‘My obligation is to pay the rent’

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Luis Aranda, a 50-year-old owner of a 99 Cents storenear Broadway and 8th, found his business flanked on both sides by more than a dozen shuttered store fronts.

But the Argentia-native resolved to keep his four-month-old business open, even as demonstrators marched by.

‘I’m in favor of the march, but my obligation is to pay the rent,’ said Aranda, who stood behind the counter, peering out the window for potential customers. ‘My sales will be 50 percent less today.’

Raul Villa Lopez was not eager to close up his green, outdoor newsstand either, but at 9 a.m. he did -- out of respect for the marchers.

‘This doesn’t happen everyday,’ said Villa, a Los Angeles native. ‘If they respect the laws, I’ll respect them.’

-Tony Barboza and Broadway