May 1, 2013

May Day illegal immigrant marches flop

Remember the vast throngs of illegal aliens excitedly waving Mexican flags who took over American cities on spring days in 2006 to support the Kennedy-McCain amnesty bill? Wikipedia recounts:
A major demonstration in Chicago on March 10, 2006 estimated at 100,000 people was the initial impetus for protests throughout the country.[1] The largest single demonstration occurred in Los Angeles on March 25, 2006 with a march of more than 500,000 people through downtown.[2] The largest nationwide day of protest occurred on April 10, 2006, in 102 cities across the country,[3][4] with 350,000–500,000 in Dallas and around 300,000 in Chicago.[5] Most of the protests were peaceful and attracted considerable media attention. 

Then on May Day 2006:
An estimated 400,000 marched in Chicago, according to police, though organizers pegged the total at closer to 700,000; ... An estimated 400,000 marched in Los Angeles, according to police.

Well, that kind of humongous turnout (large driven by funny Spanish-language drive time radio DJs) has never been repeated. From today's Los Angeles Times:
Two sets of marchers converged on the Civic Center in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday afternoon in what police described as a peaceful and modestly sized crowd compared to previous years.

The LAT's short video is well-worth watching to show how non-formidable these people are: a white activist chants slogans in Spanish while a limited number of short brown marchers echo his lead with an attempt at enthusiasm.

The NYT article tries to be upbeat, but it's infused with flop sweat:
Across the Country, Supporters Rally for Immigration Overhaul 
By JULIA PRESTON 
Published: May 1, 2013

Tens of thousands of immigrants, Latinos and other supporters of an overhaul of the immigration system turned out on Wednesday to mark May 1 with marches, rallies and prayer vigils, hoping to show Congress that momentum is building in favor of a path to citizenship for 11 million immigrants in the country illegally. 

First, some excuses:
Instead of concentrating their forces for one large demonstration on May Day, the immigrant and labor groups organizing the events said they chose to hold smaller actions in more than 100 cities to draw more local supporters. ...
Many immigrants who support overhaul legislation now before the Senate do not have legal immigration status, so they cannot travel easily across state lines and they think twice about turning out in public. ...

Now, some reporting.
In Richmond, Va., about 150 people had a minirally and then marched to the headquarters of the Republican Party, chanting, “Yes, we can” in English and Spanish. In an impromptu speech, Jaime Contreras, vice president for Local 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union, told Republicans, “There’s no honor in being on the wrong side of history as the last stronghold fighting against civil rights.”

150 people? Okay, well that was Virginia. What about in the Southwest?
In Tucson, 250 people turned out for a morning march in desert heat, accompanied by indigenous dancers and Mexican music. The marchers said the prospect of immigration action in Washington had created an upbeat mood in southern Arizona. 
“There is hope for everyone," said Rosalva Fuentes, 43, an immigrant from Mexico who lives in Tucson. “Ten years ago people were so scared.. Now we fight for equality.”
Tomás Rodríguez, 41, said he had lived in Tucson for two decades without immigration papers, working in construction. Mr. Rodríguez, who attended with his 17-year-old daughter, Stephanie, a United States citizen, said he was not afraid to join the march. ..
Leading organizers of the May 1 events included the Service Employees International Union and other labor unions; Mi Familia Vota, a Latino voter registration organization; and the Fair Immigration Reform Movement, a coalition of immigrant community groups.

250 demonstrators in Tucson? That's pathetic.
“The big strategy is to point the people power of the movement towards getting Congress to finish the job in 2013,” said Deepak Bhargava, executive director of the Center for Community Change, one of the main organizers. “Tremendous hope and expectation has been raised in the community.”

