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Los Angeles hosts largest
immigrant rights protest since May
More than
50,000 March for Immigrant Rights!
all photos by Travis Wilkerson
Well over 50,000 immigrants and their allies marched for
full rights and legalization on April 7 in Los Angeles. The
march and rally was the largest pro-immigrant action since
May 2006 and a true reinvigoration of the immigrant rights
movement. Telemundo and Univision television showed aerial
shots of the massive turnout. NBC national news made the
large turnout a major story, while AP and the Los Angeles
Times tried to minimize the demonstration by giving
ridiculously low numbers. Univision described the march as
attended by more than 50,000 people.
The massive crowd began to gather early in the morning at
Olympic and Broadway in downtown LA. The majority of
participants, including many families, wore red, the color
of the demonstration. Thousands carried signs, flags and
banners to demand amnesty and to stop the racist raids
targeting undocumented workers. Chants like "Que queremos,
amnistia!" and "Los inmigrantes, somos importantes!" rang
out loudly on the packet streets and adjacent sidewalks.
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The march
was organized by the April 7 Full Rights for Immigrants
Coalition, led by Latino Movement USA, Hermandad
Mexicana Nacional, and including the A.N.S.W.E.R.
Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism),
Confederacion de Organizaciones Mexicanas, Casa
Nicaragua, La Casa Del Mexicano, Federacion de Clubes
Michoacanos en California, Central American Round Table,
Los Angeles councilmember Jose Huizar, Spanish-language
radio host Don Cheto, United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA),
People's CORE, United Farmworkers of America, Alianza de
Hondurenos de Los Angeles and others. |
Juan Jose Gutierrez,
Director of Latino Movement USA |
Once the beginning arrived it took the march at least 70
minutes to file into the rally site next to LA City Hall. At
the rally, Juan Jose Gutierrez, Director of Latino Movement
USA and main organizer of the April 7 march, told the crowd,
"This is an important day to show everyone who wanted the
immigrant rights movement to go away that we are still here,
stronger than ever. Those people in Congress and the Bush
administration must know that full rights for immigrants,
for our community, is a top national priority. We will
continue to struggle for equality and legalization until we
are victorious."
 The
April 7 Coalition's mobilization stressed that the anti-war
movement and immigrants rights movement are coming together
to begin creating a unified movement for equality and
justice, and to stop the war. The main stage banner at the
rally highlighted this point. It read "The Anti-War
A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition United with the Full Rights for
Undocumented Workers Movement."
A.N.S.W.E.R.-Los Angeles coordinator Preston Wood addressed
the massive crowd in English and Spanish. He said, "The
A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition stands united with everyone here
today for amnesty and legalization now. Unity of our common
struggles against the racist raids and to stop the war on
Iraq is the way forward. The war on Iraq is part of Bush's
phony 'war on terror,' while the government terrorizes
immigrant communities daily through raids and mass
deportations. A.N.S.W.E.R. fights against these injustices
and demands equality for all people in the United States. An
injury to one is an injury to all!"
Click here for more April 7 march photos from ANSWER.
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