9 arrested at Walmart protest

PARAMOUNT - Nine people were arrested for blocking traffic at a protest in front of the Walmart in Paramount last week.More than a thousand protestors arrived at the Walmart by 10:40 a.m. last Friday, demanding higher wages from the retail giant. At about 11:40 a.m., hundreds of protestors walked out onto Lakewood Boulevard, stopping traffic. About five minutes later, Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies ordered the crowd to disperse. Nearly all of the protestors left the street, except for nine who sat down in the street. They were arrested without incident. Sheriff's officials said protestors had told deputies of their plans to get arrested. About 40 deputies were on-hand for the protest, along with Downey Police Department officers who helped direct traffic. "Members of the public chose to exercise their constitutional rights to free speech and assembly," said Lt. Minh Dinh of the Lakewood Sheriff's Station. "Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies were on scene to facilitate those rights, as well as the rights of the shoppers to shop, and travelers to drive down the street...This was a peaceful protest."

********** Published: November 29, 2012 - Volume 11 - Issue 33