Working on this new server in php7...
imc indymedia

Los Angeles Indymedia : Activist News

white themeblack themered themetheme help
About Us Contact Us Calendar Publish RSS
Features
latest news
best of news
syndication
commentary


KILLRADIO

VozMob

ABCF LA

A-Infos Radio

Indymedia On Air

Dope-X-Resistance-LA List

LAAMN List




IMC Network:

Original Cities

www.indymedia.org africa: ambazonia canarias estrecho / madiaq kenya nigeria south africa canada: hamilton london, ontario maritimes montreal ontario ottawa quebec thunder bay vancouver victoria windsor winnipeg east asia: burma jakarta japan korea manila qc europe: abruzzo alacant andorra antwerpen armenia athens austria barcelona belarus belgium belgrade bristol brussels bulgaria calabria croatia cyprus emilia-romagna estrecho / madiaq euskal herria galiza germany grenoble hungary ireland istanbul italy la plana liege liguria lille linksunten lombardia london madrid malta marseille nantes napoli netherlands nice northern england norway oost-vlaanderen paris/Île-de-france patras piemonte poland portugal roma romania russia saint-petersburg scotland sverige switzerland thessaloniki torun toscana toulouse ukraine united kingdom valencia latin america: argentina bolivia chiapas chile chile sur cmi brasil colombia ecuador mexico peru puerto rico qollasuyu rosario santiago tijuana uruguay valparaiso venezuela venezuela oceania: adelaide aotearoa brisbane burma darwin jakarta manila melbourne perth qc sydney south asia: india mumbai united states: arizona arkansas asheville atlanta austin baltimore big muddy binghamton boston buffalo charlottesville chicago cleveland colorado columbus dc hawaii houston hudson mohawk kansas city la madison maine miami michigan milwaukee minneapolis/st. paul new hampshire new jersey new mexico new orleans north carolina north texas nyc oklahoma philadelphia pittsburgh portland richmond rochester rogue valley saint louis san diego san francisco san francisco bay area santa barbara santa cruz, ca sarasota seattle tampa bay tennessee urbana-champaign vermont western mass worcester west asia: armenia beirut israel palestine process: fbi/legal updates mailing lists process & imc docs tech volunteer projects: print radio satellite tv video regions: oceania united states topics: biotech

Surviving Cities

www.indymedia.org africa: canada: quebec east asia: japan europe: athens barcelona belgium bristol brussels cyprus germany grenoble ireland istanbul lille linksunten nantes netherlands norway portugal united kingdom latin america: argentina cmi brasil rosario oceania: aotearoa united states: austin big muddy binghamton boston chicago columbus la michigan nyc portland rochester saint louis san diego san francisco bay area santa cruz, ca tennessee urbana-champaign worcester west asia: palestine process: fbi/legal updates process & imc docs projects: radio satellite tv
printable version - js reader version - view hidden posts - tags and related articles

The Inland Empire Marches on May Day

by Jennaya Dunlap Sunday, May. 03, 2009 at 12:11 PM
contraredadas@gmail.com

Riverside, CA (May 1, 2009) – Twenty eight groups from all over the Inland Empire —immigrant rights groups, unions, workers, students, clergy, and human rights activists— united today to call for fair, comprehensive reform to end abuses against immigrants, workers, and their families.  Students kicked off the march with a traditional ritual at UCR’s Bell Tower, and then joined supporters from Riverside and San Bernardino counties at Cesar Chavez Community Center to continue their journey to City Hall.

The Inland Empire Ma...
iemayday.jpg, image/jpeg, 467x604

The march concluded with a program and celebration near the Martin Luther King Jr. statue at City Hall.  Live music from Son Real accompanied the march and Mula, a local Latin-ska band, greeted the marchers as they arrived.  Speakers addressed the need for reform to support immigrants and workers, as well as the continuing raids, deportations, and separations of immigrant families.

María Harte, a Winchester mother who emigrated from Portugal thirty-six years ago, spoke of how current immigration policies torn apart her family.  Her brother, a father of six children, was given notice of deportation for a misdemeanor committed thirteen years ago, for which he had already served time.  To avoid the trauma of a raid, he turned himself in and was deported to Mexico.

"Removing a pillar of our family, such as Luis, has been devastating and led to a heart broken, emotionally drained atmosphere in our once happy home," said Harte, calling for an end to the separation of families by brutal immigration enforcement tactics currently in place.
Another speaker in today's program, a student from Rubidoux High School, spoke about the DREAM Act and the way its passage would change the future of students like her.  "It would be such a great opportunity for us to prove to this country that we have talent to offer other than the usual stereotypes," she said.  "All I need is the opportunity."

Over the past several months, Border Patrol and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in the Inland Empire reached a new peak in their reckless abuse of human rights and violations of basic civil liberties, targeting neighborhoods, day laborer corners, bakeries, bus stations, and even people simply leaving a hospital or grocery store.

In Riverside, police and Border Patrol raided a Latino neighborhood, terrifying residents to the point that they feared leaving their homes even to buy groceries.  Local activists witnessed clear evidence of racial profiling, as immigrants were specifically targeted for arrest for minor offenses and handed over to Border Patrol.

Inland Empire communities and members of the May Day Coalition called on President Obama to work toward immediate immigration reform that includes human rights for all immigrants; ending the raids and deportations that are tearing apart hundreds of families and stopping racist profiling. Additionally, participants called on the US Senate and the House of Representatives to pass legislation on the Employee Free Choice Act that would allow workers the right to organize and have better protections at work.

"We are not just marching now, but will continue our efforts day by day to build unity, to register people to vote, and to help them naturalize and get citizenship," said José Calderón, a professor from Pitzer College.

Calderón, a local leader and organizer in the region, addressed the crowds on the issue of cultural unity.  "Through these marches we are working to build unity between groups, to not allow ourselves to aim our anger and frustrations at each other in this time of economic crisis," he continued. 

"I am proud to be part of an effort that is bringing together students, unions, community-based organizations, and coalitions throughout the Inland Empire, across racial, gender and class lines,” concluded Calderón.
Report this post as:
Share on: Twitter, Facebook, Google+

add your comments


© 2000-2018 Los Angeles Independent Media Center. Unless otherwise stated by the author, all content is free for non-commercial reuse, reprint, and rebroadcast, on the net and elsewhere. Opinions are those of the contributors and are not necessarily endorsed by the Los Angeles Independent Media Center. Running sf-active v0.9.4 Disclaimer | Privacy