LOS ANGELES, 15 April 2006--It only took two weeks for Estudiantes Unidos/Students United to pull the march together. This morning thousands of students, exuberant and determined, marched through downtown to support immigrants, but more to the point, to flex their own political muscle. They found their voice and took their place in what they dubbed "the civil rights movement of this century."

It was still difficult to find a European face, but Asian- and African-descent students were everywhere in the predominantly Mesoamerican crowd. So were parents: moms striding side-by-side with their middle-schoolers, sometimes three generations marching arm-in-arm.

Every half-block of the three blocks of marchers brought a different chant. But this morning there was a new one: "¿Qué queremos? ¡Amnistía! ¿Cuando? ¡Ahora!"

While U.S. flags flags peppered the City Hall lawn, there was no lack of other flags, mostly Mexican, Guatemalan, and Salvadoran. But this crew wasn't opposing Sensenbrenner or supporting a Senate compromise: this was a revolution for raza rights, a full-out call for amnesty for those in the U.S. without papers, and for respect, dignity, and justice for all peoples of color. "Amnesty" from legal sanctions, yes, but just under the surface, amnesty from racial persecution.

The City Hall program began with a call for peace and self-monitoring, and then a tribute to Anthony Soltero. Soltero, a 14-year-old student organizer, took his own life two weeks ago after his vice-principal threatened him with incarceration for putting together a walkout for immigrants' rights, according to his family. His schoolmates took the stage and spoke of the warmth and leadership of their classmate.

The commitment and enthusiasm of the students was inexhaustible. Three students and a teacher from Roosevelt High ran the eight miles of the Sacred Run of the Four Directions, loaded into a car, drove downtown to hook up with other Roosevelt students, walked the length of the march, and returned to the Sacred Run to finish the last mile of the ceremony. The students eagerly collected flyers from the groups represented and for the May 1 Boycott. One flyer, for a showdown with the Minutemen in Burbank next Saturday, was a favorite, with students jostling for copies to hand out to friends.

Meanwhile, according to the Los Angeles Times, Mayor Villaraigosa was in Van Nuys urging students to march outside of school hours, apparently unaware that they were rallying outside his office building doing exactly that.

March organizers had lined up hours of speakers and performers. BAMN, World Can't Wait, and ANSWER-LA each took their turn, but equally notable were the speakers from the Proposition 187 protests and from the Chicano Moratorium and the 60's high school walkouts. Representatives of the African-American community and the state Senate welcomed the ralliers. The students listened with rapt attention to the old school revolutionary messages. East Los Angeles College's ISO raised the roof with their call: "No to a bracero program, no to guestworkers. Yes to legalization, yes to citizenship. ¡Sí se puede--amnistía! Hasta la victoria siempre!"

The walls of City Hall seemed to quiver just a little when the hip-hoppers took to the steps of the staid monolith. "Que viva Zapata!" they invoked, to the roars of the crowd. "This is for the people!"

One student organizer explained what the march had accomplished: "We've raised consciousness that something can be done, that we can fight back and win." What's next? "This isn't just about mobilization. Its about organization."

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Our people will no longer put their heads down! Our people will raise their heads and never again will we be looked as inferior oppressed people, ever again! No we are not immigrants! Yes we migrate, but we have been doing it for thousands of years, before their berlin wall down south. One day those walls will be destroyed and never again will there ever be a wall that seperates humans, or the concept of "immigrants". No we are not Latinos, because we don't belong to Latin Europe! No we are not Hispanics because we don't blong to Spain! Yes we are "RAZA" because our roots go deep into history as a people struggling and resisting the colonialists, imperialists, capitalists pigs. Yes we are the original people! Chicano POWER, ALL POWER TO THE PEOPLE!

You might have noticed the Sunday LA Times' spread on the student march. Maybe you paid attention to the pic, maybe not. It was a shot of a sleeping homeless woman foregrounded against a backdrop of young Chicanos and Mexican-Americans demanding legalization for migrants. It was the only picture in the print edition of the "newspaper of record" for Los Angeles.

