>>> PLEASE DISTRIBUTE WIDELY <<< Monday, April 10, 2006
DOWNTOWN SANTA ANA FLOODED WITH UPWARDS OF 1,000 IMMIGRANT RIGHTS SUPPORTERS Hundreds of people demand equal rights and fair treatment for undocumented workers By DUANE J. ROBERTS [EMAIL PROTECTED] SANTA ANA, CA -- A small park directly across the street from the Ronald Reagan Federal Courthouse ended up becoming a staging area today for several rallies and marches that drew upwards of 1,000 people into downtown Santa Ana in defense of immigrant rights. The action, called forth by Local 1877 of the Service Employees International Union, not only brought out dozens of their own members, but hundreds of mostly working class Mexicans from local neighborhoods and other communities across Orange County. During one of the rallies, a single Mexican mom told the crowd she's employed as a janitor cleaning some of the government buildings in the downtown area. She attacked proposed federal legislation which would label her a criminal for doing this work. One march stretched almost three blocks long as trade unionists, day laborers, activists, high school students, and moms pushing baby strollers walked on the sidewalks surrounding a complex of buildings that house county, city, state, and federal government offices. Marchers held up signs with statements like "We are Not Criminals," "We are America," "Keep Families United," "Amnesty," "The Working Class has No Borders," and "Justice and Dignity for All Immigrants." Another simply read: "Please Leave Us Alone." About two dozen Sheriff's deputies dressed in drab green jackets and slacks stood silently on the pavement, both hands tightly gripped on their batons, as hundreds of marchers passed near the front entrance of the Orange County Superior Court, chanting various slogans. Government employees could be seen peeking out from their cubicles, watching marchers from windows; others stood quietly near glass doorways. Some ended up stuck inside their vehicles temporarily as the long procession of people slowly snaked their way past them. Despite the combined presence of officers from the Sheriff's Department, Federal Protective Services, California Highway Patrol, and other local law enforcement agencies, there were no reported arrests or incidents of police brutality. Santa Ana Police hid an equestrian unit it uses for crowd control purposes in another small park near the downtown area, not far from where the rallies and marches were taking place. But there is no evidence to suggest it was ever deployed. ### For photos, please see the following link: http://la.indymedia.org/news/2006/04/153303.php --- Related articles and photos: Costa Mesa demonstration attracts 1,500 people defending immigrant rights http://la.indymedia.org/news/2006/04/152677.php http://la.indymedia.org/news/2006/04/152695.php Santa Ana police deploy armored cars and horses to squelch protest http://la.indymedia.org/news/2006/03/151994.php __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAAMN: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Digest: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive1: <http://www.egroups.com/messages/laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive2: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/laamn/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
