A May Day of protests, disruptions in Philadelphia
Various groups with different issues are taking to the streets.
It's May Day and a number of protests are taking place around Philadelphia.
Those protesting include Philadelphia public school teachers, immigrants, union members, Temple University students and anarchists. Most of them headed to City Hall, disrupting traffic in Center City.
The teachers shut down part of North Broad Street Monday to protest their continued lack of contract.
About 1,000 Philadelphia School District teachers did not report for work, many of them taking personal time to highlight what they say are unfair working conditions.
The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, which did not sponsor or sanction the action, is planning a rally later Monday. The PFT has not had a contract for nearly four years; teachers have gone without a raise for nearly five.
Just before 11 a.m., that group boarded buses to City Hall to join up with Juntos, an immigrant rights group, for a noon rally.
About the same time, more than 250 immigrant rights supporters set off from a park in South Philadelphia around for the rally at City Hall.
Janet Giorla, 69 of South Philadelphia, was among them.
She said the rising anti-immigrant rhetoric in the country right now is why she turned out.
"This is probably one of the most important marches I'll ever go on," she said. "This is not the country I grew up in."
The crowd included members of Juntos, the South Philadelphia immigrant advocacy group, and members of the Black and Brown Workers Collective. Collective organizer Abdul Aliy Muhammad said there is a natural affinity between his group and the immigrants because both say they are unfairly profiled and surveilled by law enforcement.
"We're here to disrupt the narrative that wants to keep us siloed," he said.
Temple University students and professors walked out of classes at 10 a.m. to demand that college declare itself a sanctuary campus. The protest is organized by the Temple Asociación de Estudiantes Latinos (AdEL), Temple Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance (FMLA), and 15 Now Temple University.
The protesters demand the school cut ties with all law enforcement agencies that collaborate with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and prohibit campus police from inquiring about immigration status, according to their statement.
About 11 a.m., Philadelphia police reported another group of protesters wearing black masks and clothing and carrying "Anti-Fascist Faction" group flags near Market and Sixth Streets. The group then marched to City Hall.
May Day, which is also known as International Worker's Day, has generated protests around the globe in past years highlighting workers' rights. This year, many of the protests are taking issue with the Trump administration's policies, USAToday reported.