Thread: Looks Like The Marches Were Big Bust Compared To Last Year!!

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/stat ... tests.html

By Peter Prengaman
ASSOCIATED PRESS

2:14 p.m. May 1, 2007

LOS ANGELES – Nationwide immigration rallies Tuesday produced only a fraction of the million- plus protesters who turned out last year, as fear of raids kept many illegal immigrants from coming out and organizers and activists began channeling their energies elsewhere.
In Los Angeles, where May 1 protests in 2006 brought out several hundred thousand at various activities, about 10,000 came out for a downtown rally, said police Capt. Andrew Smith, incident commander for the march. A second rally was expected in the afternoon.



Advertisement In Chicago, where over 400,000 swarmed the streets a year earlier, police officials put estimates at about 150,000, by far the country's largest turnout.
Organizers had long predicted lower turnouts, blaming stepped up immigration raids, frustration that marches haven't pushed Congress to pass immigration reform legislation and a concerted effort by many groups to focus on citizenship and voter registration drives instead of street mobilizations.

Still, they argued smaller crowds didn't mean the movement to win a path to citizenship for 12 million illegal immigrants had lost steam.

“People are saying we need to get together to demonstrate unity,” said Joshua Hoyt, executive director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. “But with so much happening, and so many concrete victories, you couldn't say the movement is weakening.”

Protesters said that while anger over raids brought some people out, fear also kept many at home.

Los Angeles public school teacher David Cid said his students were suffering because recent raids had separated families. Los Angeles County has about 1 million illegal immigrants, by far the largest concentration in America.

“They feel terrorized,” said Cid, who declined to give more details about where he works to protect his students.

Thomas Rodriguez, 38, an illegal immigrant rallying in Chicago, said the raids were damaging families.

“We worry deportations are leaving too many young people without parents,” said Rodriguez.

Fear was apparent in Atlanta, where no rallies were planned, even though 50,000 marched on May 1 last year.

Organizers said immigrants were afraid of the raids and of a new Georgia state law set to take effect in July. The law requires verification that adults seeking non-emergency state-administered benefits are in the country legally, sanctions employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants, and requires police to check the immigration status of people they arrest.

“There's a lot of anxiety and fear in the immigrant community,” said Jerry Gonzalez of the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials.

Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean told immigrant supporters in Miami that a reform bill currently before Congress was “insane” because it would require many illegal immigrants to return home before applying for citizenship.

“This is a government that can't find a 6-foot-4 terrorist. How is it going to find 12 million people?” he told a group of more than 100 party supporters at Miami's Parrot Jungle Island.

About 3,500 people marched in Phoenix and Tucson, waving signs reading “Stop the roundups” and “The sleeping giant woke up forever.” In Oakland, about 2,000 people marched to City Hall. In the crowd was Gloria Ramos, 51, a social worker at a children's nonprofit who left her native Mexico 32 years ago.

“Nothing has happened since last year,” she said, expressing a frustration of many protesters. “Things are getting worse for our people – more discrimination, less benefits.”

In Washington, D.C., several hundred members of Asian groups from across the country made a lobbying push with lawmakers.

In New York, groups planned an “American Family Tree” rally, where immigrants would pin paper leaves on a large painting of a tree to symbolize the separation of families because of strict immigration laws.

The event is a response to a White House immigration reform proposal in March, said Chung-Wha Hong, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition.

That plan would grant illegal immigrants three-year work visas for $3,500 but also require them to return home to apply for U.S. residency and pay a $10,000 fine. It has been roundly criticized by immigrant groups.

In Los Angeles, some groups had called for an economic boycott and hoped for a repeat of last year, when thousands of immigrants and students stayed away from work and school in a sign of solidarity.

Other groups rejected the boycott, arguing it puts immigrants' livelihoods at risk and deprives children of valuable classroom time.

By midday, 640 students had walked out of 12 schools, said Los Angeles Unified School District spokeswoman Monica Carazo, compared to over 51,000 walkouts last year.



Associated Press Writers Jeremiah Marquez in Los Angeles, Lisa Leff in Oakland, Amanda Lee Myers in Phoenix, Garance Burke in Fresno, Laura Wides-Munoz in Miami, Michael Tarm in Chicago and Giovanna Dell'Orto in Atlanta contributed to this story.



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They feel terrorized That comment really pisses me off. I spoke with Billy Inman ,whos son Dustin was killed in 2000 by an illegal and has never received justice for his family. Where is the justice for my Joshua? Are we not terrorized by a mass influx of illegals who are systematically killing Americans at an alarming rate? Are our families not being torn apart My husband and I cry daily for our baby. And that man feels terrorized Terror is getting that dreaded phone call from your 18 yr old son saying 2 bodies are lying in the road and its your family. Terror is never gettting justice for your son who was killed by an illegal. I ask again, does any of them understand the word ILLEGAL

“They feel terrorized,” said Cid, who declined to give more details about where he works to protect his students.

Thomas Rodriguez, 38, an illegal immigrant rallying in Chicago, said the raids were damaging families.

“We worry deportations are leaving too many young people without parents,” said Rodriguez.

This is the latest tactic. This shows how stupid they think we are! Well, we're not all like Hillary Clinton. Some of us know when we're being BS'd and we are sick of it!!!

(MK, I pilfered your crying smiley--best I've seen!)

The audacity of the these illegals never fails to amaze me?! This is not YOUR country!!!! We do not owe you anything and you deserve nothing from us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wish someone(s) would comment on why Chicago had, by far, the largest turnout of illegals. We only had 10 thousand in LA and it was hardly a blip on the radar screen.

Originally Posted by pjr40

I wish someone(s) would comment on why Chicago had, by far, the largest turnout of illegals. We only had 10 thousand in LA and it was hardly a blip on the radar screen.

I think it as because of that whole Illegal woman who is disobeying deportation orders in that Chicago Church. She's been using her son as a toy to spread her messege. Sort of like Cindy Shehan

Originally Posted by geekindapink

Originally Posted by pjr40

I wish someone(s) would comment on why Chicago had, by far, the largest turnout of illegals. We only had 10 thousand in LA and it was hardly a blip on the radar screen.

I think it as because of that whole Illegal woman who is disobeying deportation orders in that Chicago Church. She's been using her son as a toy to spread her messege. Sort of like Cindy Shehan

Welcome, Geekindapink!! Yeah, Cindy Shehan...another great American.

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