Los Angeles Says YES to Immigrants, NO to I.C.E. Raids
May 1, 2017. Los Angeles, CA. Tens of thousands of Angelinos marched on May Day in support of immigrants from all countries. Families have been separated. Throughout the march, people held up signs, saying they loved their deported relatives. Others marched in support of those who had been deported or were in fear of deportation.
Those, who could, marched. Some employers, such as the Los Angeles Unified School District, threatened to fire employees marching. One woman held a sign in support of her sister who was not allowed to march. In spite of employers trying to stop marchers, between 50,000 and 100,000 filled the streets of downtown Los Angeles when the participants of the various marches are added together. An SEIU spokesperson said that over 30,000 were in the march that started from MacArthur Park. Most of the L.A. marches converged on First and Broadway near City Hall.
Some who marched were Mayflower descendants. Some were descended from the founders of this country. Others were children of more recent immigrants. Others were newer immigrants or undocumented immigrants, risking arrest in marching. The marchers demanded an end to the I.C.E. (Immigration and Custom Enforcement division of the Homeland Security Department) raids, an end to the deportations and an end to discussions of a wall. Dennis Kucinich says, “There are no illegal humans.” Those who marched would agree. Kucinich is one of the popular names discussed as a possible Presidential candidate for 2020.
The immigrants had the full support of workers from virtually every union---though many teachers were not allowed, by their districts, to march. In 2006, a boy named Anthony Soltero was pushed into suicide by vice principle who threatened him with arrest for cutting class and leading a pro-immigration march. The Democratic Party supported the actions of the vice principal, not caring about the life that was lost. SEIU, the Teamsters, the UFCW and the Nurses of America were among the prominent unions present. The Green Party marched proudly. There was a Bernie Sanders contingency—though there was no Democratic banner. Berners are split with most standing against the Democratic Party- in spite of Bernie’s Unity Tour. The Democratic Party did hand out anti-Trump signs but otherwise had no official presence. Marchers frequently expressed concerns about the DNC trying to turn the march anti-Trump. There were some agitators and party-pushers present. Near Pershing Square, some arguments broke out between people trying to turn the event into an anti-Trump march and pro-immigration marchers. One agitator who was caught trying to stir up partisanship went from trying to start political arguments to grabbing a disabled woman and almost hurt the woman’s dog. Despite a few trouble-makers, the marchers kept the event positive, sending a clear message to the current Administration of the direction in which Americans want the country to move. It was a far cry from ten years ago when officers of Bob Bratton’s Los Angeles Police Department attacked TV news reporters covering the MacArthur Park event. Now, the May Day rallies have become a symbol of the fabric of our nation.
SB 54, which will make California a Sanctuary State, has passed the State Senate and is expected to pass the Assembly and be signed into law by Jerry Brown. Many of the marchers carried signs in support of SB 54. The bill was introduced by Senate President pro-Tem Kevin McCarthy and has strong support from most Californians. Roughly 40% of Angelinos are Latinos and California leaders are well aware that their support for this bill could affect their re-election changes. Another bill promoted at the May Day Rally was California's SB 562 (single-payer health care).
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Black Lives Matter was very prominent in the march as were Native American indigenous dancers. The ANSWER Coalition and the ACLU were also among the participants.
Some of the side issues represented by signs were support for single payer health care. (CA SB 562, H. R. 676) and opposition to bombing and war. Many pointed out that, if we stopped bombing other countries, there would be fewer refugees needing protection from our bombs.
Some of the side issues represented by signs were support for single payer health care. (CA SB 562, H. R. 676) and opposition to bombing and war. Many pointed out that, if we stopped bombing other countries, there would be fewer refugees needing protection from our bombs.
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