March of angels

More Than 500,000 Rally in L.A. for Immigrants' Rights

Teresa Watanabe and Anna Gorman in the LATimes: Joining what some are calling the nation's largest mobilization of immigrants ever, hundreds of thousands of people boisterously marched in downtown Los Angeles Saturday to protest federal legislation that would crack down on undocumented immigrants, penalize those who help them and build a security wall on the U.S. southern border. Spirited crowds representing labor, religious groups, civil-rights advocates and ordinary immigrants stretched over 26 blocks of downtown Los Angeles from Adams Blvd. along Spring Street and Broadway to City Hall, tooting kazoos, waving American flags and chanting "Si se puede!" (Yes we can!). The crowd, estimated by police at more than 500.000, represented one of the largest protest marches in Los Angeles history, surpassing Vietnam War demonstrations and the 70,000 who rallied downtown against Proposition 187, a 1994 state initiative that denied public benefits to undocumented migrants.

The marchers included both longtime residents and the newly arrived, bound by a desire for a better life and a love for this county. ...

Saturday's rally, spurred by anger over legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives last December, was part of what many say is an unprecedented effort to organize immigrants and their supporters across the nation. The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee is to take up efforts Monday to complete work on a comprehensive immigration reform proposal. Unlike the House bill, which beefed up border security and toughened immigration laws, the Senate committee's version is expected to include a guest worker program and a path to legalization for the nation's 10 to 12 million undocumented immigrants.

In recent weeks, hundreds of thousands of people have staged demonstrations in more than a dozen cities. The Roman Catholic Church and other religious communities have launched immigrant rights campaigns, with Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony taking a leading role in speaking out against the House bill and calling on his priests to defy its provisions that would make felons of anyone who aided undocumented immigrants. In addition, several cities, including Los Angeles, have passed resolutions against the House legislation and some, such as Maywood, have declared itself a "sanctuary" for undocumented immigrants.

"There has never been this kind of mobilization in the immigrant community ever," said Joshua Hoyt, executive director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. "They have kicked the sleeping giant. It's the beginning of a massive immigrant civil rights struggle."

It's nice to turn on the tube and for once see a sea of brown faces in America. I think one day this L.A. rally may well be remembered the same way people remember the giant anti-Vietnam war and civil rights marches; if the movement had an MLK it might be seen as the spark that ignited a new era in this country.

Not sure I remember when hundreds of thousands of people last marched in cities all over the country on the same day for the same narrow issue--and seemingly out of nowhere. Which might say more about the poor state of mainstream media coverage of the Hispanic community.

I don't think Republicans had any idea what they were getting into. President Bush is on the right side of the issue, actually, but members of his own party seem intent on currying favor with those they see as their constituents at the expense of national political suicide.

It's about time that Hispanics stood up and said enough with racism, enough with crazy rhetoric, enought with silent suffering. It's just the latest evidence that we live in epochal times--on a variety of fronts things that have been one way for generations are undergoing momentous changes, whether the status quo likes it or not.

Until we transition to this post-old white boy era in America, the old guard will try to make last stands, and at times will succeed in stemming change or even turning the clock back. But the demographics will prove overwhelming in the end, not to mention the moral force of the arguments arrayed against bitter white guys.

It's interesting that the Catholic Church was such a key part of these rallies. There's a great history in this country of socially progressive Christianity, and it's almost always been elements of the Catholic church in the vanguard. I'm glad the Catholics have again flexed their muscles after a period where it seemed like conservative evangelical Christians became the face of the faith... which is ridiculous when you consider how small in number evangelicals are compared to Catholics in this country. It's the winning Democratic coalition reborn--this time led by Hispanics.

The L.A. Times article has some amazing photos with it. But, as the New York Times reports, it's the images in conjunction with the words of the previous seemingly-invisible and voiceless that really drive this issue:

"It's unbelievable," said Partha Banerjee, director of the New Jersey Immigration Policy Network, who was in Washington yesterday to help plan more nationwide protests on April 10. "People are joining in so spontaneously, it's almost like the immigrants have risen. I would call it a civil rights movement reborn in this country." ...

Until the wave of immigration rallies, the campaign by groups demanding stringent enforcement legislation seemed to have the upper hand in Washington. The Judiciary Committee was deluged by faxes and e-mail messages from organizations like NumbersUSA, which calls for a reduction in immigration, and claims 237,000 activists nationwide, and the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which has long opposed any form of amnesty, including a guest-worker program advocated by President Bush.

Dan Stein, president of the federation, acknowledged the unexpected outpouring of protesters, but tried to play down its political significance. "These are a lot of people who don't vote, can't vote and certainly aren't voting Republican if they do vote," he said. ...

In a telephone briefing sponsored last week by the National Immigration Forum, the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez Jr., president of the National Hispanic Association of Evangelicals, warned that elected officials would pay a price for being on the wrong side of the legislative battle.

"We are talking to the politicians telling them that the Hispanic community will not forget," he said. "I know there are pure hearts that want to protect our border and protect our country, but at the same time the Hispanic community cannot deny the fact that many have taken advantage of an important and legitimate issue in order to manifest their racist and discriminatory spirit against the Hispanic community."

Photo of L.A. rally by Bob Chamberlin/LAT.