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Drivers Licenses, Not War!

California Latino Economic Strike Great Success

By Carlos Montes

Los Angeles, CA - Thousands of Latino workers, students and shopkeepers stayed away from work and school Dec. 12, in support of the statewide Latino Economic Strike. The Latino Economic boycott was called by the Mexican American Political Association and Hermandad Mexicana Latino Americana, with the support of hundreds of other organizations, to protest the repeal of SB 60, the law that allowed undocumented immigrants to get drivers licenses.

The license law was passed in October 2003. It was later repealed by the new Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, under the threat of a right-wing led anti-license initiative.

Large demonstrations were held in San Francisco, San Jose, Fresno, Los Angeles, San Diego and other cities to support the strike. High numbers of students boycotted school from San Diego to Los Angeles to San Jose. Statewide, school districts reported high absentee rates. Los Angeles’s Roosevelt High School in Boyle Heights had over 1700 students absent in support of the strike. 1500 workers at American Apparel, the largest apparel manufacturer in Los Angeles, shut down the plant for the day. Dec. 12 was also selected because it is the day Mexicans worldwide honor the religious Virgin de Guadalupe - the indigenous symbol of resistance to colonization and exploitation.

The successful strike energized the large Latino community throughout California and received wide support in many other states.

Action in East L.A.

The Centro CSO - Community Service Organization - led a march and rally in the heart of Boyle Heights, East Los Angeles, where many small businesses closed for the day. The march and rally was endorsed by Latinos Against War, SEIU Local 660, Roosevelt High School Revolutionary Students, Comite Pro Uno, Casa Bohemia Show on KPFK and L.A. ANSWER.

The march started at Prospect Park with a busting of a piñata of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Mothers, families, workers and students marched, chanting "Yes to licenses, not to war! School not war!" and "Terminate the terminator." The march was met by another group of 300 enthusiastic workers coming from La Placita. All the groups then rallied together and marched to downtown L.A. for another rally.

Another afternoon rally near Roosevelt High School included many more students and teachers who busted another piñata of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, striking a symbolic blow against racism, exploitation and imperialist war. The English and Spanish media covered the events extensively.

Struggle for Licenses

The struggle for licenses has lasted over six years and is an important demand for millions of undocumented workers who need to drive to work and school. Latino communities know too well the hardships of the constant ticketing by police, getting cars impounded and arrests. Latinos already face exploitation and hard racist conditions, including INS and police harassment, low paid jobs and bad living conditions - especially for recent immigrants without residency paperwork.

Finally, with the leadership of Hermandad Mexicana Latino Americana, its president Nativo Lopez and Senator Gil Cedillo (a former SEIU union leader), SB 60 was made into law during the state recall election of November 2003.

But the racist Republican Party and Governor-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger promised to repeal the new SB 60 law.

Under threat of a statewide ballot initiative to permanently outlaw drivers licenses for undocumented workers, an effort led by the right-wing racist Ron Price, Senator Cedillo agreed under pressure to repeal the law, with a verbal agreement for a new stricter version of the driver license legislation to be introduced in early 2004.

Some critics of the law bought the lie that this law would make it easier for terrorists to get identification.

New Power

The Latino and immigrant communities have now sensed the strength of their collective power and are demanding amnesty, legalization and equality, along with the demand for licenses. Moderate groups like CHIRLA (the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles) did not support the Latino Economic Strike.

Activists formed the Organizing Committee of Mexican Organizations, and have planned a major summit for the weekend of March 12-14, at Pitzer College in Los Angeles County. The purpose of the summit is to unite around a plan of action for demands, campaigns and a mass march on October 16, 2004. That date will commemorate the historic 1994, 150,000-person march by Latinos against the racist 187 initiative.

The Latino community is under attack by right-wingers like Ron Price and under constant threats from racist laws and deportations, as we become the scapegoats for the economic crisis and so-called threats of terrorism. But Latinos also have a long history of resistance against racism, war and exploitation. We Latinos will continue to fight back and provide the leadership and organization to build a powerful movement for self-determination!

Come and join us in the fight for equality, democracy and social justice for Latinos and all immigrants. Join us at Centro CSO: Community Service Organization, 511 Echandia Street, Los Angels, Ca 90033, (323) 221-4000, www.newcentrocso.org.



