... and only 100 people showed up?
Posted on 12/13/2003 7:51:36 PM PST by South40
Celestina Gregorio of Encinitas said she gave up a day of work yesterday to protest the repeal of a state law that would have allowed undocumented immigrants like herself to apply for a driver license.
The 18-year-old restaurant cook was among Latinos who participated in rallies here and across the state in support of a one-day boycott of stores, schools and work places to protest the Legislature's action last week.
"It's worth it because we want to be driving legally. We don't want any problems," Gregorio said.
She was among 100 people who demonstrated near a Wal-Mart store in Vista.
Organizers had expected tens of thousands of Latinos to participate in the boycott after distributing 350,000 fliers statewide and using the Spanish-language media to promote it. However, the numbers seemed smaller than anticipated, and there was only anecdotal evidence of its success, including a few businesses across the state that closed.
"This is the first step in a long struggle," said Nativo Lopez, director of Hermandad Mexicana Latinoamericana, one of the boycott's lead organizers.
In San Diego County school districts with large Latino enrollment did not report drops in attendance that could be linked to the boycott. Businesses with large Latino customer bases did not report drops in sales either.
There were sporadic reports that parents had not sent their children to school, however. At the protest near the Vista Wal-Mart, some of the participants said they did not send their children to school.
"My Mommy needs a license to drive me to school," read signs held up by two brothers, 4 and 5. The huge retailer was targeted because opponents of the legislation circulated petitions outside the store to repeal it through a referendum.
Not all Latinos supported the boycott.
The Republican National Hispanic Assembly of Greater Los Angeles urged Hispanics to drive with their headlights on to show their support for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who spearheaded the repeal of the driver's license legislation.
The Legislature repealed the law last week at the request of Schwarzenegger, who had expressed security concerns. He said he would consider future legislation that addressed those concerns.
Some Latino organizations embraced only part of the call to boycott.
"We've fought too hard to get kids equal educational opportunities and we think they would be better served by going to school," said Hector Villagra of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund in Los Angeles.
The group endorsed the boycott but told parents to send their children to school.
Some were particularly concerned about hurting Latino-owned businesses.
"It's a dilemma," said Israel Adato, president of the San Ysidro Chamber of Commerce. "Most of our members are Hispanic. I respect what they're doing. It could be a very effective tool but they don't have to boycott businesses. They could target something else."
Some people, such as Alberto Ochoa, a San Diego educator, found it easier to simply avoid shopping for a day to show their support.
"Denying licenses to the undocumented forces some serious hardships on them," said Ochoa, a professor at San Diego State University and education activist.
Hundreds of thousands, if not millions of Latinos would have had to participate in the boycott to seriously disrupt California's economy. Latinos make up one third of the state's population.
Boycott organizers declared it a success, however, because of the attention it garnered to the contributions Latino immigrants make to the economy.
Former Gov. Gray Davis signed the legislation in September that allowed illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses beginning next year. Supporters said the law would have increased safety by requiring undocumented immigrants seeking licenses to pass driving tests and buy vehicle insurance.
Davis was fighting a tough recall election at the time and critics accused him of pandering to Latino voters. Polls also showed that a majority of the state's voters opposed giving licenses to illegal immigrants.
Immigration control advocates warned that the law would encourage illegal immigration and make it easier for terrorists to move around the country.
On the other hand, most of us down here have serious concerns that the quality of our Roberto's Carne Asada Burritos will take a big hit without our regular import of new cooks from south of the border.
The people that run Alberto's opened up a shop in Pocatello last year. We were thrilled...initially anyway. The menu was larger than the San Diego stores. The thrill turned to rapid disappointment. The employees were poorly trained. They served quality food to fellow Mexicans and put out poor stuff to the white patrons. Not very smart in a 93% white city. The owner failed to pay the tradesmen who remodeled the store for him. My wife sent a couple officers over with a warrant to arrest the owner. The employees didn't like that. When a couple other officers showed up for lunch, the employees put rocks and glass in the officer's burrito. He spotted it before eating any. He gave them an opportunity to make good on the "mistake". He was served a replacement burrito. He cut into it with a fork and yellow liquid ran out. The employees burst out laughing. A PISS burrito. As I said, you don't pull that kind of a stunt in a small town. The word got out rapidly and business dropped to ZERO. They closed up shop.
Some months later, Albertos opened another store on Main Street in Pocatello. The guy who runs my favorite gun store asked a friend to pick up some food there. He hadn't been warned. The "gofer" was a white kid. He returned with a burrito that included a rock. The store owner bit down on the rock and broke a tooth. $1,500 later, he has a root canal and crown to "fix" the damage.
I hope that store is out of business too. If I want Mexican food, I can make my own. It's not all that difficult...and I don't piss in the burritos.
... and only 100 people showed up?
Of course. Closing down businesses is a success... thats the kind of people who should NOT come to America.
BTW, I had a good brautwurst today.
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