May Day protests in U.S. denounce Arizona racism

John Parker in Los Angeles. Photo: Jorge L.

The following are eyewitness reports from some of the cities where May Day activities were held. Other protests took place in Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, Minneapolis, Trenton, N.J., and elsewhere.

Ten thousand immigrants and their supporters took to Houston streets on May 1 to demand legalization, immigration reform and an end to the racist Arizona law. Children and youth; their parents and grandparents; whole families with two or three generations from Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala and all over Latin America marched, danced, chanted and sang at a massive rally at Burnet Bayland Park in the heart of the immigrant community.

Houston WW photo: Gloria Rubac

The surge of people marched for well over an hour. Hundreds if not thousands of cheering people lined the streets; many joined the march.

Many whites and African Americans representing dozens of progressive organizations participated, with a large number from the lesbian, gay, bi and trans communities. Only one politician, African-American Congressperson Al Green, marched with the crowd and addressed the rally. Organizers agreed that the recent Arizona law that will racially profile people was the impetus that compelled many to attend this year’s march. It was the largest in Houston since the historic 2006 immigrant rights May Day march.

Detroit WW photo: Bryan G. Pfeifer

A multinational mass march and rally took place in southwest Detroit on May Day to demand legalization and a public jobs program and to protest the apartheid Arizona law. As marchers gathered and took to the streets in the heart of Detroit’s Latino/a community, numerous large banners and placards declaring “Overturn Arizona apartheid: Jobs not racism” were seen for blocks.

A multinational youth contingent held the lead banner for the entire miles-long march route. Many passersby joined the march and also the final rally in Clark Park where speakers such as Baldemar Velasquez of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee spoke. The demonstration was sponsored by Latinos Unidos of Detroit and supported by the Moratorium NOW! Coalition; Michigan Emergency Committee Against War and Injustice; Detroit Fight Imperialism, Stand Together (FIST); FLOC, the Detroit Green Party; and Workers World Party, among other organizations.

Providence, RI Photo: Lisa Reels

In Ann Arbor, Mich., 1,000 people demonstrated for immigrant rights and against the Arizona law during President Barack Obama’s speech at the University of Michigan commencement.

On the State House lawn in Providence, R.I., working people affected by the economic crisis gathered to protest the economic, social and political attacks on poverty-stricken communities and to express unity of the Black community, unemployed workers, immigrants and youth.

San Francisco WW photo: Judy Greenspan

Hundreds of people attended a rally where Native-American, African-American and Latino/a cultural presentations kept people engaged among an array of speakers who hammered out a message of the need for a unified struggle in Rhode Island. People demanded that lawmakers put people to work, meet human needs and end racial profiling against Black, Muslim and immigrant communities.

Joseph P. Buchanan, a Black part-time worker, said, “We stand in solidarity with the brave people of Arizona, and we want people to know that the way to end this abuse is by making sure we have good jobs, racial justice, and good education and social programs that our families deserve.”

Chelsea, MA WW photo: Liz Green

Mayra Paulino spoke about the stress now being put on undocumented women and how the danger of the Arizona-type laws will cause domestic violence against undocumented women to go unreported due to the fear of arrest, imprisonment and deportation.

The event was sponsored by a number of organizations, including Comite de Immigration en Accion, R.I. Unemployed Council, Fueza Laboral/Power of Workers, S.O.S. (Save Our Schools), DARE (Direct Action for Rights and Equality), R.I. Peoples Assembly, Providence Youth & Student Movement, and others.

Baltimore Photo: United Workers

Close to 300 activists in Baltimore participated in a May Day event organized by United Workers to highlight the struggle of low-wage workers in the Inner Harbor tourist, shopping and restaurant area. The activists conducted street theater in three working-class neighborhoods and then converged downtown in front of City Hall, before marching through the Inner Harbor District to a final rally.

The Bail Out the People Movement participated with placards condemning the Arizona apartheid law and announcing the May 8 jobs action in Washington, D.C. About 100 participants signed a pledge to boycott Arizona until the anti-immigrant apartheid law is overturned.

Cleveland WW photo: Susan Schnur

In Cleveland, about 100 people came to a demonstration called by the Greater Cleveland Immigrant Support Network, which originally fought against the repression of Middle Eastern immigrants in Cleveland following 9/11. A large contingent of students from John Carroll University attended.

Rally speeches included one by Maria, a young woman who spoke of how, at age 17, she has been forced to raise a number of small children because their parents have been deported and they have nowhere else to turn. Susan Schnur, a long-time bus driver, made spirited remarks about the struggle for jobs and the current crisis in transit. Caleb Maupin from FIST also spoke.

Over 200 people rallied at a park in the center of Painesville, Ohio, where a large number of ICE raids have taken place.

Wearing white shirts and carrying signs declaring “We are human” and “Workers are not criminals,” an estimated 7,000 people filled the street in front of the state Capitol in Atlanta to demand an end to raids and deportations, the separation of families, and the implementation of 287(g) agreements.

Atlanta

Everywhere there were homemade banners and signs denouncing Arizona’s apartheid law SB 1070 and calling for comprehensive and fair changes in U.S. immigration policies. The largely Spanish-speaking crowd marched for two miles, looping around the area that included the center of Atlanta’s historic African-American neighborhood. Black barbers and restaurant workers came out to cheer the marchers.

One of the most enthusiastic contingents was that of the sorority sisters and friends of Jessica Colotl, a Kennesaw State University senior of Mexican heritage who was arrested following a minor traffic incident on campus. She was immediately transferred to the women’s detention center in Gadsden, Ala., and is now awaiting deportation. A national campaign is being launched to stop this travesty of justice. The May Day demonstration was initiated by the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights and endorsed by dozens of organizations.

Buffalo, N.Y. Photo: Eric Jones

More than 200 people marched through the streets of Buffalo, N.Y., demanding immigrant rights. The protest focused on Arizona’s racist, anti-immigrant law and the need for solidarity and fightback.

The strength of youth and student leadership was visible throughout the event. The march was very diverse: Black, Latino/a, Native, white, Yemeni, Turkish, South Asian, Slovenian, Caribbean, Sri Lankan, among other nationalities. Ages ranged from retired workers to toddlers in strollers.

After gathering on Main Street, demonstrators marched two miles east through an impoverished, working-class Black community. The marchers and their message were applauded and cheered by residents from their front lawns. Those who drove past honked, extended clenched fist salutes, gave thumbs-up approval and flashed the V sign for peace and victory.

New York WW photo: Deirdre Griswold

A delegation of activists drove from Syracuse to take part in the Buffalo rally. LGBT leader and author Leslie Feinberg, who helped organize the Syracuse participation, reminded those at the rally that in the 1850s Central and Western New York were united as abolitionist strongholds against the Fugitive Slave Act, much as today’s youth are responding to a similarly racist law in Arizona.

The May Day March in Seattle was the largest since 2006. Over 5,000 people came out to fight back against racist SB 1070. Most of the marchers were Latino/a workers who were joined by workers of many other nationalities and union members. They chanted “Boycott Arizona!” The march travelled almost three miles through the International District (Asian) community through downtown to Seattle Center. A small group of ultra-racists across from Seattle Center was driven off by the angry crowd.

Nine May Day marches or rallies were held in Washington State, including one of 3,000 in Yakima.

Contributors to this round-up are Sharon Danann, Ellie Dorritie, Mary Kay Harris, Dianne Mathiowetz, Caleb T. Maupin, Jim McMahan, Frank Neisser, Bryan G. Pfeifer, Andre Powell and Gloria Rubac.

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