale, ... More >>

Conviction Overturned for OC's Most Famous Anarchist

Three years ago, Orange County's most famous anarchist pleaded no contest to several felonies relating to his alleged attempt to blow up La Habra's Moose Lodge in 2002. On Wednesday, the California Supreme Court overturned Matthew Gordon "Rampage" Lamont's conviction, arguing that police violated La ... More >>

Red Scare in Little Saigon

Le Vu's Viet Weekly newspaper endures OC's latest anti-communist witch-hunt

'D-port! D-port! D-port!'

Illegal immigrants, legal immigrants, minutemen, and anarchist ninjas all gathered together, and the American flag was more popular than on the Fourth of July. The May Day rally and march in downtown Santa Ana drew a crowd of between 1,000 and 3,000 people, according to a police estimate. Cops on h ... More >>

Over Their Heads

I was at Fascist Island for this morning's MoveOn.organized protest against John Campbell (R-Irvine Company), and I noticed a sign hanging high above the Atrium Court's lower parking lot. DE SIGN AIN'T WITHIN REACH I giggled all morning. Anyone else know ridiculous signage in and around Orange C ... More >>

Gustavo Ally? Gustavo Allah? Gustavo Ay-yay?

Someone from OC Weekly is going to be on the KTLA Morning News in a few seconds. But based on how the anchors were mangling his name during their Mexican student protest stories, it's Gustavo Ari-, Allay-, Ali- or Ely-ano, -uno, -eenie, -meenie, -mano. Whoever the hell he is, he writes Ask-A-Mexican ... More >>

Razin' La Raza

Whether posing as protesters or cutting off speeches, OC police clamp down on immigrant-rights activists

Apples and Oranges

Pringle to convention protesters: Bring it on

Is There Something Wrong With These People?

Chapman University janitors stage one-day strike

No Food to Free Willy

Eco-activist fasts 31 days to protest Navy sonar linked to sea-mammal deaths

Black and Blue and Orange

Demonstrator says May Day violence was the result of police misconduct

Working for Beans

Demo at Diedrich Coffee is no Battle in Seattle

Good Times

Remembering the days when gay clubs were cool with everybody!

The Few, the Proud, the Spies

Spying on civilians was part of El Toros mission

Hearts and Blinders

The propaganda war continues in Little Saigon

Letters