LOS ANGELES- On a Friday afternoon of Oct. 10, crowds of people arrived beside Wilshire Boulevard at the peak of 3:00 p.m., each marching to the beat of the drum. They pranced back and forth on the sidewalk, waving flags, heated debates filled the air at the Israel Consulate.
In part to CodePink: Women for Peace. A national non-profit charity with 501(c)(3) tax exempt status feminist grassroots organization working to end U.S. warfare and imperialism, support peace and human rights initiatives, and redirect resources into healthcare, education, and green jobs.
“Code Pink weekly demonstrations have been going on for over a year. We showed up very visibility to be a peace message for peace. The media didn’t allow it. They were carrying Propaganda,” said Code Pink Co-Founder Jodie Evans.
All the organization wanted was “Liberation for all Palestinians. Israel pay for crimes against humanity. Core is ending war.” The demonstration originally started out as a few people after Oct. 7, 2023, and had grown into a regular gathering for individuals. “This community built a lot of organizations to build peace. People watched social media. Gets hell in the heart,” said Evans.
In this moment, she motions her fellow comrades to line up in a circular shield surrounding myself, and herself has some of the Pro-Isreal protesters started to shout louder, walking closer to Code-Pink’s turf. “Everyone protects each other,” Evans said. But nothing angers them more than the mere sight of the Isreal Consulate — Evans calling it a “Symbol of Genocide” — making protesters like herself “Mean and angry”. The core principals are ending the war even with a fragile truce between the two nations of Israel and Palestine.
Yet while some aren’t optimistic about the peace treaty, others have hope. “Really appreciate what’s President Trump has done,” said Sophie Sela, a pro-Israel supporter with an American citizen with dual citizenship in Isreal. She comes out every Friday when she’s off work, protesting on behalf of her fellow supporters during Shabbat.
Alongside Freddy, giving any onlookers facts “Palestine was named by the Romans.” Even through the amount of hate she received, Sela is determined to make her voice heard. “It gets tiresome protesting for two years.”
“I don’t want death of Palestinians, I Believe in two state solution which has been offered multiple times.” said Sela.
