http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/14305785
** ** 30,000 voices, one message at Capitol *St. Paul march for immigration reform is the largest gathering at the Statehouse since a Sept. 11 memorial* *BY MARY BAUER* *Pioneer Press* Thousands of immigrants packing a rally Sunday at the state Capitol in St. Paul couldn't even hear the speeches. But the message came through loud and clear: We are hard-working Americans, not criminals. "If we are coming here, it is because we're looking for better lives," said Juan Carlos Anaya of St. Paul, who came to the rally with his wife, Norma, and their three children. "We're peaceful people. We're honest people. And we're helping the economy grow." Police estimated the crowd at 30,000, making the rally the largest gathering at the Capitol since a memorial service after the Sept. 11 attacks drew about 35,000 people. The march was part of national campaign that continues today. Organizers are expecting the two days of rallies to draw more than 2 million people in 120 cities. They are urging Congress and President Bush to adopt laws that would legalize an estimated 11 million undocumented workers. In Dallas on Sunday, a crowd police estimated at more than 350,000 marched through downtown streets. In St. Paul, police said the march was a peaceful family affair. Parents, babies in strollers and teenagers were among the throngfilling the stretch of John Ireland Boulevard from the St. Paul Cathedral to the Capitol. Even as the march began, traffic backed up on Interstate 94 as streets clogged with buses and cars seeking places to park. Organizers said more than 60 buses brought marchers from several Minnesota and western Wisconsin cities, including Worthington, Owatonna, Austin and Rochester. Supporters carried U.S. flags side-by-side with those of Mexico, Ecuador, Argentina and other nations. Signs and T-shirts proclaimed, "I am a worker, not a criminal" and "I am a taxpayer." Archbishop Harry Flynn bolstered the Catholic Church's calls for activism in support of illegal immigrants by urging the audience to defy laws that would penalize charitable groups for helping illegal immigrants. Minnesotans, he said, should answer to a higher law of human dignity. "Let them throw us all in jail," he said. The Minnesota Immigration with Dignity March was supported by a coalition of church, labor and community groups, along with immigrant leaders and students. Speakers included Hmong and African immigrants, but the majority of the speakers and crowd were Latin American. The day emphasized family reunification and comprehensive reform.
