The Great American Boycott March to City Hall (see Flickr photos) was huge, boisterous, peaceful, vigorous: I just biked home and I'm editing my photos as I write this.
Some 400,000 to 435,000 people hit the streets (one LASD deputy's estimate) - all ages, sizes, shapes and colors - to shout, cheer, sing, wave banners, bang drums, burn incense, dance and listen to shouting politicians and radio personalities, all with one message: Immigrants want to become citizens, and U.S. immigration laws must change ...
Not too slim a crowd for an actual workday - I'll be interested to learn how many L.A. businesses were stymied by workers taking part in the "Dia Sin Immigrante" boycott. For one thing, with the exception of one electronics store broadcasting news of the boycott all of Broadway was closed and shuttered as thousands upon thousands of people wearing white and waving (mostly American, but a few Mexican) flags streamed down the boulevard.
More thoughts - and photos - shortly. Stay tuned.
If anyone else has pictures or thoughts to share from this march or the 4 p.m. march in MacArthur Park, POST THEM HERE.
Until then, a thought about a theme repeated by several of the speakers: As one sign said, "The sleeping giant has awakened." Whether all this people power - much of it from people with no voting rights yet - will translate to a change of course in Congress is still an open question.
And a short video clip of 100 mariachis in full cry:
While the marchers today may be loosely characterized as "illegals" or "latinos" or "labor", they are the embodiment of the American dream. They want a better way of life, and are willing to speak out for it. They are teaching those cynical, passive Americans who were born here and sit in gloomy silence, that fighting for justice is indeed worthwhile, and that no human life is unlawful.
Yes, it may be wrong to cross the border and live here without going "through the system". But for too long, the US has treated Central America and the Southern Hemisphere as an underpaid labor and raw materials outlet, suitable only for exploitation and demanding silent complicity from the powerless.
FURTHER UPDATE: While hundreds of thousands marched peacefully, a few idiots at the MacArthur Park march who didn't get the memo threw bottles and rocks at the LAPD and got stomped for their troubles.
Posted by: Mack_Reed on Monday, May 01, 2006 - 04:01 PM
