immigrant-led human rights mobilizations, spring 2006

IMMIGRANT JUSTICE RISING

A catalogue of resistance-- immigrant-led human rights mobilizations, Spring 2006

List compiled for Left Turn magazine (www.leftturn.org) and movement allies

by Clare Bayard, San Francisco, CA, the Catalyst Project and Heads Up Collective (a member organization of the Deporten a la Migra Coalition (www.liberationink.com/revised/navigator.php?s=2&a=deporten)

any feedback: [email protected]

This is not an exhaustive list, but is intended to give a sense of the scope and scale of the growing power of this movement across the country. Major urban centers, agricultural areas, small towns across the country, historical strongholds of multiracial organizing as well as emerging areas—in these actions, we can see a movement with deep roots coming into blossom.

** indicate that some source marked it the largest protest ever in this city (or, as noted, in many years)

number spreads (i.e. 4-7,000) indicate a range of reports from different sources.

THE FIRE BEGINS TO BUILD: FEBRUARY INTO MARCH

2/13: hundreds of people form human chains along highway 111 in Coachella Valley

2/14: Mid-Atlantic Regional Day without an Immigrant: 5,000 participate (boycotting work and notifying employers in protest of HR4437)

Philadelphia rally: 2,000 and Georgetown DE: 1,500

3/4: Portland 4,000 people rallied and marched, joined by farmworkers from

Oregon, Idaho and Washington

3/7 D.C. 30,000

3/8 Atlanta, GA: 100 in city hall

3/10 Chicago 300,000

3/11 Tampa, FL: several hundred

3/14 Topeka KS: several hundred

3/17 Santa Cruz, CA: 500

3/20 Trenton, NJ: 1,200 rally—following the Midatlantic “Day Without an Immigrant”

3/22 Providence, RI: 200

3/22 San Jose, CA: 5,000

3/23 Milwaukee, WI: 30,000

3/23 Racine WI

3/24 FRIDAY

Phoenix, AZ: 30,000**

Tucson, AZ: 1,500

Kansas City 2,000

Dallas, TX: 1,500

L.A. 2,700 students walked off at least 8 campuses, others rallied on

campuses and at least one highschool, students climbed the gate after

administrators declared a lockdown

Atlanta estimated 80,000 workers boycotted, 200 rallied at capitol

Gainesville, GA boycott, hundreds of students honor boycott (over 40% of

students)

3/25 SATURDAY

Charlotte, NC: 7,000

Cleveland, OH: 100 rally (organized by Latino pastors coalition)

Denver, CO: 50,000

Houston, TX: 5-10,000 rally for DREAM act, mostly students

Los Angeles: 1-2 million ***

Sacramento, CA: 4,000 +

Watsonville and Salinas, CA: 2,500 (including the Peregrinacion por la Paz march from

Tijuana of Latino military families and war resisters)

San Jose, CA: 15-30,000

many more cities including Boise, ID; Columbus, OH; Knoxville, TN; Trenton, NJ: and Reno, NV

3/26 SUNDAY

Columbus, OH: 4-7,000

Kernersville, NC: 700

L.A. 3,500 (organized by UFW)

Santa Rosa, CA: 5,000

Washington Heights, NYC: 500

3/27 MONDAY

San Francisco: 5,000 (joining up with the March for Peace/Peregrinacion

por la Paz)

Santa Ana, CA: 700 rally while 200+ riot cops invade their neighborhood

Watsonville, CA: march

Detroit, MI: over 50,000

Grand Rapids, MI: nearly 10,000

Boston 2,000

Washington, DC: D.C. 1,500 + 100 clergy

Denver, CO: strategy meeting, 200, mostly latin@ & some union organizers

Louisville, KY: 3,000

WALKOUTS:

Arizona:

Phoenix: 400 walk out, march to capitol

California:

L.A. 25-40, 000 highschool students walk out, blocking freeways,

encircle city hall, from 52 high and middle schools

Orange County: highschool students take over the Riverside Freeway

Sacramento: 70

Fresno: over 500 walk out to rally at city hall

San Diego: 1,000+

Long Beach: 3,000

San Jose: several hundred

Santa Ana: high school students shut down treasurer/tax collection office

Farmersville (central Valley CA) 200

Also thousands of walkouts in California: Aptos, Hollister, Salinas, San Luis Obispo,

and Pasco, Washington.

