Southern California Immigration Coalition (SCIC)

May 1st March!

(Im)migrant Rights are Worker's Rights!Sunday, May 1, 2011

10:00AM Olympic and Broadway!!

This year, there will be two May Day marches in Los Angeles. WHY??

2010

Last year, although every effort was made to exclude the SCIC from the planning process and to silence our political demands we made the effort to work together with the other "Immigrant Rights" organizations (Full Rights for Immigrants Coalition...etc) and with the leadership of the LA County Federation of Labor. In the most dishonest and undemocratic fashion, meeting dates/locations/agendas were changed in order to keep the SCIC out of the planning process. On May Day itself, members of the SCIC (men and women) were physically pushed and others were threatened with violence when we tried to get our speakers onto the stage. Because we did not back down, they called the police on us to try to prevent us from getting on the stage to speak; again they failed. In the last act of disrespect, at the end of the rally, while Ron Gochez from the SCIC, Maria Rodriguez and Angelica Salas from CHIRLA were speaking, the microphones were intentionally turned off.

Because of their blatant disrespect for SCIC women organizers and their threats against our members, we knew clearly that those were people who we could no longer work with. They were opportunist, disrespectful, sexist, dishonest and politically backwards. Although we do respect some of the organizations who for whatever reasons continue to work with them, this year, the SCIC has chosen to once again organize a May Day march independently. We do not have even 10% of the budget that they have but we do have the largest (Im)migrant Rights coalition in California, the correct political line, community support and organizing ability. We proved this in 2009 when the SCIC march had more marchers than any of the other marches in LA.

2011

Although Juan Jose Gutierrez and the "Full Rights for Immigrants Coalition" have once again collaborated with the Los Angeles Police Department to try to stop the Southern CA Immigration Coalition from getting our permit for the 2011 May Day march, we, the SCIC, want to let the public know that we have officially gotten the permit to march on May 1st!

The truth is that the organizations that are organizing both marches are very different politically and are attempting to lead the Los Angeles (Im)migrant Rights movement in VERY different directions. So what are your options?

1. The "Full Rights for Immigrants Coalition" is unofficially funded and directed by the Democratic Party. Not surprisingly, their demands and message are that of the Democratic Party. Last year they spent over $100,000 on the LA May Day march and this year they are even paying for television commercials.
2. The SCIC is a community based grassroots coalition that denounces the Democrats and Republicans for their attacks on (im)migrants. In 2009, the SCIC spent less than $3,000 on the May Day march and organized more people than their coalition. Not a penny of that budget came from the Democratic Party or any foundation; it all came from community support. Not a single SCIC organizer is EVER paid to organize.

This year, the community will have to decide which march they will join.

So which march should you attend???

• If you want to be part of a march that is organized by dozens of multi-ethnic, grassroots and community based organizations and labor unions, join the SCIC march!
• If you want to be part of a march that has women & men in leadership, join the SCIC march!
• If you want to be part of a march that is NOT funded and directed by the Democratic Party, join the SCIC march!
• If you are NOT afraid of denouncing the Democratic AND Republican Parties for their attacks on workers and (im)migrants, join the SCIC March!
• If you want to bring ANY flag that represents YOUR people, join the SCIC march!

If you support the following, please attend the "Full Rights for Immigrants Coalition" march

• If you want to be forced to march ONLY with American flags, please join their march...
• If you want to be part of a dishonest coalition that collaborates with the police, please join their march...
• If you want to listen to El Piolin, Mayor Villaraigosa or anti-revolutionary gusan@s like Emilio & Gloria Estefan at a "May Day" rally, please join their march...
• If you support a new Bracero Program (aka Guest Worker/Ag-jobs) that will further legalize the exploitation of farm workers, please join their march...
• If you want to be part of a march that keeps misleading our people into believing that the only way to make a difference is to keep voting for the Democrats; please join their march.
• If you want to be part of a march that is led by this "community leader", please join their march: Juan Jose Gutierrez; "I think that in the course of time he [LAPD Chief of Police Beck] will be acknowledged as a great police chief and a very wise man..." March 14, 2011, exactly one day before the LAPD announced its findings that the cop that murdered Manuel Jamines ‘acted properly’

We think that the choice is clear... JOIN THE SCIC march on May 1st! Look for our flags from all over the world!

If you agree with the SCIC demands, we hope that you join the SCIC march!

FULL LEGALIZATION FOR ALL, NOW!!

STOP I.C.E DEPORTATIONS NOW!!

NO GUEST WORKER (aka BRACERO) PROGRAM!!

WORKER'S RIGHT TO ORGANIZE!!

STOP 287(g) & "SECURE COMMUNITIES"