Demille Halliburton set up a running club 10 years ago to bring together residents of its South Los Angeles neighborhood.
On Saturday, he and several club members joined hundreds of other Angelenos, opposing the ice, bypassing the heart of the city, calling for an end to the attack on the lifespan of immigrants.
Halliburton, 61, said: “We have been trying to find a way to share our current frustration with what’s going on in the country so as not to be seen and outspoken.
Runners jogged 15 miles in the hot sun, through communities that took place or were important to immigration, from sidewalk vendors in the streets and MacArthur Park to Dodge Stadium, to historic masses in Chinatown, fashion districts and the city, occupying several groups that were cut off, and runners expressed a mixture of anger, heartache and contempt in the hot sun.
Participants in the face of Ice Riscorance Relay, a 15-mile running route from Koreatown to Placita Olvera, through the urban area’s community rebuilding areas and the recent ice raids, including on Saturday, July 5, 2025 at Ambiance Apparel in the Fashion District.
Halliburton's running club member Gabriel Golden said he was worried that Los Angeles and the nation had reached boiling point because of the aggressiveness of the raids, and the racial profile he believed was like Latino people, identifying targets for detention and deportation just like federal agents.
“It's really scary and unacceptable,” said Golden, a musician, 42. “One of the initial raids was at Home Depot, where I worked near MacArthur Park.”
Even if he was not personally affected by the raid, American citizen Golden, is Half Guatemalan, who said he has a duty to stand up for those detained and loved ones and let them know that they are not alone.
Friends and colleagues have been asking about his condition and urging him to carry his passport with him to prove he is a citizen just in case. But Golden refused to do so, not in principle.
Joggers wear white “with ice” t-shirts – some waving our flag, Mexican flag or banner, combining the two – head to MacArthur Park, head to Echo Park and Dodger Stadium. At Home Depot in MacArthur Park, several onlookers stood up and patted, shouting “Viva in Mexico” and reached out to give the five feet and fists a bump.
After Dodger Stadium, runners pass through Chinatown, pass through Dichatown, head toward the Town Hall, stop in front of the iconic building, extending for a long time to the fashion district and the pinnacle market of Olympic Boulevard.
1. Participants waved the national flag as they passed the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles. 2. Hundreds of runners completed 15 miles of running. 3. A tableware manufacturer at Home Depot on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles is watching runners pass by. 4. A man holding a shirt reads “With Ice” in front of the Metropolitan Detention Center.
Businessmen stop to sell Piñatas, Street Food and Aquas Frescas to take pictures of runners and cheer them on. Runners stopped traffic and motorists participated in the celebrations and honked their horns to support them.
The final stretch passed through the detention center, which has become an almost sacred place for protesters here, where these protesters protested and held alert, including SEIU labor organizers, immigration rights advocates and faith leaders who united to plan a run.
The day before, July 4, the ICE continued its ongoing operations and so far has been rounded in Southern California’s deportations.
In West Hollywood, video footage aired by NBC 4-LA showed hockey agents showing Friday morning in the bulletproof vest in the Santa Palm Room car wash. Two other workers told The Times that two people who had worked on a car wash for decades were detained.
Relay participant Anabella Armas waved the Mexican flag in front of the National Guard during a stop at the Metropolitan Detention Center.
“In a day that aims to respect freedom, democracy and freedom from oppression, we are facing an unsettling reminder of the federal transcendence,” West Hollywood officials said in a statement on the city's website.
Federal agents detained a food supplier in front of the target of Eagle Rock Boulevard on Friday, according to videos shared on live social media. Birria stalls are a long-time favorite staple in Eagle Rock, Highland Park and the Glassell Park neighborhoods. The supplier's brother founded GoFundMe raised over $16,000 overnight, hiring lawyers and supporting the supplier's three children.
Similarly, on Friday, Galaxy football fans left the owner’s public support for immigration and the majority of Latino fans.
An official said the Los Angeles Police Department arrested five people in an anti-immigrant law enforcement demonstration in the downtown area on Friday.
During Saturday's race, Laura Solis said that everyone who shouted “thank you” was shocked by her as she, her 16-year-old daughter and other tired runners passed along the route.
A 15-mile runner passed the Sixth Street Bridge on Saturday, July 5, 2025.
“'Thank you' what?” Solis, 38, said Torrance residents stared at the firm stone facade of the detention center with slender prison windows. “It makes me feel a little uncomfortable, compared to the suffering that these people have experienced in them. Want a better life – that's their crime.”
Colleen Shalby, an era worker, contributed to the report.
