As thousands of protesters at LAX decried the temporary travel ban imposed by President Donald Trump, hundreds of arriving and departing passengers stood waiting on a lower loop virtually devoid of traffic, trying to figure out what to do.
The upper deck was at a complete standstill, but portable signs outside the airport still directed motorists to use the upper deck for both departing and arriving passengers.
The disturbances didn’t hold back many passengers from finding their eventual seats on aircraft, as flights in and out of the airport mostly remained on schedule, LAX officials said.
Hundreds of protesters carried hand-made signs and banners, many of whom had begun to stream away from the Tom Bradley terminal in the late afternoon after a long day of protesting.
Three youths carrying a large banner showing the flags of countries from where people have been banned from coming and going received cheers as they marched down the empty roadway.
Some protesters sang “Amazing Grace,” as the remarkable scene was monitored by a small crew of Los Angeles police officers.
At the traffic light next to terminal 1, airport trucks and barricades kept vehicles from going through into the lower terminal level.
The lower level roadway was closed on Sunday starting at 2 p.m., outside the Tom Bradley International Terminal, which sits between Terminal 3 and Terminal 4, Airport police spokesman Tom Pedregon said. The number 4 lane and the outer curb area of the lower level roadway was reopened by 3 p.m., but airport police urged travelers to arrive early and plan on delays.
The inner curb lanes on the lower arrival level were temporarily blocked for vehicles in front of the Bradley Terminal as thousands of protesters denounced the federal travel ban on some Muslims and throngs of arriving passengers stood waiting on a lower loop that was devoid of traffic.
Airport officials urged motorists to use the upper, Departure Level loop. But traffic on both levels was congested. The upper deck was at times a complete standstill, but portable signs outside the airport still directed motorists to use the upper deck for both departing and arriving passengers.
By 6:30 p.m., the crowd of protesters had shrunk considerably and police were prepared to just wait them out.
That restraint by police was made possible by the fact the crowd was well-behaved and stayed within boundaries allotted to them, according to Pedregon.
“So far there have been no arrests or detainments by officers,” Pedregon said as the crowds began to disperse and traffic congestion — which gridlocked some drivers for as long as two hours — started to dissipate.
–City News Service