Thread: Georgia March Rescheduled

http://www.11alive.com/news/blogs/blog_ ... ryid=85013

Exclusive: March Rescheduled

Written By: Denis O'Hayer

Last Modified: 9/21/2006 8:50:44 PM


9/21/06
7:40 PM

The immigrants' rights march originally set for Saturday, September 30 in downtown Atlanta has been tentatively moved to the next day: Sunday, October 1. Organizers say they're still trying to work out the exact start time; they'll meet with Atlanta Police officials to work that out.

As we reported exclusively on 11Alive.com yesterday, Latino leaders did not have all their permits before they announced the September 30 date -- and then they hit two major obstacles.

The first, which we reported yesterday, had to do with the starting point for the march: Centennial Olympic Park. It turned out that area was already set aside for pre-game activities and a parade, in advance of the Florida A&M-Tennessee State football game, sponsored by 100 Black Men of Atlanta.

A police source told me the city wasn't about to agree to a permit for another large-scale event in the same place.

March co-organizer -- and former Mexican Consul General Teodoro Maus told me today, "We want to be very respectful of that (the 100 Black Men events). We don't want to interfere in any way. So we decided to change it (the march date), and move it to Sunday. That's the main reason for doing it -- and just not creating havoc for the police and for the authorities."

But, even without the schedule conflict at Centennial Olympic Park, it turns out there was a second problem: this one at the State Capitol, the end point of the march. And this issue was a little more embarrassing for march organizers.

At the time they announced their September 30th date, the press conference crowd included D.A. King, an border-enforcement activist with the Dustin Inman Society. In an earlier blog, we mentioned how King and Latino leaders took some verbal jabs at each other. But that's not all King did that day.

When he heard organizers say they still had to get their march permits, King went straight to the Georgia Building Authority, which supervises the Capitol grounds. Building Authority officials tell me he asked who had the permit for the Capitol on September 30. When they told King no one had yet obtained a permit for that day, he got one first -- pre-empting the immigrants' rights march.

It's not yet clear whether King will actually hold an event of his own. But, it is clear he enjoys jousting with his opponents -- and vice versa. This move may have been simply to annoy them.

If that's true, it worked. Maus said, "I think it's a little bit childish. (It's like) saying, 'Well, I'm going to play soccer, and I'm going to take your ball and I'm going to use your field because my daddy owns half of the field."

But Maus added the annoyance isn't too big; and he claimed King's tactics will backfire. "It really doesn't affect us in any way," he said. "I think he's an ally for us."

King, quite naturally, doesn't see it that way. He told me, "It was my ambition to prevent the illegal alien lobby from using the Capitol steps to further promote their agenda."

In any case, Maus promised the paperwork will be in order for the new October 1 date. But, in this battle, the principals don't just argue issues; they look for ways to needle each other. Stay tuned.

I love the funny stories.

We should give D A King an applause or better yet, a standing ovation.