This provocative shot, contrasting an apparently "legal" person who is down on her luck with exuberant youth demanding jobs for "illegal" migrants, contrasting seniors who've been left behind with young people demanding a better life, and ultimately juxtaposing African-American needs with Meso-American needs, was deliberate and conscious.

I happened to be in the area as the Times photographer, Ken Hively, took photo after photo of this woman, taking callous advantage of her lack of privacy to snap her picture as she slept in what I assume is the only bed available to her--a streetside bench. He was searching for the picture that later appeared with the article, one bound, at least subliminally, to stir racial tensions.

Another photographer (in the background, above) and I tried to deter him by taking his picture as he worked, but he was relentless. Ultimately, the young woman pictured above asked him to stop, and he moved on.

Just thought you'd like to know how the Times does it.

LA Times sucks

Dear Leslie and LA Times Sucks:

I don't agree with your interpretation that the photographer was malicious. Different people can look at the same painting or photo and come up with diferent meanings.

The purpose of the photographer isn't to picture the world to your or my satisfaction, but to provide insight into the truth. If this photo reveals racial tension, then the photographer is doing his job by bringing up an issue that we should deal with rather than sweep under the politically correct rug.

We need to address the issue of how anti-immigrant (racist) sentiment and racism against blacks is being used to divide workers along ethnic lines. We need to ask why aren't more blacks involved in the struggle for "immigrants rights" and why there aren't more "immigrants" involved in the struggle for the rights of blacks. Same question regarding exploited white workers.

Perhaps the answer to these questions is that most of us involved in the recent protests, as well as those not involved, fail to see that what's going on is a WORKERS' rights issue the crosses all borders, not primarily an immigrants' rights issue.

The demonstrations going on now represent the biggest mass grassroots labor movement since the 30s, but even most of the participants don't see the overall picture. Until most of us do see that picture we will be unable to unlease the true power that we have to work together to change the course of history.

I think the very fact that we are having this discussion proves that the Times photographer did his job well.

John Earl

John Earl--

If this is a workers' revolution, then it should be the Meso-Americans who call it that, not you or me from the white left. And so far, I haven't heard anything like that coming from the Pro Migrants' Movement. It is not ours to co-op for whatever our political agenda might be.

What I have seen is far more African-Americans standing with the Mexicans and Central Americans, than people of European descent. And every immigrant march thus far has had leaders from the African American community at the dais expressing solidarity. So far, I've only heard from ANSWER-LA and World Can't Wait from the white left, and no recognized white leaders.

Anything the photographer would have shot was "truth." The one that was featured was offhandedly labeled "A woman sleeps on a bench unaware of protestors marching down Broadway heading for City Hall." No mention of the issues it raises, just a seemingly "innocent" photo and the message inscribed in it. The discussion is occurring here on Indymedia, not at the LA Times.

And it's occurring between two white people.

No photo is without narrative. This photo does not send a positive message on the march.

The idea of an international working class is nothing but a myth - that is, it's nothing but a myth in the USA.

It is nothing but an idealized abstraction painted in glowing colors by white middle class revolutionary intellectuals.

Yes, there has been some real internationalism among working class and poor people of color, but it hasn't included white working class people.

The reason is that the white nation is a colonial settler state that has enslaved one group, disposessed another of its land, and discriminated and subjugated all peoples of color within its so-called borders.

The "melting pot" was for Europeans only.

Just like restrooms and water fountains.

Just like retaurants.

Just like unions.

This last only began to change when damn near the only working class people who could be organized were peoples of color.

Imagine any authentic "international proletarian" solidarity in Israel, between Jewish workers and Palestinian workers. Imagine it in S. Africa under Apartheid... that's RIGHT, that's why it was a BLACK movement for liberation (however failed).

How about class solidarity in the Congo between African and Belgian workers? Thats a hoot.

Oh, hell, why not solidarity between cowboys and Indians?!

After all, anything can happen in the movies.

They're fiction, after all.

... reeks of hostility, boredom, and indifference.

LR is right.

JE is dead wrong.

