by Garrett McAuliffe
Edith Corral hold a placard asking for full rights for all immigrants. (photo by Marvin J. Ramirez)
The Mission’s modest zócalo, surrounding the descent to BART at 24th and Mission, brimmed with determination and solidarity as representatives from local and national organizations, political candidates and others gathered to support immigrants’ rights as part of the National Day of Action.
The rally, held in the early afternoon on Oct. 12, brought more than a dozen groups together to unite around this common cause, with the specific message to stop raids and deportations, while also providing a platform to promote related political and social justice issues.
Voices and music rose out into the Sunday afternoon din, as close to 200 supporters and onlookers congregated for the event.
A number of speakers addressed the buzzing crowd, in Spanish and English, drawing attention to the perceived injustice faced by immigrants in our country as well as workers throughout the world. The rally included a strong socialist presence, with at least four leftist organizations setting up booths to spread their message of worker support and solidarity.
Thirty cities across our hemisphere participated in the event, celebrating “El Día del Immigrante” and calling for a moratorium on raids.
With the large number of socialist organizations involved, much of the crowd chatter revolved around the current fi nancial crisis and the belief that relief to the system would come from the backs of working class people. Correspondingly, a number of speakers expanded upon the theme of improved rights for immigrants to call for solidarity among workers throughout the country and around the world.
Unity remained a common theme throughout, with the need to rally together, rather than become blinkered by more narrowly-focused issues, on the tip of many tongues.
But there seemed to be little dialogue between the groups present – most speakers seemed intent on rousing the crowd with the issue of the day, then returning to their specific focus or political pitch.
However, a meeting to discuss immigrant rights among many of the organizations involved was scheduled for the following evening.
Other than a speech from one of the former El Balazo workers currently under threat of deportation after a raid earlier in the summer on a number of the restaurant’s local branches, there was a noted lack in numbers from the community under discussion.
“There aren’t many immigrants here – are they afraid they’re going to get raided?” quipped Cindy Sheehan, one of a handful of politicians in attendance locally seeking office during the November election.
