Thread: Chavez marches take place, but not in North County

Chavez marches take place, but not in North County

By: Staff and wire -

Latino students and others staged small marches in California on Friday to demand that the birthday of the late United Farm Workers leader Cesar Chavez become a national holiday and that Congress pass a legalization program for undocumented immigrants, however student walkouts that were rumored to be looming at North County campuses never materialized.

A would-be protest near Vista High School on Friday morning fizzled when the handful of participants failed to draw a crowd and quickly dispersed.

Earlier this week some North County districts, including Vista Unified and Oceanside Unified, had taken steps to discourage walkouts by talking to Latino student leaders and sending letters home to parents.

Escondido Union High School District Superintendent Ed Nelson said Friday that he was glad that students in his district made the right choice to stay in school.

"Their education is the most important asset that they can own and to give that away on any given day is a travesty," Nelson said. "I'm proud of the way our kids responded. I'm proud of the way our staff trained them to respond."

Elsewhere in the county, about 170 San Diego Unified high school students left three district campuses Friday morning and marched toward Chicano Park near San Diego Bay, said district spokesman Jack Brandais.

The students included about 45 from Morse High School in the Paradise Hills area; about 100 from Hoover High School in City Heights; and about 20 from Mission Bay High School, he said.

San Diego police responded to the marches and had cleared students out of the area by the early afternoon, Brandais said.

Meanwhile, about 875 students from 13 Los Angeles middle schools and high schools walked out of class or skipped school to participate in marches, said Angie Levine, a Los Angeles Unified School District spokeswoman. About 100 marched in Sacramento and another 100 demonstrated in Oakland.

As they walked in Los Angeles, teens chanted "Si se puede!" or "Yes we can!"

"If the government won't do it, we have to come out here and force them to," said Roberto Vera, 14. "Everybody is equal. It doesn't matter where you were born."

Cynthia Gomez, 16, agreed.

"Just like Martin Luther King (Jr.), Cesar Chavez is a hero to all Latinos," he said. "We should honor him in the same way."

The demonstrations came a year after rallies on immigration issues were staged throughout California. This time, however, the number was a fraction of the thousands who turned out in 2006.

In Sacramento, roughly 100 students trailed by police marched from Hiram Johnson High to the state Capitol, wearing brown ribbons representing Mexican culture and solidarity. About 200 students from other schools were expected to join the walkout.

"He marched for us, now we march for him!!!" read one of the signs expressing support for establishing a holiday in Chavez's honor.

"We deserve to take it (the day) off. My family has been farmworkers, and Cesar Chavez has meant a lot for our family ---- with the union, better health care and better wages," said student Leticia Sanchez-Mata, 16.

Jesse Villanueva, 18, one of the march organizers, pointed to larger immigration concerns.

"We're trying to fight for our rights, no raids, and to fight for amnesty," he said.

Marchers on Oakland's International Boulevard carried signs calling for unity, waved the Mexican and American colors, and asking for recognition of Latino contributions to the country and its economy.

"Without farmworkers ---- no food, no fruit, no good," read a sign held by one of the students who made up about half the crowd.

Staff writer Shayna Chabner contributed to this report

Associated Press writers Samantha Young in Sacramento and Juliana Barbassa in Oakland contributed to this report.

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/03 ... _30_07.txt

Chavez did not support illegals entering America. Why if they want him to be given a holiday do Latinos not support securing the border and deporting illegals?