Deepak is, what, an Aztec name? Mayan?
... Eliseo Medina, a top official of the Service Employees International Union, spent the day in what he called “our war room” at its headquarters in Washington, monitoring the activities. 
“We were not particularly looking to have huge events," Mr. Medina said, "we are going for expanding.” ...
In 2006, when major immigration legislation came before Congress, many hundreds of thousands of immigrants and advocates took to the streets in cities like Los Angeles and New York.  

Way back then, I attended a minor march in Van Nuys and it was still pretty gigantic even though an enormous march was going on simultaneously in downtown LA 20 miles away. But, I noticed something electorally important: the march was immense but the marchers were tiny. They weren't big Chicanos like the American-born Mexicans I'd grown up with, who all have the vote. The marchers were short immigrants; in other words, they weren't being joined by taller Mexican-American voters. And that said a lot about how much Hispanic voters care about amnesty (i.e., not too much).

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

They are not marching because they know that the 2006 marches woke up the American people and turned us against them.

They are trying to do it the "softly, softly catchee monkey" way this time.

So far, the strategy seems to be working.

rightsaidfred said...

2006 was largely a voter drive to oust the R's in the next election.

Also, the housing bubble was cresting, and it was the tenor of the times to get your compatriots in on the looting.

Good times while they lasted.

Anonymous said...

Aztec Graham Greene said: “The big strategy is to point the people power of the movement towards getting Congress to finish the job in 2013,” said Deepak Bhargava, executive director of the Center for Community Change, one of the main organizers. “Tremendous hope and expectation has been raised in the community.”

Here I thought evil men always made the most interesting writers...

-The Judean People's Front

Anonymous said...

I remember May Day in 2006 in Los Angeles. They called it "A Day Without (Illegal) Immigrants" and said they would show us how hard it is for Americans to function without them. My 48 mile commute home from work normally took 90 minutes on a good day, but that day it took less than 60. With all the illegals down at the rally, driving up Vine Street and west on the Ventura Freeway was actually a fun drive. I even had time to mow my own yard when I got home! I was hoping for more rallies but not much since then.

peterike said...

Ahh, the Mexies ain't marching because they're too busy cashing in on their EBT and Section 8 and free healthcare and free school and free school lunches and ethnic cleansing blacks out of their neighborhoods. After all, they have to get ready for the Mestizo Century, the light of which is about to dawn.

countenance said...

When the 2006 illegal invader rabble marches happened, everyone was scared out of their wits. Then there was a scholarly article in some lamestream conservative publication which showed that mass marches are a folkway in Latin American countries, and happen fairly often. Most often in the aftermath of elections. But these marches wind up accomplishing next to nothing if not actually nothing.

There is something in the DNA of the Chicano-Mestizo-Indo that lends itself to mass shows of human force.

But as Sailer has amply demonstrated here over the years, when it comes to the kind of sophisticated kinds of organization that matters, Hispanics are horrible and non-existent.

Anonymous said...

Deepak an Aztec name? LMAO!


Thank you sir, that was much needed.

Anonymous said...

250 demonstrators in Tucson? That's pathetic.

“The big strategy is to point the people power of the movement towards getting Congress to finish the job in 2013,” said Deepak Bhargava, executive director of the Center for Community Change, one of the main organizers. “Tremendous hope and expectation has been raised in the community That's not much for Tucson but Tucson's Hispanic population is more legal than Phoneix since Phoneix has even more construcation jobs since it grows like a weed compared to Tucson and more hotel and resturant jobs because of a much bigger population 3.9 million versus barely a million in Tucson.

Anonymous said...

They old way was to have your people become the most patriotic Americans. The Chechen bomber's uncle seems to get that. Almost no one else does. Though to be fair screeching about your right to illegally immigrate isn't as popular as the Michael Moore types wish it was. Maybe because they're recognized as losers.

Anonymous said...