3/28 Tuesday, all walkouts unless noted

Las Vegas, Nevada: 1,000

Springdale, Arkansas: 36 highschoolers

Northern Virginia: 250 highschoolers, 8 middle schoolers

Arizona: in Phoenix hundreds walk out, march to capitol again

California: L.A. 6,000 walkout from 25 schools in the rain

Long beach: 400

Farmersville: 2nd day of walkouts, 200 march to present mayor with petition (march called by farm worker women and students)

Fresno: 5-6,000 rally at city hall in the rain

San Diego 3,000 walk out, rallies at chicano park, campuses

Concord: hundreds

Watsonville 1,000

Whittier: 3-500

Texas:

Houston: 1,000

Dallas 3,300 walk out & rally at city hall

Wed 3/29/06

Nashville, TN: 15,000 (largest since civil rights movement)

WALKOUTS

Bakersfield, CA: 3,800-- some walk 10 miles to downtown

Fresno, CA: hundreds walk out, 200 arrested/detained

Las Vegas, NV: 500

San Diego, CA: 2,000

Phoenix, AZ: hundreds

Houston, TX: hundreds

Santa Cruz, CA: hundreds

Many Los Angeles schools on lockdown, hundreds of students still protesting

3/30 THURSDAY WALKOUTS

Fresno/Bakersfield/Central Valley CA: hundreds

San Diego, CA: several hundred, police brutalize/arrest

El Paso, TX: thousands

Tucson, AZ: 300

Homestead, FL: South Dade High offers buses to students

FRIDAY 3/31 Cesar Chavez day!

Austin, TX: 75 high school students walk out, march to Capitol

Bakersfield: 1,000- schools on lockdown, threaten expulsion, many students jump fences

Bastrop, TX: 100 student walk out of classes

El Paso, TX: 2,500 rally, about half high school students

Fresno, CA: 500 middleschoolers walk out, taken to truancy center

Haltom City, TX: 150 walk out (fifth consecutive day)

L.A.: 100 in rain at city hall

Concord, CA: hundreds

Las Vegas, NV: 3,000 high and middle school students walk out

Lufkin, TX: hundreds walk out

Lynnwood, WA: several dozen students walk out, demand meeting with mayor

Mountainview, CA: 60 students walk out

Newburgh, NY:100 students walk out

Round Rock, TX: 100+ students boycott school to march

San Antonio: 60+ students walk out of three highschools

San Diego: 6,000 march, shut down Coronado Bridge

Tucson, AZ: 1,000 middle school and 300 high school students walk out

Tyler, TX: 100 walk out

Watsonville, CA: 50 walk out, protest at City Hall

Many CA students locked out of schools shut due to walkouts, including 34,000 North County students. 26 students arrested in Houston, TX this morning.

4/1

New York City: 10,000 march across Brooklyn Bridge

Oklahoma City, OK: 10,000

San Juan, TX: 2,000

4/2

Monterey, CA: 4,000

Tucson, AZ: 7,000

4/6: Aurora, IL: 400 students walk out

4/5: Oakland, CA: seventh graders organize protest at Melrose Leadership Academy

4/9: Weekend Protests before National Day of Action

Birmingham AL: 4,000

Boise, ID: 5,000

*Dallas: 500,000 +

Des Moines, Iowa: 5,000

Denver, CO: thousands

Lexington, KY: 9,000

Minneapolis, MI: Thousands

Richmond, VA: 3,000

Salem, OR: 5-6,000

Salt Lake City: 20,000

San Diego: 50,000

St. Louis, MO: 5,000

St. Paul, MI: 40,000

Monday, April 10th: National day of action: over 100 cities

Albertville, Alabama: 5,000

Albuquerque: 2,000

Anchorage, AK rally

Asheville, NC: 60

Atlanta, GA: 50,000 ** (in many years)

