EPCC NEWS

May 3, 2009

Contact: Jerry Esguerra

(818) 749-0272



MORE THAN 60,000 WORKERS/IMMIGRANTS MARCHES FOR MAY 1 IN LA

Los Angeles-- “ Que Queremos-Legalicacion, Cuando: AHORA! ( What do we want, Legalization, When do we want it; NOW!)

This was the slogan that reverberated with more than 60,000 workers and immigrants turned out and marched all over Los Angeles . Meanwhile in major cities and towns hundreds of thousands marched and rallied US-wide for May 1 in a militant and defiant show of unity for a call for immigration reforms to the Obama administration.



In the biggest rally for the day, more than 30,000 marchers led by the Full Rights For immigrant coalition turned out and marched from Broadway and Olympic intersection around 1;00 PM. Composed mostly of Latino workers who filled the streets, the militant march overflowed the main streets of LA.

At the end of the march they held a rally at Temple and Broadway where a battery of labor leaders, immigrant rights advocates spoke. Among them were AJLPP West Coast Coordinator Arturo Garcia, HERMANIDAD Mexicana laders Raul Murillo and Angelica Corona, ANSWER-LA Preston Wood, Jim Lafferty of the NLG, UTLA President AJ Duffy and Latino Movement USA's Juan Jose Gutierrez gave their speeches at their end program.



In another separate march, the Pilipino Workers Center (PWC) and GabNet flying the flags co-sponsored a march from Echo Park with MIWON and helped turn out 15,000 marchers. The march strted from Echo Park at around 1:00 PM and stayed overnight at Placita Olvera. GabNet read its statement at La Placita Olvera ( old town LA) where the marchers congregated. The took a postcard picture with a message: WORKERS FIRST to be sent to the president.

The other marches was with the Southern California Immigrant Rights Coalition (SCIC) - (5,000) who marched to the Federal Building, The LEGALIZE LA ( 2,000) on Main street to the INS Detention center. The other marches stayed during the night at Macarthur park for the May Day and the Cinco De Mayo celebrations.

East Coast Marches



In New York, GabNet was with a 100-strong contingent of Filipinos, mostly women, who marched with the Immigrant Communities in Action. The AJLPP contingent was led by DAMAYAN Migrant Workers Association and UGNAYAN youth group. They braved the rains which had fallen intermittently the whole day but did not deter some 10,000 people from congregating at Union Square.

Also in San Francisco, hundreds of marches raved the pouring rain and marched from Dolores Park to the Civic Center. In San Diego, also in California, more than 1,000 marchers including GABNEt San Diego marched with the group.

Mainstream media, including Spanish television, Filipino News outlets covered the presence of the FilAm contingent at all the rallies – perhaps in reaction to the their strong presence at all the rallies.



There are around five million Filipinos total in the United States About 1.5 million of them are called “Illegal immigrants”. --###

In another separate march, the Pilipino Workers Center (PWC) and GabNet flying the flags co-sponsored a march from Echo Park with MIWON and helped turn out 15,000 marchers. The march strted from Echo Park at around 1:00 PM and stayed overnight at Placita Olvera. GabNet read its statement at La Placita Olvera ( old town LA) where the marchers congregated. The took a postcard picture with a message: WORKERS FIRST to be sent to the president.

The other marches was with the Southern California Immigrant Rights Coalition (SCIC) - (5,000) who marched to the Federal Building, The LEGALIZE LA ( 2,000) on Main street to the INS Detention center. The other marches stayed during the night at Macarthur park for the May Day and the Cinco De Mayo celebrations.