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Hundreds of Immigrants Protest on May Day
Like the May Day Immigration Protests that rocked the political establishment last year, yesterday’s march from Dolores Park to Civic Center was truly beautiful – as hundreds of Latino families marched to demand an end to the ICE Raids and amnesty for undocumented workers. There were more American flags than Mexican flags, as the unifying message was that while immigrants are proud of their heritage, they demand the right to be seen as Americans. But as progressives remain split on the question of immigration reform, the usual suspects who infiltrate every San Francisco demonstration distributed leaflets to the crowd denouncing the “sell-out” leadership (SEIU, UNITE-HERE, the UFW, National Council of La Raza) for attempting to pass a flawed – but workable – bill in Congress.
The STRIVE Act of 2007, which groups like SEIU have endorsed, would grant a six-year legal status to the eight million undocumented workers in this country – but would also require them to first return home in order to get U.S. citizenship. Such a position has angered some immigrant advocates, who instead have demanded full amnesty for all undocumented immigrants. Meanwhile, the escalation of ICE raids continues to put the daily lives of every undocumented worker in jeopardy, as they stand the risk of getting deported on a moment’s notice. Regardless of tactics, something has to be done now to stop the raids.
“San Francisco is a city of immigrants, and it is a city of workers,” said Supervisor Chris Daly at the Dolores Park rally through a Spanish interpreter. “The struggles are one and the same. As we rally for legal rights today, we need to rally for human rights like housing rights for all. The [ICE] raids must not just be denounced. We must organize our protest, and refuse to cooperate with the Federal authorities.”
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http://beyondchron.org/news/index.php?itemid=4466#more
“San Francisco is a city of immigrants, and it is a city of workers,” said Supervisor Chris Daly at the Dolores Park rally through a Spanish interpreter. “The struggles are one and the same. As we rally for legal rights today, we need to rally for human rights like housing rights for all. The [ICE] raids must not just be denounced. We must organize our protest, and refuse to cooperate with the Federal authorities.”
More
http://beyondchron.org/news/index.php?itemid=4466#more
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Ok, just to be clear, the beginning says "as hundreds of Latino families marched..." There were thousands and thousands of people at the protest. Thousands of Latino families. The title says, "Hundreds of Immigrants Protest on May Day." Where did that title even come from? There were THOUSANDS. I'd say about 15 of them. Not the biggest protest, but not as small as the above article implies.
Don't know if there were 15,000 there, but I'm guessing there were at least 4,000. Anyone else?
Unlike the very new beyondchron website, the socialist community of San Francisco is over 100 years old, and its current members include many native San Franciscans and long term residents of San Francisco who have roots in the workingclass communities of San Francisco. It is unconscionable that any labor union bureaucrats, better known as the labor lieutenants of capitalism, are promoting this reactionary Democrat-Republican Party bill to have poor undocumented workers return to their home country, apply to re-enter for a 6 year temporary worker status (slave labor status is what this is) and pay a $10,000 fine which they do not have the money to pay! This is insane and obviously cannot solve any citizenship problem for the 12 million undocumented workers who are obviously needed in this country as they do all the physical labor. The only viable solution is UNCONDITIONAL AMNESTY. The workingclass immigrant community understands that very well and carry their own homemade signs stating they want unconditional amnesty. We have also seen on this website that the May Day march in San Francisco had at least 15,000 people attending, an astounding figure as the march was (1) held on a weekday, (2) in the middle of the day, and (3) in the face of vicious attacks on immigrants right here in San Francisco, where the Gestapo demands papers from someone who "looks Hispanic" on the streets, such as in the Tenderloin, a workingclass community, and has conducted many terrorist raids against immigrants, all of which are to make it difficult for workers to organize into labor unions as well as to fight for unconditional amnesty. Paul Hogarth, please do not post your anti-communist drivel on this website. It is despicable and just as reactionary as the anti-communist Democratic Party for which you speak. And please tell your fellow Democrats, Chris Daly, Aaron Peskin and Tom Ammiano, that they are not wanted either as they are all staunch supporters of the entire rotten Democratic Party ticket, all by definition supporters of that US military base in the Middle East to protect US oil profits known as Israel, and in the case of Chris Daly and Aaron Peskin, both viciously anti-labor in that at the very same time the Muni Metro broke down in April 2007 when the T Third line was introduced without additional labor added, Daly and Peskin proudly pushed an anti-labor charter amendment to attack Muni workers' wages and working conditions, in their opinion article in the 4/18/07 Bay Guardian at http://www.sfbg.com/entry.php?entry_id=3404&catid=4&volume_id=254&issue_id=291&volume_num=41&issue_num=29
which was preceded by Aaron Peskin's anti-labor article in the 4/15/07 Sunday Chronicle at
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/04/15/BAGBAP8VRE1.DTL&hw=Peskin&sn=003&sc=638
The rhetoric of all 3 at tihs rally is the usual insulting game the Democrats play to get votes so they can carry out the same reactionary agenda, such as the above anti-immigrant bill, as the Republicans. Chris Daly's latest grandstanding is to promote a minimal affordable housing bill that will provide 200 units for each category when we needs tens of thousands of units of housing affordable to the workingclass. Tom Ammiano says he is for unconditional amnesty yet he turns around and tells you to vote for the entire rotten Democratic Party ticket that promotes the reactionary anti-immigrant bill described above. The Democratic Party of San Francisco is best epitomized by the election fraud it has committed in the 1970s, 1997, 1999 and 2003, the last putting the current Democrat in the mayor's office. For all of this, see:
http://www.brasscheck.com/jonestown (the 1970s)
and
http://www.brasscheck.com/stadium (1997, which was duplicated in 1999 and 2003).
which was preceded by Aaron Peskin's anti-labor article in the 4/15/07 Sunday Chronicle at
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/04/15/BAGBAP8VRE1.DTL&hw=Peskin&sn=003&sc=638
The rhetoric of all 3 at tihs rally is the usual insulting game the Democrats play to get votes so they can carry out the same reactionary agenda, such as the above anti-immigrant bill, as the Republicans. Chris Daly's latest grandstanding is to promote a minimal affordable housing bill that will provide 200 units for each category when we needs tens of thousands of units of housing affordable to the workingclass. Tom Ammiano says he is for unconditional amnesty yet he turns around and tells you to vote for the entire rotten Democratic Party ticket that promotes the reactionary anti-immigrant bill described above. The Democratic Party of San Francisco is best epitomized by the election fraud it has committed in the 1970s, 1997, 1999 and 2003, the last putting the current Democrat in the mayor's office. For all of this, see:
http://www.brasscheck.com/jonestown (the 1970s)
and
http://www.brasscheck.com/stadium (1997, which was duplicated in 1999 and 2003).
For more information:
http://www.brasscheck.com/stadium
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