[Marxism] "Immigrants Are Not Criminals" 150,000 Rally in Denver

[James Zarichny <zarichny@xxxxxxxxx>]

"Immigrants Are Not Criminals" 150,000 Rally in Denver



from the Colorado Progressive Coalition


150,000 MARCH FOR IMMIGRANT RIGHTS IN DENVER
Families Join Together to Protest Anti-Immigrant
Attacks in D.C. &
Colorado
Progressive Coloradans:  Time to Step Up Our Fight
Against
Discrimination!
CPC Special Action Alert
Posted March 25, 2006

Colorado Progressive Coalition members and community
allies are a
diverse lot,
both as people and how we define our progressive
values.  On
controversial
issues like immigrant rights and immigration, we may
not always agree
on
specific policy solutions - on open borders v. amnesty
or guest worker
policies
v. legalization of undocumented workers, for example -
but we can and
must agree
that we oppose discrimination in all forms.

Those that seek to demonize immigrants - or gay and
lesbian people or
people of
the Muslim faith - may be looking to scapegoat their
way to political
victories
today but they will end up on the wrong side of
history.  While we can
have
differences of opinion on policy specifics, let's join
together to stop
those
seeking to add discrimination against the immigrant
and gay and lesbian
communities to our state's constitution this fall.

Stay posted for future CPC updates on what you can
expect to see on
this
November's ballot.

Until then, please read on about the largest political
rally in decades
in
Colorado, a powerful, passionate, and peaceful rally
for immigrant
justice that
occured today in downtown Denver.  Drawing twice as
many people as two
sold out
Mile High Stadiums, this was a massive _expression of
resiliance and
rights.
Thanks for your support of CPC and for civil and human
rights for all.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


They came from all across Colorado, from Denver to the
West Slope and
Greeley to
Pueblo and all points in between.  Waving American
flags along with
Mexican,
Salvadorean, Guatemalan, and others, more than 150,000
people jammed
downtown
Denver on Saturday to protest anti-immigrant
legislation in Washington,
DC, and
ongoing attacks on immigrants here in Colorado.

Sponsored by a coalition of groups, including Colorado
Progressive
Coalition and
allies including Rights for All People, Service
Employees International
Union,
American Friends Service Committee, and Padres Unidos,
the Denver event
followed similar large scale rallies for immigrant
justice this week in
Chicago
(300,000 people); Phoenix (30,000); Los Angeles
(500,000); Atlanta
(25,000
estimated), and other major cities.  The crowds in all
cities were
mobilized by
local radio and TV stations, particularly Spanish
speaking news
outlets.

Why did so many people come together for the largest
political rally in
decades
in Denver?  Here's why....The U.S. House of
Representatives is expected
to vote
soon on HR 4437, sponsored by Rep. James Sensenbrenner
(Wisconsin) and
supported
by Colorado's own anti-immigrant politician, Rep. Tom
Tancredo
(Littleton).  The
bill focuses on punishment only not comprehensive
solutions,
scapegoating
immigrants, and criminalizing anyone - churches,
public service
agencies,
non-profit groups, and others - providing aid to
immigrant workers
lacking
documentation.

This legislation is so mean-spirited that Los Angeles
Roman Catholic
Cardinal
Roger Mahony has said that, if it passes, he will
allow his priests and
others
to act against it as people need to be fed, clothed,
housed, and
provided
medical care if they are sick.  Senator Hillary
Clinton (New York) said
recently that "This bill would literally criminalize
the Good Samaritan
and
probably even Jesus himself.  We need to sound the
alarm about what is
being
done in the Congress."

Here in Colorado, one of the national centers of
anti-immigrant
scapegoating,
despite the many contributions of immigrants to our
agricultural,
construction,
service, and tourism industries, the rally's turnout
clearly
overwhelmed event
organizers who had hoped for 2,000 people and wound up
filling the
entire Civic
Center Park from the Denver City and County Building
all the way up the
hill
past the State Capitol!

Holding signs that said "We Are Not Criminals," "we
are honest and work
hard,"
and "you can't spell U.S.A. without US," the huge,
peaceful crowd
listened to
speakers, music, and started an impromptu march that
closed down parts
of 14th
Avenue and Colfax Avenue.  One sign summed it up
nicely "the more that
you
attack us, the stronger we get."

Immigrant families have long been attacked in our
state and too many
progressive
people have remained silent as the Tancredos of the
world build
political
careers through an extremist agenda.  When the ballot
initiative to
deny public
services to immigrants comes to Colorado's November
ballot we need you
to join
with us in stopping it.  If it passes, children will
not be able to
access
immunizations, women will not be able to access
prenatal care, and
victims of
domestic violence will be reluctant to seek public
safety services.  In
short,
this initiative will jeopardize the public health and
safety of our
state.

We welcome you to join us in our work to stop
discrimination in
Colorado.
Please email or call today to let us know that you'd
like to volunteer.

Let's not end up on the wrong side of history....

In peace,

~~ Bill, Brandon, Cheyenne, Dennis, Francoise, Gail,
John, Kaila,
Lavinia,
Lionel, Maclovio, Margaret, Miriam, Nisar, Tanya, and
all of us in the
CPC
Family

1420 Ogden St., Suite # 107
1st Floor
Denver, Colorado 80218
United States
----------------------------------------





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