by Coalition In Defense of Immigrant Rights
Friday, May. 04, 2007 at 2:10 PM
cdir_usa@yahoo.com 213-241-0906 337 Glendale Blvd. Los Angeles,CA 90026
SI SE PUEDE! ( YES, WE CAN!) With this battle cry and despite threats from racist anti-immigrant raids, anti-immigrant innuendoes and discouragement from the bourgeois media, school clamp downs on students and visible police presence and harassments, hundreds of thousands of immigrants and their advocated marched and rallies din at least 74 cities of the United States on May Day- the International Workers Day.
More than 100,000 immigrants and advocates marched in Los Angeles in separate rallies May 1. In the morning, at least 20,000 people march from Broadway/Olympic led by the March 25 Coalition and held rally in front of the City Hall south lawn
Another 60,000 marchers led by Catholic Cardinal Roger Mahoney and the Multi ethnic immigrants workers organizing network (MIWON) from Vermont Ave and 3rd St marched and converged at Macarthur Park from Vermont and 3rd while another 10,000 marched to Macarthur Park from Washington Blvd. led by La Raze Coalition. The police attacked this group early evenin
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS MARCH/RALLIES FOR IMMIGRANT RIGHTS:
AJLPP/ CDIR MAY DAY 2007 MOBILIZATION UPDATES IN THE U.S.A
Los Angeles --- SI SE PUEDE! ( YES, WE CAN!)
With this battle cry and despite threats from racist anti-immigrant raids, anti-immigrant innuendoes and discouragement from the bourgeois media, school clamp downs on students and visible police presence and harassments, hundreds of thousands of immigrants and their advocated marched and rallies din at least 74 cities of the United States on May Day- the International Workers Day.
More than 100,000 immigrants and advocates marched in Los Angeles in separate rallies May 1. In the morning, at least 20,000 people march from Broadway/Olympic led by the March 25 Coalition and held rally in front of the City Hall south lawn
Another 60,000 marchers led by Catholic Cardinal Roger Mahoney and the Multi ethnic immigrants workers organizing network (MIWON) from Vermont Ave and 3rd St marched and converged at Macarthur Park from Vermont and 3rd while another 10,000 marched to Macarthur Park from Washington Blvd. led by La Raze Coalition. The police attacked this group early evening.
In Chicago, more than 300,000 marched all over the Midwest City and converged at Grant Park to demand full rights for immigrants. Chicago where the original May Day celebration – the international workers day march started in May 1, 1886 was the vanguard of this years march-rally with 300,000 huge turn-out.
At least 10,000 also marched in San Francisco, 6,000 in Seattle and more than 74 other key cities and towns of the United States like Denver Colorado, Phoenix, Arizona,, Dallas, Texas, Florida, Washington DC and the California cities of Pomona, Santa Ana, San Diego, Santa Cruz, San Jose, Oakland, Riverside and others.
Despite the deportations of more than 480,000 “illegal immigrants” last year, the immigrant rights movement showed unity and strength in their march and rallies this year. Although it was slightly lower numbers this year, the May day rallies significance gave a clear signal to the US Congress to fix the broken immigration system that is anti-immigrant and not humane.
AJLPP MOBILIZES NATIONWIDE FOR IMMIGRANT RIGHTS
The Alliance for Just and Lasting Peace (AJLPP) and its allied organizations marched in scores and hundreds joining the mammoth immigrant rights rallies in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago,, Pomona, Santa Ana, San Diego and other major U.S. cities.
The AJLPP Southern California contingent that numbered more than a hundred marched with the Coalition for the Defense of Immigrant Rights (CDIR), People’s CORE, Pilipino Workers Center (PWC), JFAV, Ecumenical Forum for Justice and Peace (EFJP), GABNET-LA, United Health Workers-West, Samahang Pilipino at UCLA marched from Historic Filipinotown at Beverly Blvd. down the Alvarado street to Macarthur Park. Other groups marched with Cardinal Roger Mahoney and MIWON from 3rd and Vermont St area in front of Filipino stores row..
The AJLPP Bay area contingent marched with the 10,000 strong Coalition for Unconditional Amnesty (CUA) in San Francisco while AJLPP New York mobilized for the immigrant rights rallies in New York City. The AJLPP Seattle mobilized with the Comite Pro Amnestia and joined the more than 5,000 march- rally at the city center. In Chicago, the Filipino Americna group, Committee on Filipino Issues and AFIRE mobilized for the huge rally at Grant Park.
LAPD ATTACKS IMMIGRANT RIGHTS RALLY IN LOS ANGELES
The reactionary forces trying to discourage immigrant rights mobilization that ran to tens of thousands, used 20-30 motorcycled cops to commence fascist attacks on the unsuspecting crowds at the corner of Westlake and Wilshire and at the Alvarado-Wilshire intersection.
The police motorcycles ran through the Cuahatemoc dancers hitting even children and senior dancers of the Danza Azteca. This type of dispersal attack was used in Oakland demonstration in 2003.
When the crowd starting to pelt them with water bottles and corncobs, the police/SWAT opened fire with rubber bullets, tear gas, foam and stun grenades and deliberately targeted the sound stage for the MIWON rally with a barrage of fire. The rally was not even starting thus Catholic Cardinal Roger Mahoney and Senator Cedillo who marched with the demonstrators was prevented from speaking at the rally at MacArthur park.
Earlier the LAPD started to provoke the crowd by its visible presence or stationing of more than 400 anti-riot police at the intersection of Alvarado and Wilshire in front of the Westlake Subway station after the main group passed
CLEARING WITHOUT NOTICE
The LAPD started their clearing operations without even warning the crowd. Combined baton wielding police platoons and the rubber bullet firing SWAT teams attacked everybody at the park and the crowd who ran pell-mell. The students and youth defended the rallyist as they scampered out of the park.
The police attacked families, hurting children and old people, vendors and even brutalized journalist. A lawyer and a correspondent of the KPFK and several reporters were hurt during the police riot against the people.
This is not the first time that the police attacked a peaceful crowd in Los Angeles. During the national democratic nation convention at the Staples Center and at a demonstration in Parker Center in 2000 and also at Hollywood against the racist minutemen, the LAPD used violent force against the demonstrators.
The AJLPP-SC condemns the police brutality and calls on the Mayor of Los Angeles and the City Council to sanction the LAPD and stop police brutality against immigrants and against the people of Los Angeles.
But like a genie from the bottle, the immigrant rights movement for rights and welfare cannot be suppressed and will fight on until full rights for all immigrants are attained.
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