Immigrants & Supporters Take Action in Sacramento

Repost from http://sf.indymedia.org/news/2005/07/1716713.php

Immigrants & Supporters Take Action in Sacramento
by Ramses Friday, Jul. 08, 2005 at 11:00 AM

Over 200 immigrants and supporters convened on the State Capitol on Wednesday to demand drivers licenses without special markings to undocumented residents and to oppose border vigilantes in California.

Over 200 immigrants and supporters convened on the State Capitol on Wednesday to demand drivers licenses without special markings to undocumented residents and to oppose border vigilantes in California. They met inside with State Senator Gil Cedillo to demand no special markings on the licenses, and then held a press conference at the steps of the Capitol while a group of up to ten citizens practiced civil disobedience at the Governor’s office.

Two buses of immigrants from San Francisco and dozens more from the Northern California area met with State Senator Cedillo in a crowded meeting room inside the Capitol to talk about the driver license legislature. In this session immigrant workers and families expressed their strong opposition to the proposed markings on the drivers licenses to undocumented residents. “We do not want markings, we are not animals,” chanted a day laborer from San Francisco. Senator Cedillo seemed to agree but could not guarantee passage of the driver license legislature without such marking. Similar legislature has been vetoed by Governor Schwarznegger once already, and he is expected to do so again if the marking isn’t included. The State Bill SB60, introduced by Cedillo, awaits a hearing later this summer.

Outside a press conference took place at 11am, followed by a short march around the Capitol by immigrant families and workers. Immigrant families focused on the need for them to be able to drive, while workers opposed anti-immigrant hatred by groups such as the “Minutemen” border vigilantes from Arizona chanting, “Inmigrantes, si! Vigilantes, no!” They fear that the Governor’s support for the border vigilantes will escalade xenophobia and anti-immigrant sentiment towards their community.

Inside the capitol, a small group of up to ten sat peacefully in front of the Governor’s office as an act of civil disobedience. The Governor did not communicate, and within half an hour they were arrested and taken away by California Highway Patrol. Only one person was read their rights by CHP and all were quickly moved out of the Capitol under charges of “obstructing Capitol business,” reported Renee Saucedo of the San Francisco Day Laborers Program. They were released the following morning.

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Note: Ironically, during the arrest, the California Highway Patrol managed to lose the driver's license of one the women arrested. At this time the CHP has admited to losing the license, but has not found it(!) --Jeff G

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Media Advisory

For Immediate Release
Contact: Angel Seda, Luis Herrera
June 30, 2005
Phone: (415) 487-9203

Immigrant Communities marched against the Governor and CA State Senator Cedillo to demand Unmarked Licenses and, demand that the governor withdraw support for border hate groups.

What: Bay area immigrant workers, families, students, advocates and their allies will stage a press conference in front of the state capital building in Sacramento. The protest is to show community opposition to Project SB60, which is being presented by State Senator Cedillo on the house floor for approval. A bill that requires immigrants who don’t have federal documentation of residency to apply for an State Id at local DMV’s and receive Id’s with a marking to show that they are not federally acknowledge as residents. These communities are also in solidarity against the invitation given to the “Minutemen” by Governor Schwarzenegger where we will a have a local community advocate speak out about this issue in our press conference. Our demand is that the Governor retracts his invitation and denounces the “Minutemen” as a racist hate group, offensive to communities of color and immigrant communities.

Where: State Capitol Building - Sacramento, CA 95814. (Front steps at the entrance to building)

When: Wednesday, July 6, 2005 - 11:00am to 12:00pm press conference.

Who: Sponsored by The Driving Licenses Coalition and supported by organizations such as St. Peter’s Housing, PODER, The Day Laborer Program, Colectiva de Mujeres, La Raza Unida de City College, Filipino for Affirmative Action (FAA), Mujeres Activas Unidas, The Midnight Express Coalition and Berkeley University

Why: By branding us like animals with marked drivers licenses and supporting vigilante groups such as the “Minutemen” our communities are not being treated fairly as workers, students and humans who contribute to the U$ economy. These two things say to us that the California government promotes racism and xenophobia to against all immigrants and communities of color. The governor and state senator Cedillo seem to forget that we are human beings and deserve to have equal rights, but we as a coalition demand that equal rights be for all people affected by American imperialism in our pueblos here and in The Third World.

Media Visuals: The last speaker at our press conference will be talking to our community about the demand against the Governors support of the “Minute Men” action in San Diego scheduled for September.