Immigrants Denounce Press Hysteria; Rally for Youth and Families
by Paul Hogarth‚ Jul. 30‚ 2008



Alarmed at a rising anti-immigrant hysteria in the Chronicle and other media sources, an impressive coalition of 27 organizations rallied in front of City Hall yesterday to defend San Francisco’s Sanctuary Ordinance – and to demand that the feds not deport immigrant youth who are charged with crimes. The Sanctuary Ordinance does not hurt – but rather improves – public safety in San Francisco, as it encourages immigrant communities to report crimes to the police. As Mayor Gavin Newsom flip-flopped on how the City responded to Honduran teenagers charged with drug dealing, San Francisco has been front and center in the war on immigrant families – with the right-wing Minutemen planning to hold a rally today in front of City Hall. Yesterday’s message was clear: don’t separate families, don’t deport kids who have spent most of their lives in this country, and preserve San Francisco’s status as a Sanctuary City.

“Far from causing crime,â€