LATINOS AGAINST WAR www.myspace. com/latinosaw May Day 100,000 March in LA, Demanding Legalization! Police Later Attack 2nd Rally at Macarthur Park May 1st drew 100,000 enthusiastic marchers to downtown LA marching up Broadway to a mass rally at City hall demanding Legalization & to Stop Raids & Deportations. The event was well organized with security, by the March 25 Coalition which includes dozens of community, labor groups including Latinos Against War. The LA rally had prominent African American speakers like Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney who talked about the similar historical independence struggles of Blacks and Latinos in Latin America, like Haiti and Mexico. She drew tremendous applause from the very enthusiastic crowd that included migrant families from Mexico, and Central America. Minister Ishmael Mohammad from the Nation of Islam got a great response speaking in Spanish talking about our shared oppression and struggle for liberation. Hunger strikers and leaders Gloria Saucedo, Hermandad Mexicana, Javier Rodriguez, March 25 Coalition leaders demanded full legalization and criticized the current proposed immigration legislation. Labor activist included Alejandro Stephens of SEIU 721 and Fernando Ledesma of United Teachers of LA. Undocumented migrant families and students from Boyle Heights included the Duenas family, and students from RHS who work with Latinos against War. This march and rally was well organized and received very enthusiastic response and support from the Mexican & Latino migrant community. Speakers and supporters included Bayan International, FMLN, FOMUSSA, singers and poets with a wrap up speech by Carlos Montes calling for linking the immigrants struggle to the fight for freedom and self determination. POLICE ATTACK PEACEFUL RALLY Later in the afternoon the LAPD attacked another peaceful rally at Mac Arthur Park put on by a coalition of non-profit groups & unions, Somos America. The LAPD shot heavy rubber bullets into the peaceful gathering without a warning to disperse. The peaceful Latino families and TV news crews and journalists were beaten and shot with hard rubber bullets. One of the March 25 hunger strikers was beaten in the neck and back and forced to seek medical attention. This as an attack by the LAPD as a political organization to repress the growing militancy of the immigrantÕs rights movement that has grown in strength in the last year. This is a racist police attack against the Mexican/Latino community. We will not allow this to happen. HISTORY OF POLICE REPRESSION We know that the local police and FBI have historically attacked our community like the August 29, 1970 Chicano Moratorium where KMEX news director Ruben Salazar, Angel Diaz, and Lynn Ward were killed the by LA County Sheriffs. Ruben Salazar was killed with a tear gas missile shot to his head. Another example of political repression is the federal Counter Intelligence Program that infiltrated and attacked the Black and Chicano movement organizations like the BPP, Brown Berets, Chicano Moratorium and the Crusade for Justice in the late 1960‰Ûªs. The March 25 Coalition held a press conference in front the of the LAPD headquarters on May 2 to announce a class action lawsuit by the Mexican American Bar Association and the National Lawyers Guild against the LAPD. Also to condemn and expose this attack on our movement for equality and self-determination. We are committed to continue the struggle for migrant rights and not let this racist blatant attack derail our movement.
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