Radical Women, who've been quietly engaged in this struggle since the beginning. Global Women's Strike marched on April 10. Still, no white leaders setting forward . . . where are they? Where will they be on May 1?

Leslie: My repsonses are between your lines below.

John Earl--

If this is a workers' revolution, then it should be the Meso-Americans who call it that, not you or me from the white left.

>Why? Don't I have a right to call it as I see it? It's simply how I identify it because that was the facts call for (see below). And, sorry, I am not apologizing for being from the white left any more than anyone should apologize for being from any color or anywhere.

And so far, I haven't heard anything like that coming from the Pro Migrants' Movement.

>That's not entirely correct. If you try laying out the labor argument to migrant workers most will probably agree. At least that has been my experience.

It is not ours to co-op for whatever our political agenda might be.

>I'm not trying to co-opt anything, just trying to see the forest despite the trees. Why are immigrants coming here? They're coming first of all to work. What are they fighting for first of all? The right to work. How are they fighting for that work? By taking to the streets and, on May 1, going on strike. Why are they forced to immigrant here to work? Because of corporate US imperialism in Mexico, the same corproations that attack workers here in the USA with NAFTA (etc) and union busting in general. Etc. Sure sounds like a labor issue to me. How are we going to stop these injustices against workers in Mexico and the USA? Certainly not by working separately and for our own ethnic group, but by working together in union, as a union. Where does the power of workers come from? From standing together and NOT working for the would be corporate masters of us all.

What I have seen is far more African-Americans standing with the Mexicans and Central Americans, than people of European descent.

>I don't know what you have seen, but what I have seen in Orange County is somewhat different. True, definitely not enough whites joining in the marches, which is part of the point I made. Here in OC the only African Americans I have seen (not that I have seen them all) were standing along side Barbara Coe and the Minutemen, sadly, and I know they came from the LA area because they spoke at the CM city council meeting.

And every immigrant march thus far has had leaders from the African American community at the dais expressing solidarity.

>I haven't seen that once in Orange County, but I do know that African Americans have spoken for immigrant rights elsewhere. I don't mean that no AF Americans are involved, but that most are not (same as whites) and there is definitely some hostility toward Mexican immigrant workers by African American workers. There is also racism that sometimes results in Mexican and Cen Am immigrants being hired over African American workers.

>If we stand together on our common ground as workers we can over come the age old divide and conquer (union busting) strategy of corporations that has been used to keep all workers, especially those of color, down. Besides, there really isn't any other way to do it.

So far, I've only heard from ANSWER-LA and World Can't Wait from the white left, and no recognized white leaders.

>I don't know what you mean by "recognized white leaders." Aren't we all leaders? But I do agree that there needs to be more diversity in the demonstrations...that is my whole point...strength through diversity won't happen if the recent movement is seen ONLY as an immigrants rights issue because that kind of packaging doesn't speak to everyone so effeciently enough. And it's also just factually incorrect, as I explained above.

Anything the photographer would have shot was "truth." The one that was featured was offhandedly labeled "A woman sleeps on a bench unaware of protestors marching down Broadway heading for City Hall." No mention of the issues it raises, just a seemingly "innocent" photo and the message inscribed in it. The discussion is occurring here on Indymedia, not at the LA Times.

>Not the best photo caption, for sure, but my question is, was the passing group any more aware of the homeless (black) woman than she was of them? I notice one boy taking notice of her--which itself sends a strong message. And your right, the discussion isn't happening in the Times, sadly, but let's at least not blame the photographer for what a caption he probably had no say in.

And it's occurring between two white people.

>So what? White people shouldn't discuss social issues? Come on! And that's just the start of the discussion, anyway. Let all join in who wish.

Sincerely,
John Earl

My apologeez for the typos in my previous post. It's getting late!
JE

This is the reason we create the music that we do....
to continue to move the masses towards liberation...
that is why, "THIS IS FOR THE PEOPLE"......

today and always binx

give em fire!!!

rock that t-shirt and rock tha mike and rock dem buildings to da ground!