Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Bellingham's Immigrant Solidarity March

SOCIETY
150 rally for immigration reform
Local protest finds support, opposition

JOHN STARK
THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

BELLINGHAM — About 150 people marched through the city Tuesday, waving U.S. and Mexican flags and chanting slogans in English and Spanish calling for a better deal for immigrant workers. ...

... Before they began their march to the Whatcom County Courthouse at about 1 p.m., they got a sendoff from Mayor Tim Douglas.

“I salute you for having the energy to stand up, be seen and be respected,” Douglas said.

Saying waves of immigration have always been part of American history, Douglas said he supported federal legislation to create a more workable immigration policy. ...

... In front of the Whatcom County Courthouse, Bellingham City Council member Terry Bornemann offered support.

“It is the new immigrants who always remind us of the importance of hard work,” Bornemann said. “New immigration brings new energy.”

The group then marched back to Cornwall Park for a potluck fiesta.

The event was sponsored by Community to Community Development, the Whatcom County Human Rights Task Force and Whatcom County Democrats.
I walked yesterday as a Legal Observer and I counted at least 250 people. Over at notinmycounty.org, Carl seems to have counted the same sort of numbers.

The fearmongers prattle on about 'amnesty' and 'open borders', but fair treatment and simple justice for immigrants are really what people were marching for. Inform yourself; read about what some of the problems really are.

Here's a few pictures I snapped.




2 comments:

Decker said...

The word, "Illegal" always seems to be missing. I am all for "Legal Immirgrant Solidarity."

Hal said...

Where is I.C.E. when you need them!