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The Senate is torn between welcoming undocumented families and turning them into criminals. Immigrant and immigrant-descent communities, the now-awakened giant, forced the Senate to blink. Actions over the next two weeks will determine what the Senate finally does. And in the interim, the progressive Left needs to stand up in massive numbers.
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"I think the demonstrations that occurred in the past have been noticed," Senator Mel Martinez understated.
Congress nearly turned twelve million children and adults into felons, nearly extended tenfold the wall of death and ecological devastation across the border, nearly authorized police to round up and imprison millions of people for what had been a civil offense, and added an armed, high-tech, major battalion to its personnel posted in the southwest U.S.
Then the sleeping giant got bugged: the immigrant and immigrant-descent communities took on the Senate and brought it to its knees, before the Senate left for a two-week R&R.
Now the question is, will the Republican-dominated Senate surrender, or will it return with renewed resolve to punish people who they deem aren’t sufficiently "assimilated" and open a war of terror on entire communities?
The immigrant community has plans to stop that war, a series of events between now and a massive May Day "Great American Boycott 2006" (see below). Three things need to happen if they are to succeed:
The Gran Marcha of the 25th must be the beginning, not the crest, of the tide.
- Escalating support within the immigrant and immigrant-descent communities.
Non-violent militancy. It was, after all, fear, not supplication, that moved the Senate.
Widespread participation from other citizens, the electoral base of the U.S.
The progressive Left in Los Angeles has voiced its support for the immigrants and against the minutemen and, presumably, the minutemen’s Congressional colleagues. Tangible support has come from such stalwart organizations as ANSWER-LA, The World Can’t Wait, KPFK, UFPJ, and NOW.
But what remains is for the organized Left to pour into the streets over the next two weeks, to demonstrate their alliance with the immigrants, to add their legal and electoral clout to what the Senate hears, and to defend their brothers and sisters from reactionaries everywhere. It’s time to Stop the War the war on neighbors, the war on families, the war on workers, the war at home.
Key Events in Southern California
Sunday, April 9
March for Zapata, 8:00 a.m. at Cesar Chavez and Lorena in LA.
"IN THE SPIRIT OF LAND,
JUSTICE AND LIBERTY
SUPPORT POPULAR STRUGGLES!"The organizers are from the left wing of the immigrant struggle: Danza Cuahtemoc, Aztlan Mexica Nation Harmony Keepers, Mexicanos Unidos en Defensa del Pueblo, and Comite Pro Democracia en Mexico.
Immigrants Are America March for Hope, Dignity, and Respect, 1:00 p.m. at Balboa Park, San Diego
America Is a nation of immigrants! Our nation was founded on the basis of
JUSTICE AND EQUALITY
We March for Justice!
We march to say
NO to the criminalization of immigrants and
NO to the creation of an immigrant underclass!The organizers here are MAAC Project, a social service agency, and the SEIU. The minutemen have promised to countermarch along another route.
National Day of Action for Immigrant Rights, 10:00 a.m. at the intersection of Inos and Depot in Santa Maria.
Organized by PUEBLO, a low-income economic and environmental justice organization, and CLUE, a religious organization for economic justice.
Monday, April 10
National Day of Action for Immigrant Rights. The largest gathering will probably be in Phoenix, but organizers are calling for major actions across the country. The Nazis at White Revolution might just bring their sheets.
April 10 is Our Day!! On April 10, we will get together all over America to make our voices heard. "We are America," no matter where we were born. We deserve to be treated with respect and deserve a chance to become citizens of the country we love.
City: Bakersfield
Time: 10:00AM
Location: Jastro Park, Truston Ave., 2 blocks east of Oak
Event Details: Dress in white, bring your lunch, water & your American Flag
Contact Name: Armando Elenes - United Farmworkers
Contact Phone: 661-725-9730
Contact Email: armandoelenes@hotmail.com
Event Flyer (English)
Event Flyer (Spanish)City: Los Angeles
Date: 4/10
Time: 4:30PM
Location: La Placita - 535 N Main St., Los Angeles, CA
Event Details: "Today we Act, Tomorrow we Vote" Rally, Candlelight Vigil, and Procession
Contact Name: Elda Martinez – CARECEN, Xiomara Corpeno -CHIRLA, Su Yon Yi -NAKASEC, Sungpyo Ma – KRCLA
Contact Phone: 213-385-7800x127 (CARECEN), 213-353-1333x242 (CHIRLA), 323-937-3703 (NAKASEC), 323-937-3718 (KRCLA)
Contact Email: emartinez@carecen-la.org (CARECEN); zcorpeno@chirla.org; syi@nakasec.org (NAKASEC); sungpyo@krcla.org (KRCLA)
Event Flyer (English)
Event Flyer (English/Spanish/Korean)
Event Flyer (Spanish)City: Panorama City
Time: 6:30pm
Location: Hermandad Mexicana
Event Details: Marcha & Vigilia 2006 - "Immigration Coalition" - March & Vigil Contact Name: Hermandad Mexicana & ACORN
Contact Phone: 818-989-3019 (Hermandad Mexicana), 818-892-7600 (ACORN)
Event Flyer (Spanish)City: San Diego
Time: Noon
Location: Chicano Park
Event Details: Join us for a moment of reflection as we plant 464 crosses in memory of the 464 people who died last year crossing the US/Mexican border. Community members, religious leaders and others will gather at Chicano Park at Noon
Contact Name: Enrique Morones - Border Angels
Contact Phone: 619-269-7865
Contact Email: enriquemorones@cox.net or micasaucedo@aol.comCity: San Fernando Valley
Time: 6:30 PM
Location: Hermandad Mexicana - 7915 Van Nuys Blvd.
Event Details: Candle light vigil with speakers and a blessing followed by a procession to the Van Nuys Federal Building (6230 Van Nuys Blvd). Coalition partners include Valley MAPA, ACORN, the office of Congressman Brad Sherman and more!
Contact Name: Maria Cervantes (ACORN) or Gloria Saucedo (Hermandad Mexicana)
Contact Phone: 323-359-1091 (ACORN) or 818-989-3019 (Hermandad)
Contact Email: gloriacau@hotmail.com (Hermandad)City: Santa Ana
Time: Noon
Location: Federal Building - 441 West 4th Street, Santa Ana, CA
Event Details: Rally at the Federal Building
Contact Name: Denise Valasco - Santa Ana LULAC #147, SEIU Local 1877
Contact Phone: 714-245-9700 x 109City: Santa Barbara
Time: 6:30PM
Location: Plaza de la Guerra
Event Details: Vigil
Contact Name: Contact - PUEBLO & CLUE
Contact Phone: 805-882-2484 / 805-968-1078
Contact Email: miguel@pueblosb.org /sbclue@gmail.com
Saturday, April 15
El Gran Marcha Estudiantil, 10:00 a.m. at Olympic and Broadway, LA
AMNESTY! ! AMNISTIA!
Full rights for all immigrants!
Support the Walkouts!
United Students Coalition
Stop all racist legislation!Derechos Plenos para todos los inmigrantes!
Alto toda legislacion racista!
Apoyemos las protestas estudiantiles!
Construyamos un movimiento estudiantil!Organized by United Students Coalition, in coordination with the March 25 Coalition.
Monday, May 1
El Gran Paro Americano 2006.
No Work, No School, No Sales, and No Buying. We will settle for nothing less than full amnesty and dignity for the millions of undocumented workers presently in the U.S. We believe that increased enforcement is a step in the wrong direction and will only serve to facilitate more tragedies along the Mexican-U.S. border in terms of deaths and family separation.
Brought to you by the March 25th Coalition against HR4437 in Los Angeles.