May Day Protests
[Guest post by DRJ]
Proponents of liberal immigration policies turned out across the nation to protest immigration enforcement and Arizona’s recent legislation:
“Angered by a controversial Arizona immigration law, tens of thousands of protesters – including 50,000 alone in Los Angeles – rallied in cities nationwide demanding President Barack Obama tackle immigration reform immediately.
“I want to thank the governor of Arizona because she’s awakened a sleeping giant,” said labor organizer John Delgado, who attended a rally in New York where authorities estimated 6,500 gathered.
From Los Angeles to Washington D.C., activists, families, students and even politicians marched, practiced civil disobedience and “came out” about their citizenship status in the name of rights for immigrants, including the estimated 12 million living illegally in the U.S.”
The turnout of 50,000 in LA was half of the 100,000 police expected. Houston had 7,000 protesters while Denver organizers estimated the crowds at between 3,000-7,000. El Paso protesters numbered about 400. Turnout in Dallas was larger — around 20,000 — although organizers had expected 100,000. However, it was marred by incidents of hate speech:
“In Dallas, police estimated at least 20,000 attended a Saturday rally. About a dozen people there carried signs depicting the Arizona governor as a Nazi and Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, known for his tough illegal immigration stance, as a Klansman. Organizers were asking sign holders to discard those placards.”
Today in Michigan, President Obama, called on Americans to tone down the rhetoric to avoid inciting “extreme elements” to violence. Unfortunately, I doubt he will list this incident as an example of the hateful rhetoric he was thinking about.
— DRJ
Only 400 in El Paso? Haha, that’s just pathetic. Evidently, this won’t be the galvanizing issue the Dems were hoping it would be as they face a wipeout in November.
Mike LaRoche (0e6523) — 5/1/2010 @ 8:27 pmThey were the only ones that got a “free pass” from the cartels.
AD - RtR/OS! (334ea3) — 5/1/2010 @ 8:42 pmAt the LA rally, there was a large sign being carried that proclaimed “KFI is the new KKK”. KFI is the local talk radio where several shows have supported Arizona’s attempts to protect their border.
Dana (1e5ad4) — 5/1/2010 @ 8:50 pmIn what other country on earth can you have large groups of illegal immigrants protesting that they’re illegal???
MD in Philly (0f793a) — 5/1/2010 @ 8:57 pmGood point. I can’t think of any.
[Heh. Released my own comment from the filter. — DRJ]
DRJ (d15e92) — 5/1/2010 @ 9:04 pmIt’s an interesting concept and an interesting conceit this whole notion of portraying people opposed to illegal immigration as racists.
Especially since we’re a nation of immigrants. Everybody knows it and everyone understands it.
But, somehow, the left is hell-bent on this idea that opposing illegal immigration is somehow wrong.
And they’re trying to tell it to a whole lot of people who immigrated legally.
I can only speak from personal experience, but the state of Texas has a rich history of Hispanic culture that no one wants to suppress or destroy. And it’s the same for a whole swath of immigrants too numerous to mention. It’s the same for the United States.
And now, all of the sudden, it’s wrong to simply ask that they come here legally?
I’m sorry, but this whole contretemps smacks of something more, what’s the word, expansive, maybe?
Ag80 (f67beb) — 5/1/2010 @ 10:23 pmI think had Bush been in office the protests would have been legendary. Dirty socialists are sort of slothy… I think they figure the dirty socialist wanker in chief is on the case so they can mostly just stay home for now and enjoy their dirty socialist pastimes.
They remain a sleeping giant. It’s good to remember that I think.
happyfeet (c8caab) — 5/2/2010 @ 12:37 amtoo bad there’s no evidence to support your contention…. 😀
redc1c4 (fb8750) — 5/2/2010 @ 12:56 amLet’s hope it stays like that.
happyfeet (c8caab) — 5/2/2010 @ 1:33 am#6 Ag80:
And on May Day, too. Reminds of something…ah, here it is:
EW1(SG) (edc268) — 5/2/2010 @ 4:38 amYou have to figure that nearly everyone who attended these rallies is a criminal in violation of our immigration laws. So what were our law enforcement agencies doing while these rallies were going on?
Barney Fife (29afdc) — 5/2/2010 @ 6:33 amI do have to credit the organizers again, though. For the past two years in LA, they have managed to suppress the Mexican flags and gotten most of the demonstrators to carry American flags. They know very well how to spin the protest for the TV cameras. That is a recent development.
Mike K (2cf494) — 5/2/2010 @ 7:50 amThey should be lucky, considering that the majority is in favor of the law.
Michael Ejercito (6a1582) — 5/2/2010 @ 9:26 amPeople who support illegal immigration are anti-American traitors.
Michael Ejercito (6a1582) — 5/2/2010 @ 9:27 am#12 Mike K:
Apparently their counterparts in NYC are unable to heed the lesson.