Austin, TX: 10,00+

Bakersfield, CA: 7-15,000

Birmingham, AL: 3,000

Bloomington, Il.: Hundreds

Boston, MA: 7,000

Boulder, CO: 150

Brownsville, TX: 350

Burlington, VT: 100

Cameron County, TX: 500

Carbondale, Il.: 100 rally

Champaign, Il.: Hundreds at town halls and protests

Charleston, South Carolina: 4,000

Chicago: 500 at town hall meeting, school walkout at Morton East

Colorado Springs, CO: 1,000

Columbia, South Carolina: 3,000

Columbus, OH: 3,000

Corpus Christi, TX: Hundreds

Davis to Sacramento: 100+ march for 9 miles

Denver, CO: 7-10,00 at a vigil for border deaths

Dodge City KS: 1,000 rally, 200 students walk out

Durango, CO

Emporia, KS: 1,500

Eugene, OR: 500

Flagstaff, AZ: 500, many youth

Fort Lauderdale, Fl.: 1,000 picket federal courthouse

Fort Meyers: 75,000** (biggest ever in southwest FL)

Fort Pierce, Florida: 2,500

Fort Smith, Arkansas: 3,000

*Fresno, CA: 10,000+

Garden City, Kan.: 3000

Grand Junction, Co.: 3,500

Greenville, South Carolina: 2,500

Hartford, CN: 2,000

Homestead, Fl.: 2,500

Houston, TX: 18-20,000

Indianapolis, IN: 20,000

Jackson, MI: 500, mostly poultry workers

Jersey City, NJ: 3,000

Jonesborough, TN: Dozens bring pay stubs & tax receipts to courthouse

Kansas City, MO: 1000s

Knoxville, TN: Hundreds

Lake Worth, FL: 5,000

Las Cruces, NM: 300

Las Vegas, NV: 3,500

Lawrence, KS: 300

Lexington, KY: 3,000

Lincoln, NE

Little Rock, Arkansas: 2,000

Los Angeles: 5,000

Madison, WI: 15-25,000

Memphis, TN: Hundreds gather at National Civil Rights Museum

Miami: 5,000+

New York City: 100,000

Oakland, CA: 20,000

Omaha, NE: 8,000

Pensacola, FL: 1,000+

Philadelphia, PA: 5-10,000

*Phoenix, AZ: 100,000-200,000

Pittsburgh, Pa.: 100s

Plant City, FL: hundreds, including 200 students walking out to join rally

Portland, ME: 100+

Portland, OR: 8,000

Port Arthur, TX: 200

Providence, RI: 5,000

Quincy, FL: 3,000 (largest in 27 years)

Reno, NV: 5,000

Salem, OR: 10,000

Salt Lake City, UT: 25,000 ** largest in state ever

Sacramento: 30,000

Salinas, CA: 2,000

After the late March walkouts, Salinas middle and high school students organize their dissent as the Student Coalition for Social Justice; on April 10th, they speak and participate in rally at Salinas courthouse

Salem, OR: 5-15,000

San Antonio, TX: 18,000

San Diego, CA: 100,000 (largest since Vietnam War)

San Francisco, CA: 5,000

San Rafael, CA: hundreds

San Jose, CA: 10,000

Santa Ana, CA: 100s

Santa Fe, NM: hundreds

Seattle, WA: 25-50,000

Schaumburg, Il.: Dozens of protestors at reps who voted for HR4437 in House

Siler City, NC: 2-10,000 were expected

Sioux City, ND: 5,000

Smithfield, North Carolina: 200

South Bend, IN.: Hundreds

Springdale, Arkansas: 1000s

Topeka, KS: Hundreds

Tucson, AZ: 10,000

Washington, DC: 150,000

Wichita, KS: 4,000

Wilmington, NC: hundreds

Washington D.C. 200,000

---

4/11:

Carson City, NV: 200 students walk out, rally at governor’s mansion

Dodge City, KS

600 meatpacking workers walk out the job in solidarity after company officials disciplined some employees for missing work to rally on the National Day of Action

Reno, NV: 2-4,000 march

4/12: Toledo, OH: 1,000

4/13: Woodburn, OR: students from several schools walk out and march

4/19: Denver, CO: high and middle school students walk out

4/22: Portland, ME: 100

4/23: Bakersfield, CA: thousands

4/30: Bowling Green, KY: 300-350 in the rain

Lynwood, CA: 3,000

MAY DAY—millions demonstrate for International Workers’ Day around the world. Millions in Mexico participate in the "Day without Gringos," including thousands rallying dressed in white, a unifying symbol adopted by many participants in the U.S. demonstrations. Some border crossings are blocked northbound.

