Photo by Tom Andrews.

Photos by Tom Andrews.

Photos by Tom Andrews ~ Click for larger versions.

Those occupying LA were not the only passionate people holding signs in Downtown LA last week. Across the street from Occupy LA, at the state courthouse, a few dozen Michael Jackson supporters are protesting the trial of Conrad Murray and demanding justice for their fallen hero. Tom Andrews was there, these are his photographs. Click for larger images.

Tom Andrews captures some scenes from Occupy LA as the protesters stand strong in the rain earlier this week.

Go Topless in Venice Beach, CA Aug 21, 2011. Photos by Tom Andrews.

From GoTopless.org: On Sunday August 21st, the women and men of Venice Beach will once again join the happy march by the thousands and stand up for women’s right to freely GoTopless! The group will gather at 2PM on Ocean Front Walk at Navy St. There, the women will take off the tops and hide their indecent nipples with latex nipple covers…that look EXACTLY like nipples! you remember them don’t you? We will have them ready for every women who wants to experience going topless as far as the city of Venice will allow her to.

Did you know that in the 1970′s Venice Beach was a nude beach? And now… even a woman’s nipple has become indecent. That’s because our society has become more civilized over time, more family friendly, they tell us. It is difficult to understand how the millions of European children cope on the beach in Europe every summer.

In this demonstration, we invite the men to show what EQUAL RIGHTS truly means. At this moment on Venice Beach women cannot go topless, so in complete constitutional equality, the men will cover their chest as well. Will men with bikini tops look ridiculous? Maybe, but constitutionally, so do women in this double standard legal topless battle.

More info: http://www.gotopless.org/, which is an interesting organization run by the Raelian UFO enthusiast organization, known to some as a free-love cult based in Canada with an interest in human cloning.

According to the Daily Mail, which has additional images and info about the protest:

Cult leader Vorilhon founded the Raelians after a supposed encounter with an alien called Yahweh Elohim in the crater of a French volcano in 1973. Elohim whisked him back to his home planet – where Vorilhon met Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha and Moses, and enjoyed perfumed baths prepared by robot servants. He was informed Christ’s resurrection was made possible by ‘advanced cloning’ methods carried out by extraterrestrials 25,000 years ago using DNA technology.

Hollywood Blvd. as seen this weekend, with almost zero traffic. Click for the larger version. Photo by Tom Andrews.

After 82 years, Molly’s Burgers has closed up shop. Photos by Tom Andrews.

Slutwalk in West Hollywood took place on June 4th in West Hollywood. All images by Tom Andrews.

About Slutwalk

On January 24th, 2011, a representative of the Toronto Police gave a speech in which he stated: “women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized”.

• SlutWalk is not about hate, and we do not use hateful language.
• SlutWalk aims to reclaim the word “slut” and use it in a positive, empowering and respectful way.
• Refer to sexual assault, not solely rape.
• Do not frame sexual assault as something solely done by men to women.
• Women are most often the targets and men are most often the perpetrators, but all genders are affected. SlutWalk recognizes all gender expressions as those that have been and can be negatively impacted. All genders can be sluts or allies.
• Some communities/people are at a higher risk of sexual assault than others based on their status, work, ability, access, race, identity, and a variety of other factors. We aim to recognize this and come together, in all our diversity, as people who are all affected and unite as sluts and allies.
• Use inclusive and respectful language when discussing the diversity of people affected: men/women and all gender expressions, racialized communities, people of different abilities, etc.
• SlutWalk is an impassioned and peaceful stance that aims to engage others in dialogue.

The ALEC piece that you see below went up a few days after Invader left his mark. Make sure to check out Tom Andrews on Flickr, you won’t be disappointed. More shots of Invader in H’wood after the jump.

Hollywood ~ CA

Photo by Tom Andrews