Note: I had not stumbled across Berman’s blog before, so I cannot testify to the quality of his reporting, but his photos seem to bear him out.
EW1(SG) (edc268) — 5/2/2010 @ 9:48 amDana,
At the LA rally, there was a large sign being carried that proclaimed “KFI is the new KKK”.
I’m sure John & Ken are uppermost in their minds. To be attacked by such a source is a badge of honor. I’d like to meet J&K.
John & Ken did a number on the unbelievably ignorant statements Villaraigosa made.
Brother Bradley J. Fikes, C.O.R. (9eb641) — 5/2/2010 @ 10:06 amDid they find a way to keep the Revolutionary Communist Party out of the parade, or did they disguise them as SEIU thugs?
SPQR (26be8b) — 5/2/2010 @ 10:18 amFor the past two years in LA, they have managed to suppress the Mexican flags and gotten most of the demonstrators to carry American flags.
I noticed that too. Undoubtedly due to a strategy of being less foolish in propagandizing their POV, but also perhaps due to a bit more embarrassment (but probably not flat-out shame—which requires honest introspection and common sense) over what an ongoing joke and debacle Mexico has become. Certainly symbolized by things like that country’s military being placed in various cities and towns of Mexico in order to quell crime and violence, but having just the opposite effect.
Mark (411533) — 5/2/2010 @ 10:19 amAgain, the current policy… which amounts to an “open borders” policy… is not sustainable.
Americans need not feel obligated to apologize for supporting the enforcement of existing law, or the legislation of state laws that codify existing laws.
GeneralMalaise (53ce9e) — 5/2/2010 @ 10:19 amEW1(SG) – I would like to think the quality of my reporting is exemplary, though I admit it might only be superb 🙂 .
Thanks for the link.
Andrew Berman (c31b60) — 5/2/2010 @ 11:36 amMay Day anti-Arizona protesters in Santa Cruz rioted, painted anarchist graffiti on walls, and smashed windows of businesses.
And we’ve got an improvised FAE in Times Square that would have gone off except for the incompetence of the terrorists.
But the MSM is still warning the public of the potential violence resulting from middle America getting together to protest higher taxes and intrusive federal government.
And they wonder why they’re irrelevant.
Socratease (c801e2) — 5/2/2010 @ 2:49 pm16, Brother Bradley, I believe David G. (Ass)Hall paid for that sign.
J&K are political opportunists who change allegiances as the polls blow.
Was Handel out there marching as KFI’s official Hispanic Talk Show Host? (Handel was born in Brasil, as was his mother.)
PCD (1d8b6d) — 5/3/2010 @ 7:34 amPCD,
J&K are political opportunists who change allegiances as the polls blow.
Why do you say that?
Brother Bradley J. Fikes, C.O.R. (9eb641) — 5/3/2010 @ 7:56 amPossibly because J&K oppose everything PCD espouses:
AD - RtR/OS! (ad3aba) — 5/3/2010 @ 8:10 amIllegal Immigration?
TEA Parties?
Sacramento?
Tony Villar?
Racist jingoistic homophobic sexist xenophobes. That is all.
JD (5e5cad) — 5/3/2010 @ 8:17 amAD and Bradley, because long term, J&K change their points of rhetoric. First time was over Willie Brown. Next was Ellie Nesler. There are others where they famously changed sides.
Ken is a liberal. It is 2 faced John that I have a real problem with. He is a small viscious man.
PCD (1d8b6d) — 5/3/2010 @ 8:19 amKen is a liberal. It is 2 faced John that I have a real problem with. He is a small viscious man.
To me, they seem to lean libertarian. And despite their histrionics, J&K back up their statements with facts, much better than certain (cough LA Times) media sources.
Bradley J. Fikes, C. O.R. (a18ddc) — 5/3/2010 @ 9:17 am27, sometime, Bradley, but I will concede that they are better than Tom Leykis.
PCD (b3210f) — 5/3/2010 @ 10:32 amCatching up on my reading, I found this OpEd in the Fri, 4/30 edition of my local weekly from a particularly strident group, the Latino Policy Coalition.
It starts:
“Sadly, Governor Brewer has chosen not to learn from former California Governor Pete Wilson’s failed attempt to legislate hate in 1994 through Proposition 187. Not only did California’s Republican Party forever damage their reputation with Latino voters, but U.S. District Judge Mariana Pfaelzer struck down the legislation as unconstitutional clearly stating, ‘The state is powerless to enact its own scheme to regulate immigration … the authority to regulate immigration belongs exclusively to the federal government’…” http://www.thedowneypatriot.com/view/full_story/7249593/article-Arizona%E2%80%99s-racist-law?instance=secondary_stories_left_column
The piece contains many statements that seem to bend the facts, and ignore the law; but that is to be expected considering the viewpoint of the group.
AD - RtR/OS! (ad3aba) — 5/3/2010 @ 11:22 pm