. Los Angeles -- 3,863,839 (1.0 percent growth)
2. San Diego -- 1,326,238 (0.8 percent growth)
3. San Jose -- 984,299 (1.5 percent growth)
4. San Francisco -- 825,111 (1.1 percent growth)
5. Fresno -- 508,453 (0.9 percent growth)
6. Sacramento -- 473,509 (0.7 percent growth)
7. Long Beach -- 467,646 (0.6 percent growth)
8. Oakland -- 399,326 (1.1 percent growth)
9. Bakersfield -- 359,221 (1.3 percent growth)
10. Anaheim -- 346,161 (0.6 percent growth)
Anaheim with the highest percentage of Hispanics and illegals is a slowed growth city. La has a lot of illegals too but the big cities are into the genfrication which attracts some gay and city type whites. Hispanic growth can in the long run run into slow growth since Hispanics as well as whites don't want to live in Hispanic cities as much.

Anonymous said...

Remember the vast throngs of illegal aliens excitedly waving Mexican flags who took over American cities on spring days in 2006 to support the Kennedy-McCain amnesty bill?

I'll never forget back in 2006 how McCain advised the marchers to drop the Mexican flags and carry the Stars and Stripes. To see a US senator coaching foreign invaders to drop their victory banner and cloak themselves in the banner of the people that the senator supposedly represented was disgusting. Yet the people of AZ sent that bastard back to DC in 2010.

Alcalde Jaime Miguel Curleo said...

I was living downtown at the time of the 2006 manifestation but not being a keen student of El Cucuy I stupidly went out to drive somewhere before I was enveloped by a never-ending wave of asynchronous pedestrians. Next day I indicated the newspaper headline-photo to a young white guy behind the counter of a coffee shop in Montrose. He was enthusing about the display of People Power--so in the entire L.A. metro there was at least that one

Anonymous said...

Many immigrants who support overhaul legislation now before the Senate do not have legal immigration status, so they cannot travel easily across state lines

WTF?!

There is never any check at the state line. You just drive right through. This is insane.

ben tillman said...

Tomás Rodríguez, 41, said he had lived in Tucson for two decades without immigration papers

So the Times says it's not the consent of the populace that gives him a right to immigrate; it's a mere piece of paper.

This is cargo-cult propaganda.

Anonymous said...

"they cannot travel easily across state lines and they think twice about turning out in public."


Ha ha ha ha! Did the reporter really swallow this line and repeat it to what he hoped were credulous readers?

Anonymous said...

Well, I just read the Bay Area is the fastest growing area in Cal, the Bay area on average is lower on hispanics which means that Hispanics are moving Inland, a small group return home or moved to other states. There are about a million illegal Asians and Asians must be coming in more than Hispanics. Hispanics have more kids but I wonder if Calif instead of beintg 13 percent Asian will moved up to 20.

Anonymous said...

I probably grew up with more Mexicans being now Santa Ana by the 1970'd it was already 30 percent. The big Mexicans were one family that was pretty much middle class and the son played basketball even in 1975 most Mexicans were shorter than whites. The youngest son went to a high school in Huntington Beach because his parents didn't want him to go to a high school by the late 1980's lost a lot of white population.

Anonymous said...

A few months ago, illegal immigrants in Greece staged a protest march, taking to the streets to protese against the temerity of native Greeks in trying to assert their nationhood.
Well, anyway, the marchers reckoned agianst the well-known and anciently attested native Greek deviousness and cunning. The Greek police, taking advantage of a huge agglomeration of law-breakes convieniently gathered all together in one place, promptly arrested the lot!

Simon in London said...

I think only in America would it be regarded as normal and legitimate that _illegal aliens_ protest for legalisation! A few left-liberals in the UK have tried to use US-style rhetoric "Well it would be inhumane to round them all up and send them home", but this doesn't get any traction. The vast majority of the population here is absolutely in favour of rounding them up and sending them home. I think most countries are like us.
Meanwhile my American wife is spending many days and large amounts of money just to get our American-citizen son's passport renewed.

Londoner said...

I suppose the appeal of these marches is 'becoming more selective'.