Demonstrators gather at Cinco Puntos Mexican American War Memorial to protest potential removal of monument
In honor of Memorial Day, veterans and military members stood guard over the Mexican American War Memorial in the Cinco Puntos area of East Los Angeles for 24-hours beginning Saturday morning.
As they stood guard to remember the sacrifice those fallen heroes took to serve their country, demonstrators were preparing for a protest of the potential removal of their beloved landmark, which has stood in the area for 75 years.
In a press release, organizers stated that the proposal to turn the area into a roundabout is a "travesty and an obvious effort to hijack and convert the area to something it was never intended to be. Instead, Morin Memorial Square was consecrated to veterans in 1947 as a tribute to our Mexican-American heroes and should not be tampered with."
"The anti-Mexican hate crime that's happening. They're trying to say that it's going to improve the intersection," said Sofia Quinones of the East L.A. Boyle Heights Coalition.
The memorial, which stands at 3300 Cesar E. Chavez Avenue in the Boyle Heights neighborhood, was surrounded by protestors who gathered to denounce the proposal.
Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard was a planned speaker at Monday's event, which would be her last as a member of the House of Representatives before her retirement at the end of the term.
Los Angeles Mayoral Candidate and City Councilman Kevin de Leon offered a varying perspective on Instagram, stating that the tribute deserves improvement "to reflect dignity our heroes deserve. We need a safer intersection to eliminate dangers to pedestrians and drivers. The proposed project to create a roundabout will revitalize the memorial there today giving our veterans the recognition and admiration they earned."
Opponents are upset the memorial will honor Mexican-Americans who served in all wars — not specifically World War II, Vietnam and Korean wars, as it stands now.
