coming to you soon Los Angeles
Posted on 05/18/2007 11:22:47 AM PDT by Yaelle
LOS ANGELES, May 17 (Xinhua) -- About 2,000 people returned to a downtown Los Angeles park Thursday evening to continue a May Dayrally that was interrupted by police, just hours after federal lawmakers announced a new compromised immigration bill in Washington.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa led a 10-block procession to MacArthur Park, where demonstration organizers held a candlelight vigil during the festive gathering.
"One Los Angeles marched together in peace to stand up for the idea that in a great and generous America, we have every right to march peaceably, to speak out against the government, to ask to be a part of the American dream," the mayor said while standing alongside police chief William Bratton.
Demonstrators, journalists and police officers were injured at the end of a march supporting the rights of illegal immigrants in the same park on May 1, when police tried to disperse some people who moved off the sidewalk into the street, police said.
After bottles were thrown at police patrolling the park, officers clad in riot gear responded by wielding batons and firing 146 rounds of foam-rubber bullets to disperse the crowd.
The conflict later became a public relation headache for LAPD as demonstrators and journalists injured during the incident filed complaints, prompting investigations by the Los Angeles Police Commission and the FBI.
Thursday's demonstration, mostly participated by Latinos, was held the same day that an agreement on a bipartisan Senate bill between key senators and the White House was announced.
The bill would allow illegal immigrants to live legally in the United States, after paying a 5,000-dollar fine, and to receive temporary-resident permits while they apply for a "Z" visa.
Heads of illegal-immigrant households would have eight to 13 years to return to their home countries and apply for permanent legal residence for family members.
The proposal also shifted the emphasis from family unification to a merit-based system that would award points to illegal immigrants based on education level, work experience, English proficiency and family ties.
Pro-immigration groups said the bill does not go far enough, while those against illegal immigration said it goes too far.
Criticism against the bill from both sides suggested that Capitol Hill's latest push on the lingering immigration reform issue, although representing a potential breakthrough, could again end in a stalemate.
Why can't I figure out what rights illegal aliens have to march, peaceably or otherwise, in our country and speak out against our government? Was it my public school upbringing?? Where did I miss those inalienable rights?
Welcome to Mexifornia. Coming soon to a town and city near you.
In Mexico if a foreigner publicly demonstrates he WILL go to jail.
I think what the Mayor meant to say was “It was more fun meeting Rush Limbaugh than having dinner with Bill Clinton”.
Oh, baby, I am here. L.A. County. Spanish spoken at every checkout counter, switching to broken English when us Gringos step up with what few dollars we have left. I don't take my kids to the ER when something happens, if I can help it, unlike my friends in say, Michigan. I wait until our doctor has office hours. I don't send my kids to public school, either, though I tried.
This mayor has higher offices on his mind and still has the cojones to tell illegals they are absolutely RIGHT to demonstrate against our government here in our country. Does he know something we don't? Have we already lost?
The illegal aliens have every right to congregate, march and speak ill of our country...the police and the INS have every right...make that the OBLIGATION to show them the errors of their ways, be it by imprisonment or deportation (or both.)
I don't have a problem with that. The right to assemble and protest is cherished, but it belongs for citizens only. Or does the word citizen even mean anything any more? If strangers who sneak in have equal rights?
I’d be more than happy if we adopted Mexico’s immigration policy. We are SUCH suckers.
We have chosen a whole set of felony laws to completely disregard. Why not choose to disregard other illegal entries, and allow everyone to break into buildings and homes and help themselves? WHAT exactly would be the difference between allowing everyone full access to everything behind a locked door, and our immigration policy?
First of all, Mr. V, it’s not their, illegals, government, it’s OUR government, you included. Nobody is denying RIGHTS to anyone who is legally here or otherwise.
Second, this is just political grandstanding for the home crowd. Nothing you said means anything at all. Just words, strung together, to make everyone feel good or bad as the case may be............
Our citizenship is being (has been) sold to the lowest bidder.
Which we are because we are not Mexico.
I fully agree. When will our Federal government grow a pair?
Read the Constitution and Bill of Rights and note where it says "citizen" and where it says "person."
Pay special attention the the 14th Amendment and the Equal Protection Clause.
Read Plyler v. Doe where the Supreme Court found that Illegal Aliens fall under the Equal Protection Clause and are thus protected as persons in the Constitution.
The Bottom line is that Illegal Aliens have the same Constitution Rights as Citizens.
Again this is not what I advocate but rather what is fact.
coming to you soon Los Angeles
short answer is 'never'.....
long answer is 'the public may answer with a pair....'
No, Senor, you've got the wrong information. Americans are NO LONGER GENEROUS! We don't want them here. In fact, we don't even want you here, so do us all a favor and take your illiterate, your violent criminals, your welfare babies/anchor babies, your disease ridden comrades and go back to Mexico where you belong! THEY have NO RIGHTS to do ANYTHING in America.
Yo Prez Bush, Schwartznegger, Pelosi, Reid, this is a perfect time to round these illegal varmints and deport their a**es.
So the founders were OK with a ship slipping in under the cover of darkness, and one hundred passengers spilling out and marching in protest up the streets of New England? Good to go?
“No, Senor, you’ve got the wrong information. Americans are NO LONGER GENEROUS! We don’t want them here. In fact, we don’t even want you here, so do us all a favor and take your illiterate, your violent criminals, your welfare babies/anchor babies, your disease ridden comrades and go back to Mexico where you belong! THEY have NO RIGHTS to do ANYTHING in America.”
Worth repeating.....a few hundred times!!
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