Thread: PRO-ILLEGAL ALIEN GROUPS URGE REFORM IN SAN DIEGO

Pro-immigrant groups urge reform


Thousands of people protesting the proposed immigration reform bill marched in April from Balboa Park to the County Administration Center on Pacific Highway in San Diego.


Plans include rallies, pressuring lawmakers

By Leslie Berestein
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
March 3, 2007

SAN DIEGO – Just as Congress has taken up the immigration debate once more this week, immigrant-rights groups are stepping up their efforts to persuade lawmakers to pass reforms that would allow millions of undocumented immigrants a chance to legalize their status.

This week in San Diego, some of the organizers behind last April's large pro-immigrant march met to draw up plans for the next several months. This includes a rally in mid-April, citizenship drives, voter registration, getting people to call congressional representatives and sending delegates to Washington, D.C.

The rally, tentatively set for April 15 in Balboa Park, would commemorate last year's downtown march that drew at least 50,000 people, the largest such event recorded in San Diego history. But this year's goal involves much more advocacy and strategic planning than it does demonstrations, said Norma Chavez-Peterson, an organizer of last year's march.
“You will always have folks that want to be out on the streets,” said Chavez-Peterson, the director of Justice Overcoming Boundaries, a faith-based community organization that deals with civil rights, housing, health and education issues. “We want to pass some legislation, and to do that, we have to be strategic.”

The goal, she said, is to get reforms passed by the Democratic-controlled Congress before the onset of the 2008 presidential campaign.

Justice Overcoming Boundaries is part of the We Are America Coalition, which includes faith, labor and community groups. It is one of numerous grass-roots organizations that sprung up last year around the country, holding rallies and joining the national immigrant organizations in pushing for reforms.

Other Southern California groups have been making plans for this year, including a group called National Alliance for Human Rights, which has announced plans for a March 17 rally in San Bernardino. A group called Latino Movement USA is planning a march in Los Angeles on April 7.

The March 25 Coalition, a Los Angeles group named for the date of a massive pro-immigrant march there last year, is calling for another nationwide boycott on May 1, asking Latinos and those who favor pro-immigrant reforms to skip work, school and spending for a day.

Although they share a general common cause, not all the grass-roots groups agree on the level of reform they wish for, let alone tactics. The March 25 Coalition, for example, favors sweeping, unconditional legalization for the undocumented, while other organizations favor earned legalization and a guest-worker program.

We Are America, with its labor component, does not favor the boycott tactic; last year, groups under that umbrella held an evening rally in Balboa Park on May 1 as an alternative for people who went to work.

Some say the momentum that existed last year has subsided. In spite of all the activism last year on both sides of the immigration debate, the only notable legislation approved was a measure that called for building more border fencing, albeit without sufficient funding. Legislation calling for legalization and guest workers went nowhere.

“We are being crippled now by the indifference, the apathy in general,” said Armando Navarro, a University of California Riverside ethnic studies professor helping organize the March 17 event in San Bernardino. “We are encouraging as many groups as possible to start moving.”

Navarro said he was on the fence about the boycott idea this year, saying it could work if organizers are successful in creating more momentum, but not otherwise.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/mexi ... immig.html

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Leslie Berestein: (619) 542-4579; leslie.berestein@uniontrib.com

ICE should attend these meetings. They could pick up anyone who is holding a Mexican flag and more than likely have an illegal or an anchor baby.

America the land of the free is becoming the land of illegals.

Well Skip, looks like we'll see some invaders getting out in the open to demand rights in our great city. I see it as an OPPORTUNITY FOR US. At no point did legal Americans awaken and voice opposition to illegal immigration than they did 1 year ago. Why? Illegals get together, wave their Mexican flags, disrespect the American flag, show their communist sympathies, and promote what even they see as an invasion. This is the only thing that will wake Americans up--which answers the question in another thread about why we don't "show up." Americans need a threat thrust into their faces. They need to see an anti-American movement flexing its muscles in this nation.

Hopefully the media will not censor it this time.......They need to SHOW the American flags in flames. They need to SHOW the "Brown is Beautiful," and "This is Stolen Land" signs. They need to SHOW the signs of North America with the USA crossed out. The media is affraid to show us this, because they know it is exactly what will awaken Americans. We need these rallies. We need the invaders to pick a fight, so Americans will see a threat, respond, get off of their lazy-boy chairs, turn off the TV, get active and STOP THE INVASION!!

Keep it up. You're just increasing the contempt we now feel towards you for trying to take over our political and social establishment.

Originally Posted by BearFlagRepublic

Well Skip, looks like we'll see some invaders getting out in the open to demand rights in our great city. I see it as an OPPORTUNITY FOR US. At no point did legal Americans awaken and voice opposition to illegal immigration than they did 1 year ago. Why? Illegals get together, wave their Mexican flags, disrespect the American flag, show their communist sympathies, and promote what even they see as an invasion. This is the only thing that will wake Americans up--which answers the question in another thread about why we don't "show up." Americans need a threat thrust into their faces. They need to see an anti-American movement flexing its muscles in this nation.

Hopefully the media will not censor it this time.......They need to SHOW the American flags in flames. They need to SHOW the "Brown is Beautiful," and "This is Stolen Land" signs. They need to SHOW the signs of North America with the USA crossed out. The media is affraid to show



us this, because they know it is exactly what will awaken Americans.need these rallies. We need the invaders to pick a fight, so Americans will see a threat, respond, get off of their lazy-boy chairs, turn off the TV, get active and STOP THE INVASION!!

WELCOME BEAR!! thanks for helping with the ALIPAC fight!! need all the help we can get!! :P

Originally Posted by BearFlagRepublic

Well Skip, looks like we'll see some invaders getting out in the open to demand rights in our great city. I see it as an OPPORTUNITY FOR US. At no point did legal Americans awaken and voice opposition to illegal immigration than they did 1 year ago. Why? Illegals get together, wave their Mexican flags, disrespect the American flag, show their communist sympathies, and promote what even they see as an invasion. This is the only thing that will wake Americans up--which answers the question in another thread about why we don't "show up." Americans need a threat thrust into their faces. They need to see an anti-American movement flexing its muscles in this nation.

Hopefully the media will not censor it this time.......They need to SHOW the American flags in flames. They need to SHOW the "Brown is Beautiful," and "This is Stolen Land" signs. They need to SHOW the signs of North America with the USA crossed out. The media is affraid to show us this, because they know it is exactly what will awaken Americans. We need these rallies. We need the invaders to pick a fight, so Americans will see a threat, respond, get off of their lazy-boy chairs, turn off the TV, get active and STOP THE INVASION!!

Watch out illegals, sounds like this bear has teeth!

Good post bear.

We all see it, we all hate it and are frustrated with our govts. inaction.

Every poll taken in any part of OUR country denotes a vast majority of us feel the same way...we want them GONE! We want those that harbor or hire them severely punished.....so what's it going to take to get what We the People want?????