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This article is from the Winter 2004 edition of Fight Back! / ¡Lucha y Resiste! newspaper. The link to this article is http://www.fightbacknews.org/2004/01winter/CAlatinostrike.htm

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Fight Back! / ¡Lucha y Resiste! is a newspaper that builds the people's struggle. We provide coverage and analysis of some of the key battles facing working and low-income people. This article can be reprinted, copied or distributed as long as it is credited to Fight Back!. Contact us at Fight Back!, PO Box 582564, Minneapolis, MN 55440, USA. info@fightbacknews.org http://www.fightbacknews.org

I can not condone the attempts by the California Legislature to grant people who come to our country illegally a drivers license. This is a slap in the face of the millions of immigrants who came here legally. If there is a problem with immigration in this country the proper thing to do is to put pressure on the immigration and naturalization service to change the immigration policies of this country to allow for more flexible immigration. Wholesale amnesty for illegals will flood the already reeling US economy with millions of low skilled workers thus supressing wages across the board. Repealinf SB60 was a great thing to do. If people who come here illegally are rewarded for thier illegal activity it will only encourage more people to disregard our laws. Now I know many on the left believe that illegals are a good thing for our economy, this is far from the truth. Illegals supress wages, you are right when you say no american would take the job these illegals are doing because they are not being paid enough. If there were no illegals to fill those jobs employeers would be forced to pay higher wages to attract law abiding citizens to take these menial jobs. The excuse that illegals are good for the economy is also misleading, illegals are a drain upon our social services, they fill the free clinics, they bring higher crime in the areas where they are to be found and they largely do NOT pay taxes. Our country has a border for a reason, to keep out those who are not supposed to be here, and to establish where our jurisdiction and our laws are enforcable. Many hispanics who came here legally are opposed to illegal immigration because it is not fair. It is not fair to reward those who cut in line. Urge your State legislators to vote no on the new SB 1160. Illegal immigration is a a clear and present danger to our economic vitality and future.

[I posted this to the other article that was a copy of this comment above.]

The reason so many immigrate "illegally" or undocumented is because there is no provision for immigration of semi-skilled labor and unskilled labor. Combine that with the rapid industrialization of mostly rural countries, leading to huge unemployment and depressed wages, and people need to migrate.

Just read the laws. They basically allow rich people, educated people with skills, and well connected people in. There's no "line" for the poor or even the working class of Mexico or China or even Europe to come into America. (Poor huddled masses my ass. Read the laws.)

The laws don't work. They are defective and unrealistic. What's worse, these laws justify calling these people "illegal" and is just a cover for nativist American racism. Why is it that when a bunch of white San Diegans with guns goes to the border with the intent of terrorizing Mexican border crosses, the news barely makes a big deal about it? This behavior is reminiscent of the KKK lynchings fifty years ago.

It's not just racists against them either. I hear a lot of working class people focusing their anger at "illegals" too, including some union people. This is short-sighted thinking, and just leverages racism. The problem is the businesses; they often out the get the cheapest labor with the fewest restrictions. That means someone who not only is poor, but also has no rights. With this "guest worker" program, they become dependent on the company to remain in the country. The business class wants to create a working underclass that doesn't have rights. This is starting to sound like slavery.

And, who hated the black slaves? White trash. The white massa liked the slaves, because slaves made the massa money. White trash were facing competition with them, and the only hope they thought they had was a system of racist laws that put poor whites above poor blacks. Think about that, Randy Grant.

[Abolition Now!]

In response to your comment, I am all in favor of changing the immigration policy to allow for those possessing limited skill to come here to better their lives, I am in favor of streamlinng the process of naturalizing those coming here fleeing from oppressive governments. But the way to do it is not by ignoring the laws, or creating new laws which circumnavigate standing laws, the way to do it is to repeal the old laws and replace them with updated ones that better reflect the realities of today. Granting amesty to those who enter the USA without the permission of the people already here is WRONG. If the USA were a home and our neighbor's wife, tired of an abusive husband, flees to our home for protection, she had better knock on the door, and not sneak in through an open window. And if you really want to discuss whats going on at the border I suggest you realize that Mexican officals have placed a substantial bounty on the head of our border patrol agents, US Border Patrol agents are being shot and killed by Mexican militants. US Citizens whom own land near the border have had their homes and property over ran by illegal immigrants. Illegal immigration allows criminals as well as refugees to enter our nation. This is why its a good idea to have an immigration policy to limit access to our country. The movie Scarface is an excellent example of the troubles illegal immigrantion causes when criminal populations enter this country along with those whom are seeking economic improvement (at the cost of all of us taxpayers) We have enough social ills in our country that need to be fixed before we can fix the problems of the world. And untill we fix our school, our health care, our vastly growing prison population we can't afford to let the teaming masses of latin america in.

That's a racist phrase if I ever heard one. Why not just say "brown peril"?

The immigration laws are substantially unchanged since the 1950s. They aren't going to change that easily. All I am doing is presenting an explanation why they exist as they do, and state, again, that the laws are unjust.

As for taking care of our own problems, I agree. The problem is, there are people who don't want the problems solved, because their business interests clash with what people want. They use racism to divert attention from the real problems, and get people in a rage about immigration.

You know, for someone at UCLA, your grammar and spelling are pretty bad.