On view in “Life, Liberty, Los Angeles” at The Autry Museum of the American West

Artist Phil Dike depicts over a hundred Angelenos gathered in La Plaza, from mothers and children to preachers and protesters, sailors and workers. His painting captured La Plaza’s importance as a civic landscape. In 1909, the City Council passed an ordinance banning public speech on city streets in an effort to curb labor and radical protests. The city exempted La Plaza from the law, allowing it to serve as the city’s free speech zone. As a result, the site became an important place of protest and host to radical speeches, woman’s suffrage rallies, and labor demonstrations.