May 02 2006
May Day in LA!
I attended both rallies at yesterday’s May Day events in Los Angeles. I produced the first hour of KPFK’s live coverage (hosted by the brilliant Aura Bogado) during which we heard from Minister Tony Muhammed, State Senators Gloria Romero and Liz Figueroa, and former INS prosecutor Elsa Martinez.
We were set up at the KPFK booth right next to the main stage in Downtown, on the corner of Spring and 1st Street. At around 12:30 or 12:45, the march arrived and wave upon wave of people rolled into the area. I ran out to see them, take pictures and gather sound. Women pushing their baby strollers and leading young kids by the hand, men carrying signs and waving flags, and older immigrants chanting militantly, marched toward the stage. Tears streamed down my face and I felt moved in a way that’s hard to put into words. It’s a scene I’ll never forget.
Pretty soon I was trapped on the other side of the fence that separated the rally from the marchers. I had to struggle to squeeze in through the throng of people to get through the front.
Like the March 25th gathering, this protest was overwhelmingly Latino but, unlike that march, there were far more US flags than other flags being waved – Mexican and Central American flags were less visible this time. The noon-time march was organized by more radical Latino/Chicano activists who urged a complete boycott on May Day, including no work, no school, no buying, and no selling.
Later in the day, at about 5 pm, I arrived at the second rally which started at MacArthur Park and commenced up Wilshire. This event was more multicultural, with many African Americans, whites, and Asian immigrants. There was definitely more of a sense of cross-border and cross-ethnic solidarity. The march was organized by a coalition of labor, immigrants rights, church and other groups. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa had endorsed it as a less radical alternative to the 12 noon boycott march.
It’s a pity that the marches were split and personally I preferred the politics of the first march to that of the second. But I also preferred the multi-ethnic flavor of the second march compared to the first. On the positive side, the two marches ensured that the demand for immigrant rights was spread farther throughout the city, and also spaced out over the day.
The presence of the flags (US and other countries) was a little disturbing. There is definitely a nationalistic undercurrent to this movement that is rife with contradictions. I’m not sure yet how I feel about it…
Another aspect to the movement is the question of whether this movement is a Latino rights movement, or an immigrant rights movement. Los Angeles is home to the most diverse immigrant populations in the world, yet the community that is by far the best organized today is the Latino immigrant community and their supporters in the Chicano communities.
One thing is certain – the movement is still very young and these are the discussions that need to happen soon. In the meantime, I’m ecstatic that I was present in Los Angeles at an historic gathering that surely heralds the beginning of a major political shift in the US.
3 Responses to “May Day in LA!”
I really love your thoughts and yes I definitely agree that the movement is full of ridiculous contradictions of nationalistic pride. This is not easy for the one part people feel strong that they deserve more than just a chance to live here but instead a full recognition of their hard collective work as Latinos (and this is then represented by their National origin) and in effect demand citizenship. On the other hand the Nation of Mexico (for example) has done nothing to help the people of Mexico to actualized their potential and instead has actually used (over and over again) the very people’s wealth for only those who have corrupt control of the Nation. Why would I hold a flag of the US or Mexico when both are commiting genocide to my people and many others across globe!
I definitely also agree that there’s a need to further learn from one another and move the general constituents of the movement toward a more complex understand of the immigration issue (ex. What is Capitalism and how is it affecting the migration of labor and wealth of all nations?).
I hope the movement is pushed to developed open universities that can help foster a more coplex critical view of our times. A debunking of ideaologies or at least recognizing the ideologies that is constantly shove in our heads.
much love
y animo!
Marcelino
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