It was a damp morning with streaks of orange sunshine creeping in between the grey clouds scattered across the sky. This chilling image transcended down the spines of the occupants of Los Angeles City Hall “Council Chamber.” This Los Angeles City Council meeting proved to be dramatic; they were hit with powerful rhetoric delivered by protesting speakers.

The first to turn heads was the political movement, RISE. RISE was put into place to shift the political spotlight towards immigrant rights. One member, a Latina who looked to be in her sixties, wore a red varsity jacket that read on the back, “Justice For Janitors.” There was also a husky Latino man in his thirties. He wore a black beanie, blue jeans and a black and beige Serape. Currently, RISE is taking advantage of the voting season with their latest action, “Fast For Our Future.” “We are on a hunger strike right now and we’re not eating, only drinking water,” Margaret Johnson a member of the group also on strike, told me before the meeting. “We’re taking on a personal sacrifice to show our commitment to the cause.”

Five out of the roughly 20 members were in wheelchairs. “This is day seventeen of the hunger strike,” Johnson said, flashing a makeshift badge with the number, “17,” made of yellow construction paper, wrapped around her neck. “Some people are a little bit weaker.”

Frank Romero took the podium. When he spoke, there was a slight faintness in his voice. It was telling of his pain. Despite this, his oratorical presence was resounding.

Romero mentioned that not only council, but also the public, has failed balancing their attention to immigrant rights. He suggested that the issue is forgotten this voting season. “Why are we voting when our concerns and grievances are not addressed?” He then continued uttering the famous quote, “Hoy marchamos, mañana votamos,” which translates to “Today we march, tomorrow we vote.”

Concluding his speech, Romero countered the protest-first, vote-later philosophy he touched on. He urged Latinos and Latinas to gain attention by voting, rather than resorting to protests. He condemned the past “May Day” disasters that erupted outside the building he spoke in. “We’re asking people in our community, in numbers, to go out and vote."

After Romero’s statement, Councilman Ed P. Reyes stood and acknowledged the group and the issue. Reyes thanked the strikers for their “courage,” and “raising this issue to the level that it needs to be.” There was an applause from the audience after every member’s time at the mic.

John Walsh, a Hollywood preservationist activist, also delivered emotive words. He took the podium twice during the meeting. Unwavering, he uninhibitedly jerked his arms irately when he spoke. The urgent tone of his voice, echoing throughout the cathedral-like Council Chamber, was electrifying.

Walsh first reviled the recent demolition of the historic Universal Pictures Building at the famous Hollywood and Vine intersection. “I am sickened,” he said of the demolition. The building was abandoned from an unsolved April arson fire. He singled out Councilman Eric Garcetti, whose district contains the Hollywood locality. Walsh looked straight into Garcetti’s eyes. He did this with such conviction to where Garcetti interjected, asking him to “speak to the whole council.” He complied with Garcetti’s order and blasted the entire city council. “You’re all guilty.” However, the city council was inattentive. Few of them were in their chairs. He further attacked Garcetti, referring to him as “Eric, the demolisher.” He continued his speech past the buzzer of the two-minute time limit and was cut off by Garcetti. “I ask everyone-all the media-to come here and see the rubble of that building built by Universal Pictures in 1931.” He dubbed it, “the beginning of the demolition of Hollywood .”

Walsh lives in the Hollywood district, next to the Capital Records building. In round two, Walsh scorned the city council on the lack of attention given to drug and gang activity on Hollywood Blvd. “Do not go on Hollywood Blvd. after dark! The gangs are running out of control,” he warned the audience with a flaming tone. He also mentioned the drug sales. He balked at the idea of another “star” on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, claiming that the city has been “wasting money.” He, again, looked directly in the eyes of Garcetti. Garcetti’s attention frequently veered. After five, minutes into his speech, there was a whispering that had arisen amongst the council. He also claimed that “two gangs” and “drug dealers” run Hollywood Blvd. He ended with a warning that he would be “murdered” if he mentioned the name of the drug dealers or gangs, if not for the little information he already disclosed.