Immigration (Part Two)

Monday May 1, 2006 was billed as "A Day Without Immigrants," with numerous demonstrations held across the country to express opposition to the Border Protection, Anti-Terrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005 (H.R. 4437), passed by the U.S. House of Representatives last December.

In Downtown Los Angeles, a large demonstration was held that included a march up Broadway from Pico Boulevard to the Civic Center, culminating in a rally at City Hall. The crowd was estimated at 250,000. Since I work in the Civic Center, I was able to take some photos to document the demonstration that I'd like to share here:

Crowds on Broadway and Second Street, looking east from Hill Street

Crowds on First Street, looking east from Hill Street

Crowds on First Street, looking east from Hill Street

Crowds in front of City Hall, looking east from Broadway

Crowds in Front of City Hall, looking southeast from the 13th floor balcony of the County Hall of Records

Crowds in front of City Hall and on First Street and Broadway, looking southeast from the 13th floor balcony of the County Hall of Records

You can see the rest of my photos here

Later in the day, a second demonstration was held in the city that drew an even larger crowd estimated at 400,000 people. This event entailed a march west along Wilshire Boulevard from MacArthur Park to the Miracle Mile district. Mike from Franklin Avenue took some photos of that demonstration that you can see here.

The jury's still out on whether "A Day Without Immigrants" was successful in changing people's minds about current immigration policy and H.R. 4437. At the very least, the demonstrations of that day exhibited a spirit of "people power" that has not been witnessed in the United States for many years.