On Saturday afternoon, several local activist groups held a rally in front of Long Beach City Hall, with roughly 100 people in attendence.
Some of the groups that attended the rally included Queers Obliterating White Supremacy, Black Lives Matter Long Beach, and the Democratic Socialists of America Long Beach.
The event was called CommUNITY in Action, and it was in reaction to the controversy around the 2020 presidential election vote. The rally lasted a little more than three hours, during which the attendees experienced rain and hail.
During the early parts of the rain, the rally tried to stay out and near the street to attract the attention of nearby cars, but they would eventually be forced under a building overhang.
Over the three hour event, the rain and wind intensified and then died down, prompting the group to leave the overhang and return to it multiple times. Hail began to fall, leading the group back beneath the overhang. Eventually, the sun again shone and the clouds cleared.
Several speakers on behalf of the organizations showed up to the event.
One of the most prominent speakers was an activist from Black Lives Matter Long Beach, Audrena Redmond.
Redmond made several fiery speeches during the event.
“This is your country, whether you were born here… or whether citizenship is not available to you yet,” she said. “Our politics are solidarity.”
Redmond eventually declared the mission statement and why they rallied that day.
“We are here because we appreciate accountability. We are going to be holding our elected officials accountable,” said Redmond.
Several protestors at the rally also gave their thoughts on the election.
A protester named Jackie Pensla commented on President Trump’s accusations of election tampering.
“They’re without merit. If there’s evidence of election fraud, then show it,” Pensla said.
Pensla had also been to previous rallies, participating in the George Floyd protests.
Mike Belous, a Black Lives Matter Long Beach volunteer, said, “Given how thorough the process is, I have faith that the votes are above the margin of recount.”
Belous said that he considered volunteering at the rally to be “volunteering for the country,” noting that “48% of the country voted for fascism.”
During the event, several people held up signs which said phrases such as, “Defend each other” and “Defend democracy.”
There were also larger signs that said “Defund LBPD.” One individual had a Black Lives Matter flag attached to the back of their bike.
After the speakers gave their speeches and the weather calmed, attendees threw a brief dance party in front of City Hall, beginning with “FDT,” by YG & Nipsey Hussle.