May Day: Thousands hit the streets for rally, march from MacArthur Park to DTLA

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Thousands of people hit the streets of Los Angeles Friday morning to mark International Workers' Day, also known as May Day.

The large crowd gathered for a rally at MacArthur and then began marching toward Grand Park in downtown Los Angeles, where another rally was expected to be held.

This year's theme is "Solo el Pueblo Shuts It Down!," with the rights of workers and immigrants being the focus of demonstrations nationwide.

"That's because we're the workers. We're the ones that run this city. Without us, these companies wouldn't have anything," said Erika Schwerdt with the nonprofit Strength Based Community Change. "It's important to remember that May Day is the reason why we have an 8-hour work day."

Organizers are urging people to skip work, school or shopping in solidarity.

"We want to support our community with an economy that works for everyone. We want to make sure that billionaires are taxed so that we provide for social structures that are needed like education, healthcare, community support," Schwerdt added.