The colorful event included lion dancers, bicyclists and a rally under Chinatown’s dragon gates, headlined by Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello.
Many said they came to protest against the proposed store while others said they came to decry what they said were Wal-Mart’s low wages and union-busting attempts.
“This historic neighborhood will be utterly gutted if Wal-Mart comes here,” Morello told The Associated Press about the prospects of the retail giant driving smaller stores in Chinatown out of business.
“It’s Wal-Mart’s global policy of sweatshop labor and poverty level wages that we don’t need in LA,” he said.
Wal-Mart began construction this week with plans to open the store next year.
More July 4 news from The People’s Record, catching up on the last week of protest and leftist news.
