LUCHA UNIDA DE LOS JORNALEROS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACTS: Patricia Loya (510) 437-1555, Renee Saucedo (415) 553-3404

Oakland day laborers march and rally to repeal city’s "Anti-Solicitation Ordinance." Workers also demand Oakland’s attention to their rights and needs.

On Thursday, December 13, 2001, beginning at 9:00 a.m., hundreds of day laborers, predominantly Latino, immigrant men who stand on street corners waiting for employers to hire them, will march to Oakland City Hall demanding the repeal of the recently-passed "Anti-Solicitation Ordinance." The march will begin at 3005 12th Street, in Oakland, and will end with a press conference and rally at the steps of Oakland City Hall at 11:00 am.

The day workers oppose the ordinance because it has caused police to harass them, push them off the street, and has caused the loss of many jobs. States Carlos Mares, a leader of the day laborer association, "Lucha Unida de los Jornaleros," ("United Struggle of Day Laborers"): "We have a moral and legal right to stand on the street to look for honest work. If neighbors have complaints, we should be allowed to help negotiate solutions, not be victims of an ordinance that criminalizes us and that hurts our chances of finding work."

Besides repealing the anti-day laborer ordinance, the workers will be calling for more public bathrooms and trash receptacles on streets where they congregate.

While the marchers and their supporters will focus their protest on the Oakland City Council, they will bring a special message to Councilman Ignacio De La Fuente, the main proponent of the ordinance. "We have tried to meet with Councilman De La Fuente to discuss our needs and he has responded only by threatening to have us arrested by the police and by threatening the funding of supportive agencies," states Carlos Mares.

Speakers at the press conference will include day laborers, Patricia Loya, Executive Director of Centro Legal de la Raza, Wilson Riles, candidate for Mayor and local labor and community leaders.