Thread: Boycott makes dent in Triangle

http://www.newsobserver.com/102/story/434936.html

Published: May 02, 2006 12:30 AM
Modified: May 02, 2006 02:51 AM

Boycott makes dent in Triangle
Absence of immigrants noticeable as thousands rally to protest the immigration bill / Many businesses that felt the brunt of the rally already support the immigrants' cause

Marti Maguire and Kristin Collins, Staff Writers
Schools in Siler City were half empty, construction sites in downtown Raleigh sat silent and areas usually bustling with Hispanic customers looked like ghost towns.

The nation got a glimpse on Monday of an economy without immigrants as hundreds of thousands of mostly Hispanic marchers skipped work and school and stayed out of stores to show their economic clout.

In some areas of the Triangle, the picture was stark.

At Maytag Coin Laundry, attendant Kwame Gyamfi was nodding off at 10 a.m. Monday in an empty coin-operated laundry. The business, near the intersection of Western Boulevard and Hillsborough Street in West Raleigh, is a hotspot for Hispanic customers.

"It's very, very slow," he said. "Normally I would have 10 people here. Today you don't see anybody."

On Fayetteville Street in downtown Raleigh, where contractors are rebuilding the street and struggling to meet a tight deadline, heavy machinery sat idle. Field Supervisor Gary Pipkin said a crew was supposed to be putting in gutters and benches. Instead, 50 of 75 workers took the day off to protest.

"I'll be honest, it hurts us," said Pipkin with T.A. Loving, the company that is repaving the street.

A sizable impact

Hispanics contribute $9 billion a year to the North Carolina economy, according to a UNC-Chapel Hill study released in January.

The national boycott was aimed at moving the Senate toward immigration reform that would allow some workers in the country illegally to become citizens -- and away from the bill adopted by the House, which would make them felons.

But the impact of the day on the national debate was hard to gauge. Those most hurt by the boycott -- employers and retailers who rely on Hispanic workers -- already support the immigrants' cause.

"We support what they're trying to do," said Cal Lewis, a Pender County farmer who relies on about 150 Hispanic laborers. A third of his workers didn't show up Monday, but he won't punish them. "They're a vital part of our work force. We need them."

Chicken processing plants in Sanford and Siler City, which have brought an influx of Hispanic workers to those towns, closed for the day. Many employers let people work over the weekend so they could have the day off.

Area restaurant owners said planning in advance helped them avoid long lines. About half of the kitchen staff at Zyng Asian Grill in Raleigh's Brier Creek Commons shopping center are Hispanic, said owner Dick Ren. "We just planned around it," Ren said. "We specifically didn't schedule anybody we thought would want the day off."

Schools throughout the Triangle reported a dip in attendance, particularly where many Hispanic students attend. Less than half of students showed up at Siler City elementary and middle schools.

Worth the risk

Immigrant advocates were conflicted over the boycott, which some feared would work against efforts to portray immigrants as hardworking and law abiding. In North Carolina, major organizations opted to support the boycott, despite misgivings, because workers wanted to take part.

"We're talking about a group of individuals that many of them have risked their lives to come into this country," said Zulayka Santiago, director of El Pueblo, a Raleigh-based Hispanic advocacy group. "To many of them it was worth risking being fired."

Thousands of protesters gathered in Lumberton, Asheville, and Smithfield.

More than 300 people met at Internationalist Books and Community Center on Chapel Hill's Franklin Street and began a march to Carrboro's Town Commons. The crowd, about two-thirds Hispanic, waved American flags, pounded drums and chanted "Si, se puede," Spanish for "Yes, we can."

More than 1,000 mostly Hispanic marchers circled the state Capitol in Raleigh.

Leo Oliveros, 39, carried a sign as he marched that read "We believe in America before America believes in us." He stayed home from his job with a contractor that builds roads -- but only with permission. "If not, I couldn't have done it," said Oliveros, who lives in Knightdale.

But others were not impressed. Patrick Rockwell met protesters after they finished their march at the Wal-Mart in Smithfield with signs reading "No illegals, no amnesty." He said people in the country illegally have no right to protest. "If you want to come here, great. But please, do it legally."

"I'll be honest, it hurts us," said Pipkin with T.A. Loving, the company that is repaving the street.

Well Mr. Pipkin, you did it to yourself when you hired illegal aliens. ICE agents; here are at least 50 illegal aliens working for this one company. Is that worth your time? Another company for WeHireAliens.com.