Thread: Videos of May Day Rally / Walkout in L.A.

Pictures and videos of May Day Rally / Walkout in L.A.

http://www.latimes.com/

[img]http://www.latimes.com/media/alternatethumbnails/photo/2007-
05/29473511.jpg[/img]

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me ... -headlines
Local marchers join tens of thousands nationwide
By Times Staff Writers
4:06 PM PDT, May 1, 2007


Tens of thousands of advocates for immigrant rights took to the streets in Los Angeles and the rest of the nation today, hoping that passion would offset the smaller turnout from last year's demonstrations.

As they did last year, demonstrators waved U.S. flags and declared their desire to flex economic muscles despite their sharply lower numbers at a time when immigration issues continue on the Washington agenda.

Along with marches in California, demonstrations were reported in New York, Chicago, Detroit and Phoenix as protesters demanded a path for citizenship for an estimated 12 million to 13 million undocumented workers as well as other changes being negotiated within a Democrat-controlled Congress.

In Los Angeles, a morning demonstration started on Olympic Boulevard at Broadway with a handful of protesters, but by midday at City Hall the crowd had grown to more than 25,000 people shouting "Si, se puede!" or "Yes, it can be done!" the Latino rallying cry for political power.

"We have to show Congress that we're good people," said Blanca Duenas, who joined the crowd with her husband Jose. "We're here and we're not leaving."

Los Angeles construction worker Andreas Meza, 41, was on his back earlier waving an American flag. A sign saying "Legalize Now," was pasted on the banner.

"Government likes to have me like this. I don't want to be like this," said the illegal immigrant, who came from Mexico nearly 20 years ago. "I have necessities."

The first of today's two demonstrations gathered steam through the morning as it moved along Broadway, yet even at more than 25,000 strong it remained far smaller that last year's demonstration, when about 650,000 poured through the streets of Los Angeles in the largest demonstration in the nation.

"It's smaller than we anticipated," Los Angeles Police Cmdr. Louis H. Gray Jr. said at about 11 a.m. "Last year at this time, I'd say there were at least 300,000 to 400,000 people."

Officials last year were caught off-guard by the size of the demonstration and were determined not to be surprised again. Plans were made to close roads, the police presence was beefed up and some owners closed their stores along the march route.

The economic impact of the boycott was limited, though some stores in the area did less business than usual.

Los Angeles is crucial to any national turnout because Southern California is home to more than 1 million illegal immigrants.

Manuel Nunez, 40, a member of the Asociacion de Fraternidades Guatemaltecas, a network of hometown clubs that raises money for public works projects in Guatemala, said that last year all immigrants were encouraged to participate in the May 1 march.

But this year, Nunez, an illegal immigrant who works in the construction business, said people were told to participate if they could "but not to risk losing their jobs."

Last year's protests were emotionally fueled by Los Angeles students – united in an electronic web of cellphone text messages and e-mails. They fled their classes to march and clog roads.

This year, city, school district and church leaders urged students to stay in school, and the pleas seemed to have been heeded.

About 600 students had walked out from less than a dozen Los Angeles Unified School District campuses -- far fewer than had been anticipated, the district reported.

The largest group, according to district officials, came from Garfield High School in East Los Angeles, where about 150 students left. Students from all schools were being escorted by either school district police or school administrators and there were no reports of any altercations or accidents involving students.

If needed, school buses will be sent downtown later in the afternoon to provide students rides back to their campuses, said district spokeswoman Monica Carazo.

March organizers said part of the reason for the low turnout was confusion over the starting time. Originally, the march was called for 10 a.m., with a rally two hours later at City Hall. Some people thought the march wouldn't begin until noon.

Tens of thousands of advocates for immigrant rights took to the streets in Los Angeles and the rest of the nation today, hoping that passion would offset the smaller turnout from last year's demonstrations.

It`s funny, There was such a small turn out that they would onl print the nationwide count.

BTTT