Immigrant boycott aims to "close" US cities
By Dan Whitcomb
2 hours, 24 minutes ago
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Pro-immigration activists say a nationwide
boycott and marches planned for May 1 will flood Americas's streets
with millions of Latinos to demand amnesty for illegal immigrants and
shake the ground under Congress as it tackles reform.
But while such a massive turnout could make for the largest protests
since the civil rights era of the 1960s, not all Latinos, nor their
leaders, were comfortable with such militancy -- fearing a backlash in
Middle America.
"There will be 2 to 3 million people hitting the streets in Los
Angeles alone. We're going to close down Los Angeles, Chicago, New
York, Tucson, Phoenix, Fresno," said Jorge Rodriguez, a union official
who helped organize earlier rallies credited with rattling Congress as
it debates the issue.
Immigration has split Congress, the Republican Party and public
opinion. Conservatives want the estimated 12 million illegal
immigrants to be classified as felons and a fence built along the
Mexican border.
Others, including President George W. Bush, want a guest worker
program and a path to citizenship. Most agree some reform is needed to
stem the flow of poor to the world's biggest economy.
"We want full amnesty, full legalization for anybody who is here
(illegally)," Rodriguez said. "That is the message that is going to be
played out across the country on May 1."
Organizers of the May Day marches, which have strong support from big
labor and the Roman Catholic church, vow that America's major cities
will grind to a halt and its economy will stagger as Latinos walk off
their jobs and skip school.
Teachers' unions in major cities have said children should not be
punished for walking out of class. A spokeswoman for the Los Angeles
Unified School District said school principals had been told that they
should not try to keep students in class but instead should walk with
the children to help keep order.
In Chicago, Catholic priests have helped organize protests, sending
information to all 375 parishes in the archdiocese.
CRITICS CHARGE INTIMIDATION
Chicago activists predict that the demonstrations will draw 300,000
people -- compared to the 100,000 who turned out on March 10 to clog
downtown streets. Minneapolis-based agribusiness giant Cargill Inc.
said it will close seven meatpacking plants so workers can
participate.
In New York, leaders of the May 1 Coalition said a growing number of
businesses had pledged to close and allow their workers to attend a
rally in Manhattan's Union Square.
But some Latinos have expressed ambivalence about the boycott and
marches, saying they could stir up anti-immigrant sentiment amid an
incendiary atmosphere surrounding the issue.
Cardinal Roger Mahony of the Los Angeles archdiocese, who has emerged
as an outspoken champion of immigrant rights -- even calling on
priests to defy laws aimed at those who would help illegals -- has
lobbied against a walkout.
"Personally I believe we can make May 1st a 'win-win' day here in
Southern California," Mahony said in a statement. "Go to work, go to
school, and then join thousands of us at a major rally afterward."
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, the son of a Mexican immigrant
who has long fought for immigrant rights, has taken a low profile on
the issue. A Villaraigosa spokeswoman said the mayor expects
protesters to be "lawful and respectful" and wants children to stay in
school.
Critics have accused pro-immigrant leaders of stirring up uninformed
young Latinos by telling them that their parents were in imminent
danger of being deported and accuse them of trying to bully Congress.
"It's intimidation," Jim Gilchrist, founder of the Minuteman volunteer
border patrol group, said of the May 1 events. "It's intimidation when
a million people march down main streets in our major cities under the
Mexican flag."
"It angers the people you are trying to impress," he said. "This will
backfire just like the Mexican flag parades backfired."
(Additional reporting by Aarthi Sivaraman in Los Angeles, Dan Trotta
in New York and Michael Conlon in Chicago)
--
"There are no absolute certainties in this universe. A man must try to
whip order into a yelping pack of probabilities, and uniform success is
impossible." -- Jack Vance
"Civilizaton is the interval between Ice Ages." -- Will Durant.
"War is God's way of teaching Americans geography" -- Ambrose Bierce
"Long term commitment in relationships is only necessary because it takes
so damn long to raise children. Marriage may well be some kind of trick
to keep the males around beyond sexual satiation." -- Captain Compassion
"Progress is the increasing control of the environment by life.
--Will Durant
Joseph R. Darancette
daranc@NOSPAMverizon.net
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