In the U.S. the national immigrant general strike, or “Day Without Immigrants,” takes place in about 200 cities. Marches, rallies, school absences and walkouts, boycotts, strikes, and solidarity workplace closure feeds the momentum, building off the regional Midatlantic action on Feb 14th, and March’s widespread boycott/strikes in Georgia.

Although a tremendous portion of the leadership and participation in the Great Strike came from Latin@ communities, actions included the powerful diversity of migrant communities from around the world, as well as Black and documented African-American allies, native and indigenous nations, and documented white allies. Some actions included contingents that highlighted political as well as ethnic and racial diversity, like San Francisco’s Arab and Muslim contingent, or Worcester’s feeder marches for different immigrant communities.

Accomack County, VA: several hundred

Alamosa, CO: 200

Albuquerque, NM: 2-5,000

Allentown, PA: 300

Anchorage, Alaska: hundreds

Athens, GA: 1200

Atlanta, GA: 1-5,000

Aurora, IL: 9,000

Austin, TX: 8,000

Bakersfield, CA: 15,000 march/ 4,000 students walk out

Beaufort County, SC: 80-90% of Latin@s boycott work

Berkeley: 1,000 college & high school students

Boise, ID: 75

Boston: 2-5,000

Boulder, CO: 2,000+

Burlington, VT: 300

Carbondale, CO: 1,200

Camden, NJ: 1,000 join Philadelphia rally, most independent grocers in county closed

Caldwell, ID: several hundred for silent vigil

Cannon Beach, OR: 175

Ceres, CA (N. San Joaquin Valley): 2,000

Chapel Hill, NC: 40

Charlotte, NC: 10,000 rally, 684 students absent, Spanish-language radio goes ad-free to support boycott

Chattanooga, TN: 300

Chicago: 600,000 (fire department estimate), some school districts up to 80% absent

Cincinnati, OH: several thousand rally at National Underground Railroad Freedom Center

Cleveland OH: 200-400

Colorado Springs, CO: 3,000

Columbus, OH: 40 at Ohio State University

Concord, CA: 3,000

Dallas, TX: 1,500

The Dalles, OR: 700

Dayton, OH: 550

Denver CO: 75,000**

Des Moines, Iowa: 40+ businesses close

Detroit, MI: many businesses in southwest closed

Dothan, AL: hundreds

Durango, CO: 100

Eugene, OR: 400

Kansas City, MO: 2,000

Knoxville, TN: 300

El Paso, TX

Eugene, OR” 1,000-1,500

Eureka, CA: hundreds march to Arcata

Florida: state totals 30,000 in Pensacola, Homestead, Ft. Meyers, other cities

Forks, WA: 700

Fresno, CA: 15,000+ ** and earlier rally of 3-4,000 students at CSUF

Grand Island, NE: 3,000

Grand Junction, CO: 3,500

Hickory, NC: hundreds

Hood River, OR: 1,500

Houston, TX: 15,000

Huntsville, AL: several hundred

Ithaca, NY: 400

Jackson Heights (Queens), NYC: 1000+ make chain measuring 10 blocks

Joliet IL: 600

Laramie, WY: 200

Las Vegas, NV: 2,000

Laurel, MS: 200

Little Rock, AK: hundreds

Los Angeles: 500,000 ( about 72,000 --27% of students absent, 90% of port shut down)

Louisville, KY: 1,000

Lumberton, NC: 4,000*

Madras, OR: 250

McAllen, TX: thousands rally, 700 students absent

Medford, OR: 500

Merrifield, VA: some day labor crews reduced by over 90%

Miami: 10,000 (65,000 walk out)

Madison, WI 7-9,000

Milwaukee: 70,000

Minneapolis, MN: 3,000

*Modesto, CA: 10,000 & student march of 250 from Modesto High

Morehead, KY: 60

Nashville, TN: many workers strike, immigrants shut off lights from 8-9 p.m.

