Villanueva campaign event at Olvera Street ends abruptly after protesters shout down sheriff
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva abruptly ended a campaign appearance at Olvera Street in downtown L.A. on Friday afternoon after being shouted down by protesters, some of whom later confronted City Councilman Kevin de León nearby.
Villanueva, who is running for reelection as sheriff, had been scheduled to speak at the noon press conference along with elected officials who support his "efforts to reduce crime and homelessness," according to a statement from his campaign.
"Olvera Street was left to become a homeless encampment but under Sheriff Villanueva's leadership, it was restored in just three weeks using the HOST (Homeless Outreach Services Team) model and secured housing placements for the unhoused," the news release said.
After being preceded at a microphone by 10 consecutive speakers, including former L.A. County District Attorney Steve Cooley, Villanueva began his remarks in Spanish by saying, "Si se puede," or "Yes, it can be done."
Protesters immediately began shouting, prompting the sheriff to pause before saying, "Well, let's ignore that and let's keep talking."
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One of Villanueva's supporters then took to the microphone and said, apparently in jest, "We asked for five protesters but they could only bring us three."
Other supporters then broke into a chant: "Villanueva! Villanueva!" However, the sheriff's opponents were not deterred. Some of them tried to approach Villanueva but were blocked by several men. Whether those men were private security officials or plainclothes LASD deputies was unclear.
After several minutes of shouting by the activists, Villanueva decided to end the campaign event when it became clear his remarks would not be heard without interruption.
WATCH: Full exchange between protestors and Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva
He later encountered Kevin de León, who apparently happened to be at Olvera Street for a separate event.
Some of the demonstrators who were following Villanueva then turned their attention to the city councilman, closely surrounding him and shouting criticism as he walked toward a waiting car. De León got into the car and was driven away without incident.
No arrests were reported in either incident.
