Thread: Celebrations all weekend -Mexican Independence...

Our town, Waukegan, went a bit loco this weekend with the Mexican Independence celebrations...

Parade marks Mexican Independence Day Color and tradition at Latino pride fest
By Ryan Pagelow rpagelow@scn1.com

WAUKEGAN — In a year when immigration reached the forefront of national debate, Waukegan held its largest Mexican Independence Day parade attracting more than 6,000 people. Floats and groups in traditional costumes stretched along Washington Street from Lewis Avenue to Sheridan Road.

About 60 groups participated, including Mexican immigrant social clubs, businesses, politicians, car clubs and schools, said Miguel Arizmendi of Waukegan, who organized the parade with his daughter, Michelle.

"The importance is that we celebrate our roots for our children to see so this never ends," he said.

For the first time, immigrants from Tonatico, Mexico, simulated a battle for Mexican independence between Spanish colonial troops and an alliance of Mexican peasants, mestizos and indigenous groups.
During the minute-long battle they used eggs that were drained of their yolks and then filled with flour, so when they hit someone they harmlessly exploded to give the illusion of gun powder. They also threw tightly-wrapped corn husks to represent the rocks that peasants used in battle.

"We want to bring the tradition here to Waukegan," said Jaime Trujillo, who was dressed as Father Miguel Hidalgo. Hidalgo's cry for independence on Sept. 16, 1810, was the catalyst for the independence movement in Mexico and Central America.

Mexican Independence Day also marks the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs through mid-October.

"The most important thing is that we're all together to celebrate Hispanic heritage," said Myra Gaytan-Morales, president of the Coalición Latinos Unidos of Lake County. "It's not about one nation or another. It's about history and what we represent."

She carried the U.S. flag with College of Lake County students who carried the flags of Latin American countries.

Commenting on the rise of the Minuteman Project, which lobbies for strict border enforcement and the deportation of undocumented immigrants, Victor Ayala of Waukegan pushed a large lawnmower made of wood with a bilingual sign that said, "I need Minutemans for my company."

"The idea is to catch those anti-inmigrants and encourage them to work like us illegals," Ayala said. Although he works in construction, his dad worked in landscaping for 10 years.

Several immigrant clubs in Waukegan also selected queens to represent them, for some that means parading on both sides of the border. Fabiola Salgado, a freshman at Waukegan High School, and Marilyn Mendez, a junior at Waukegan High School, are two of the queens going to Mexico next week to parade in Tonatico.

Rubi Aguilera, a junior at Waukegan High School, represented Club San José. Freshman Mariana Castañeda represented La Comunidad Unidad de La Luz, along with sophomores Norma Rios and Irene Gomez.

Waukegan is home to 30,717 Mexicans, who represent about 78 percent of the city's Latino population, according to the 2000 Census.

An estimated 1,000 people participated in the parade, and another 5,000 watched from the street, said Comdr. Gabriel Guzman of the Waukegan Police Department.

"When the first group got to Sheridan and Washington, it just got done at Lewis and Washington," Guzman said. "It's good to see so many people turn out."

09/18/06

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/news ... S10918.htm

pictures and comments

http://www.waukegan.org/Forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=5624

http://www.waukegan.org/Forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=5619

And finally the new Hispanic principal at the high school is getting a lot of heat (article in news section too) over his slant towards the Hispanic students and parade...

http://www.waukegan.org/Forum/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=2

My town is ready to blow!!

fedup,

Tell them to call their councilmen and write letters to the editor.

Dixie

Sorry fedup, it looks like things are getting really bad there.
For example,

An estimated 1,000 people participated in the parade, and another 5,000 watched from the street, said Comdr. Gabriel Guzman of the Waukegan Police Department.

"When the first group got to Sheridan and Washington, it just got done at Lewis and Washington," Guzman said. "It's good to see so many people turn out.

When you've got important people in the local PD that are not only 'looking the other way', but actually encouraging the illegals, well, ...

I think Dixie is right - start hammering away at each and every elected official and put the issue out there in public by writing those letters..
Maybe we need to have a 'one-off' Focus campaign for your city to just slow down the invasion (as opposed to stopping or reversing it)???.

Fed-up...........what a joke. Who's paying for the queens to travel to mexico? Is that out of the school funds as well? There is absolutly no reason what-so-ever for Mexican independance day to be celebrated in the United States. I hope they slam that school principle big time. I understand the value of learning about other cultures......I just don't want to be living in them. This is just too "in your face" for me.

I used to live in Pennsylvania and enjoyed going to the inner harbor in Baltimore for the ethnic festivals in the summer. That's the extent of experiencing another culture that I find acceptable. I don't need to celebrate the other countries national holidays on my tax dollars. Go ahead....participate in American parades where all cultures are present.....but I sure don't appreciate having my day ruined with some foreign countries holiday waking me up.....blocking city streets......and having it shoved in my face so forcefully.

Uh-oh Fedup, it looks like your area has succumbed to the illegal mexican invasion as much as mine has? Too damn bad too!

In Cicero this weekend they gave the illegal criminals FOUR DAYS to celebrate their crimes in our country! FOUR DAYS!!! It was illegal heaven.

I proudly wore my U.S. FLAG sleeveless t-shirt everywhere I went in the area and received more than a few stares by illegal mexicans. I figured that I was going to show these illegal mexicans whose country this was and if I became the martyr for our cause then so be it. I was ready for anything. Of course, I did survive and so will our country if we fight for it.
(I don't think I was doing anything heroic, I was just pissed off!)

If our politicians don't 'fix' this VERY SOON then we're going to have to 'fix' the politicians.

This is OUR country and history has already taught us what happens to governments who rule against the will of the people. No good can come of it.