New York City: 50-500,000

New Orleans: 2-10,000

Oak Cliff TX: 500

Oakland, CA: 15-50,000

Odessa, TX: rally

Ogden, UT: 1,000

Olympia, WA: 400

Ottumwa, MI: hundreds rally, 440 students absent

Oxnard, CA: 4,000

Omaha, NE: 3-6,000

Ontario, CA: 1,000

Orlando, FL: 20-30,000**

Paso Robles, CA: 200 rally, 24% students absent

Philadelphia: 7,000 (inc 1,000 coming from Camden)

Pittsburgh, PA: 150+

Port Chester, NY: 2,000 march, blocks of stores closed

Porterville, CA (Tulare County): 4,000*

Portland, OR- 10,000

Poughkeepsie, NY: 800-2,000

Pueblo, CO: 500

Raleigh NC: 3,000

Rapid City, SD: several hudred

Russelville, AL (town with large KKK presence): more than 20% of Latin@ students absent (30% county-wide)

Salem, OR: 8-10,000

Salinas, CA: 13-20,000 * (biggest at least since 70s)

San Antonio, TX: thousands

San Bernadino, CA: 1,000

San Diego: 10,000+ at multiple events

San Francisco, CA: 75-125,000

San Juan, TX

San Rafael, CA: 5-7,000 **

Santa Ana, CA: 2-5,000 (police start confrontation with protestors)

Santa Cruz, CA: 4-6,000 when two marches merge

Santa Maria, CA: 5-30,000

Santa Rosa, CA: 8-10,000 *

Santa Barbara, CA: 15,000

Sacramento, CA: 18-40,000

Salt Lake City, UT: 7,500 (10,000 statewide participate in events)

San Jose, CA: 50,000 at least—up to 100,000 ***

San Ysidro, CA: 1-2,500 march to border

Seaside, CA: 1-2,000

Seattle, WA: 30,000

Siler City, NC: effectively shut down through boycott

Sioux Falls, SD: hundreds

Somerville, MA: hundreds

Stockton,CA

Sussex County, DE: poultry plants shut down who refused to close Feb 14th for the regional Day Without an Immigrant

Tennessee: 10,000+ strike/boycott

Tiffin, OH: 200, organized by Toledo’s Farm Labor Organizing Committee

Tulare, CA: 3,000

Tuscaloosa, AL: silent march on Univ. of Alabama campus, 200+

Union City, CA: 1,000

Ventura, CA: 200+ march, some school districts almost 40% absent

Virginia Beach, VA: hundreds

Vista, CA: 8-12,000

Washington D.C.: Malcolm X Park, 2-3,000 and Capitol: 5,000

Watsonville: 12,000

Wendover, UT: 500

White Plains, NY: 500 highschoolers walk out, march to courthouse

Worcester, MA: 2,500 rally (largest since Vietnam War), 67+ businesses close, 800-900 students absent. Feeder marches organized for: students, Africans, Colombians, Dominicans, Jamaicans, Latinos, Pleasant St Neighbors, and Christians

Yakima, WA: 8-15,000**

By Any Means Necessary….

Effects of the general strike hit well beyond the visible numbers of protestors in the street and absent from school. Thousands of stores, companies, offices, small businesses, service agencies, and branches of corporate industries closed down either in solidarity or were forced into closure by loss of workers. Port truckers in Los Angeles shut down 90% of transport at the Port of L.A. In many of central California's agricultural counties: Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Benito, San Joaquin-- tens of thousands of workers were absent. Gallo wines suspended their production. In the South and elsewhere, industries including construction, domestic work, and meatpacking suffered huge absences and many plants closed—including a dozen Tyson factories, the world’s largest meat producer. Tyson, Swift, Perdue and Cargill closed plants in the Midwest and the west employing more than 20,000 people. Chain restaurants including McDonalds’ and Chipotle shut stores and slashed shifts. Human chains blocked Wal-Marts and Home Depots in Arizona, as student protestors blocked Wal-Mart in Mexico City.

In conjunction with Mexico-wide demonstrations for a “Day Without Gringos,” border crossings were blocked by 400 protestors at the Tijuana-San Ysidro crossing (northbound shut down intermittently for 3 hours); Hidalgo International Bridge (into McAllen, Texas) blocked for 14 hours by hundreds of protestors with their bodies and rope in Reynosa, on the Mexican side of the border; the Laredo-Nuevo Laredo bridge was blocked for hours.