In response to anti-vaccine protesters briefly shutting down a mass COVID-19 vaccination site at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles this weekend, State Sen. Richard Pan, D-Sacramento, says those seeking to prevent the distribution of vaccines must be held accountable.
Pan, a long-time vaccine proponent, says the protesters' behavior is part of an escalating pattern.
“Even before COVID, anti-vaccine extremists issued death threats, tried to bully legislators, finally ending up with an assault on the streets upon myself, and blood being thrown in the Senate chambers," Pan said Monday.
Californians should be able to safely access vaccination sites, and new laws may have to be drafted if enough legal protection isn't currently offered, Pan says.
The protesters in Los Angeles stalled hundreds of motorists who had already spent hours waiting in line for vaccinations.
The Los Angeles Fire Department shut the entrance to the stadium as a precaution at about 2 p.m. Saturday after it was blocked by a few dozen demonstrators, officials told the Los Angeles Times.
The protest included members of anti-vaccine and far-right groups, the Times reported. Some of the marchers carried signs denouncing the COVID-19 vaccine and shouted for people not to get the shots.
“These extremists tried to deny other people their choice to get the vaccine and they want to take away our freedom from this terrible pandemic,” Pan, who's also a pediatrician, said in a statement Sunday. "The fact that over 430,000 Americans have died of COVID is not enough for them as they oppose every effort to slow the disease: masks, testing, physical distancing and vaccines."
The vaccination center, one of the nation's largest, reopened shortly before 3 p.m. Saturday, the Times reported. The site is usually open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday. It was closed as usual on Sunday.
Despite the 55-minute interruption, no appointments were canceled, said Andrea Garcia, a spokeswoman for Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti.
“We remain committed to vaccinating Angelenos as quickly and safely as possible,” Garcia said.
No arrests were made, police said.
“This is completely wrong,” said German Jaquez, who had been waiting for an hour for his vaccination when the stadium’s gates were closed Saturday. He said some of the protesters were telling people in line that the coronavirus is not real and that the vaccine is dangerous.
“Unbelievable,” Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez said on Twitter. “If you don’t want the vaccine fine, but there are millions of Angelenos that do. 16,000 of your neighbors have died, so get out of the way.”
After the site reopened, Gov. Gavin Newsom tweeted: “We will not be deterred or threatened. Dodger Stadium is back up and running.”
A post on social media described the demonstration as the “SCAMDEMIC PROTEST/MARCH.” It advised participants to “please refrain from wearing Trump/MAGA attire as we want our statement to resonate with the sheeple. No flags but informational signs only."