Rally held for immigration rights
James Ayre
Issue date: 5/9/07 Section: News
Students gathered at Caldon Point on West Campus Tuesday May 1 to voice concerned opinions over equality and immigrations rights.
The group of approximately 30 enthusiastic City College shouted: "What do we want? Justice now!"
Attempts to recruit further involvement from uninterested passers-by with the aid of a megaphone went relatively unnoticed.
Student Labor Action Project co-chair Shawn Tallant said he was unimpressed by student apathy toward immigration issues.
The rally was held to "raise consciousness to the fact that border control and work and community raids have increased throughout the country," according to Tallant.
Art major Dinah Mason handed out stickers displaying the death toll of U.S. soldiers in Iraq. Mason said her Bolivian son-in-law was promised U.S. citizenship after joining the military, but he is now in a medical facility after being seriously injured in Iraq and has yet to receive his promise.
"Immigrants want a better quality of life," Mason said.
Mason believes that non-U.S. citizens are being drafted into the military by means of fear-mongering and false promises of citizenship.
After the small on-campus rally, the group marched to De La Guerra Plaza and met in front of City Hall to rally further and discuss how to strengthen City College's involvement with the immigration rights movement.
At 5:30 p.m., the group merged with the annual march for dignity and hope for immigration to add City College's voice to the Santa Barbara community.
Around 700 participated in the march that concluded around 7 p.m.
This was a small march compared to last year's event, when several thousand people stampeded down State Street.
Native American studies major Katie Murray believes the community should act towards the equality of the workforce.
"We should be providing services for each other," Murray said.
Murray added that there will be a "Really Really Free Market" on Saturday May 12. The market will be from 11 a.m. until dark at Alice Keck Park.
"This is beyond trade, this is free," she said.
The group of approximately 30 enthusiastic City College shouted: "What do we want? Justice now!"
Attempts to recruit further involvement from uninterested passers-by with the aid of a megaphone went relatively unnoticed.
Student Labor Action Project co-chair Shawn Tallant said he was unimpressed by student apathy toward immigration issues.
The rally was held to "raise consciousness to the fact that border control and work and community raids have increased throughout the country," according to Tallant.
Art major Dinah Mason handed out stickers displaying the death toll of U.S. soldiers in Iraq. Mason said her Bolivian son-in-law was promised U.S. citizenship after joining the military, but he is now in a medical facility after being seriously injured in Iraq and has yet to receive his promise.
"Immigrants want a better quality of life," Mason said.
Mason believes that non-U.S. citizens are being drafted into the military by means of fear-mongering and false promises of citizenship.
After the small on-campus rally, the group marched to De La Guerra Plaza and met in front of City Hall to rally further and discuss how to strengthen City College's involvement with the immigration rights movement.
At 5:30 p.m., the group merged with the annual march for dignity and hope for immigration to add City College's voice to the Santa Barbara community.
Around 700 participated in the march that concluded around 7 p.m.
This was a small march compared to last year's event, when several thousand people stampeded down State Street.
Native American studies major Katie Murray believes the community should act towards the equality of the workforce.
"We should be providing services for each other," Murray said.
Murray added that there will be a "Really Really Free Market" on Saturday May 12. The market will be from 11 a.m. until dark at Alice Keck Park.
"This is beyond trade, this is free," she said.
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