Thread: CA-Peaceful rallies held for, vs. immigration

Peaceful rallies held for, vs. immigration

By Leslie Berestein
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

May 2, 2008

SAN DIEGO – People on both sides of the immigration debate rallied yesterday in relatively small and peaceful gatherings, with one side pushing for recognition of immigrant rights and the other accusing Mexico's government of aggravating immigration problems in the United States.

The largest event was a march from San Diego City College to Pantoja Park downtown. The pro-immigration event, held for the second year at the college, attracted a few hundred demonstrators.
It was part of a series of rallies nationwide to commemorate a nationwide boycott of work, schools and businesses held two years ago in support of pro-immigration legislative change. In California, there were gatherings in San Francisco, Oakland and Los Angeles, where police estimated the crowd reached a peak of 8,500.

Some of the pro-immigration marchers in San Diego said they sought to push for legislative changes that have stalled. Others decried continuing border deaths and policies they said contribute to such issues as the growing number of immigrants in detention.

U-T Multimedia: To see a video on the immigration rallies, go to uniontrib.com/more/rallies

As the crowd marched toward the park, the Rev. Canon Mary Moreno Richardson of St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral carried a poster with a photo of a Salvadoran girl who died this year entering illegally through Arizona.

“I always hear, 'What part of illegal don't you get?' â€

I commented on this yesterday in another thread but my husband and our oldest son are in San Diego right now on a marine biology exploration project our son is participating in.

My husband said that yesterday there were BP EVERYWHERE you looked and it was so quiet you'd have never known a march was even going on!

Also, they went to Sea World and prior to the Shamu show, they asked all veterans.....of which my husband is one.....to please stand, thanked them for their service, and did a tribute number with Shamu for them.

What a nice way to counteract a day dedicated to such vicious Anti American sentiment!!!!