Members Of Watts Community March To Protest Illegal Marijuana Dispensary
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Dozens of members of the Watts community came together to march in unity on Sunday hoping to pave a better path for their neighborhood.
The group is protesting a medical marijuana dispensary in the area, as they say it brings illegal activity to the area.
"You see people around smoking and doing drugs right in front of you," neighbor Giovanna Elizalde said.
Elizalde is just 16-years-old, and is exactly what this community and protesters are trying to protect.
Many in the area say they have seen illegal activities outside in the year this business has been here, and police say robberies have increased.
The march was organized by two different churches, who say that they aren't against medical marijuana, just against this store.
The LAPD was also on hand to help block the street for the community to protest. Officers say say just raided the dispensary on Friday, and confirmed it was an illegal operation.
Despite several arrests, the dispensary reopened the next morning.
"There's a lot of times a judge issues a small fine, and they are out there the next day. The dispensary is making $20,000 a day in profit," Senior LAPD officer Robert Yanis said.
Despite an attempt at a counter protest, things went smoothly and this group the owner and lawmakers get the message.