Turnout a Bust at Pro-Illegal Immigration Marches; L.A. Protesters One-Tenth of 2006 Effort

Saturday, May 1, 2010 | Kristinn

[kristinn]

Despite a coordinated hype campaign between left-wing pro-illegal immigration activists and the mainstream media, turnout was a bust at May Day marches in two bellwether American cities where crowds were much lower than expected. In Los Angeles, the turnout was a mere tenth of the half-million that marched there four years ago.

In a preview article published yestereday, Reuters said of the pending Los Angeles march:

Marches across the state on Saturday will show whether Latinos are energized. The standard will be the rallies in March 2006, when some 500,000 people took over downtown Los Angeles to oppose a tough federal bill that later failed.

The AP reported that police estimated the number of protesters in Los Angeles at 50,000, half of what was expected by organizers:

Police officials estimated about 50,000 demonstrators marched through downtown Los Angeles to demand immigration reform and to protest Arizona's tough new law against illegal immigrants.

Officer Rosario Herrera said the crowd peaked early Saturday afternoon and was estimated to have dwindled to about 30,000 by 2 p.m.

...Police had prepared for an anticipated 100,000 people.

In Dallas, where 100,000 were also expected to march, only 20,000 to 25,000 turned out, according to this AP report:

Organizers had estimated as many as 100,000 might attend the Dallas march. Police estimated between 20,000 and 25,000 gathered in the plaza outside City Hall. Organizers said thousands more participated in the march.

The May Day marches were already arranged by leftist groups across the country as a traditional communist day of agitation. The same leftist groups have been supporting amnesty for illegal aliens for years, making the marches the perfect fit for an instant nationwide protest against Arizona's new law targeting illegal aliens.

Respective turnout in the seventy other cities scheduled to have pro-illegal immigration marches today numbered in the high hundreds to well less than ten thousand, putting them well under the two million Tea Party protesters who demonstrated in cities and towns nationwide just two weeks ago on April 15th.

It appears that nationwide the pro-illegal immigration movement failed to match the 500,000 marchers they had in just one city, Los Angeles, four years ago.

[CottonBall]

Don’t fall for the MSM hype. These protests were planned long before the law in Arizona was passed, or even written as a bill. This is the annual communist Mayday parade, something we never used to have at all in the USA but would see in other countries on May 1st.

Exactly. They've been having these May Day protests for years now - this one is no different except at the last minute, they had a new 'reason'. In years past, illegals and their supporters have walked off of their jobs and to not shop to show how important they are to our economy. I've taken the opportunity to enjoy a day of shopping where english is heard, the aisles are not a mess of spilled merchandise and out of control children, and those of us in the store are actually polite to each other.

[greeneyes]

What tough federal bill are they talking about? Are they trying to call that amnesty travesty McCain and Bush tried to cram down our throats tough?LOL.

[firebrand]

Breaking News: First time ever, Mexican delivery guy on bike stops for red light at 95th and Broadway (anti-terrorist team deployed on corner).

[firebrand]

FOFRT? (Fear of Face-Recognition Technology?)

[Republic of Texas]

25,000 in Dallas and the prediction was 100,000.

[chilltherats]

Gee, ya think it might be because unemployment in SoCal is at about 16%?

[A Navy Vet]

"The crowd in LA was at one point chanting “Obama escucha! Estamos en la lucha!” (Obama listen! We’re in the fight!)"

Is this factual?

[ResearchMonkey]

My wife and I went to the Bakersfield pro-immigration rally, it was as dead as a lesbian high school prom.

[KTM rider]

LOL, Michelle is a dead ringer for the chimpanzee that ripped that ladies face off a few years back

[Carley]

I remember May Day celebrations when I was a grammar school student....in the 40s. The communists were always a force in the inner cities on the east coast. Altho ‘inner cities’ wasn’t an expression used way back then.

[Carley]

I live a few blocks from a poor area where there were always at least 15 to 20 ‘folks’ hanging out on the street near the corner.

Drove past that corner the other day and there were only three or four men hanging out. Clearly they haven’t all found jobs......

[InABunkerUnderSF]

I heard it on the local Spanish language TV station (KDTV)

The quote here is from the LA Times:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/05/thousands-gather-for-immigrant-rights-march-in-downtown-los-angeles.html

Apparently it’s not a new chant. Here’s a reference from the Socialist Worker dated 9/29/2009

http://socialistworker.org/2009/09/21/standing-up-to-immigration-police

[steveo]

we were on the riverwalk in San Antonio when I heard noises at street level. I saw their “march” that had maybe 800 people if that. Very small when you consider the demographics of the city.

[webstersII]

“Unless they’ve been radicalized by La Raza, LULAC or that ilk, I’d say that most legal Hispanics are somewhere between embarrassed for and furious at — the illegals. “

Then explain to me why they always vote Democrat and they seem to support every candidate who preaches amnesty.

[Califreak]

LOL!

Our local nooz made it sound bigger than ever.

[NormsRevenge]

Protester Efrain Iniguez pushes a stroller containing alien dolls near City Hall during a May Day immigration rally in Los Angeles, California May 1, 2010. Demonstrators at May Day rallies across the nation are focusing on a controversial new Arizona law requiring anyone who may appear to police to be an immigrant to carry documents of proof that he or she is in the country legally, and makes it a crime to be an undocumented immigrant in Arizona. REUTERS/David McNew (UNITED STATES - Tags: SOCIETY POLITICS IMAGES OF THE DAY)

[YankeeReb]

Could be because there is a sensing that there is a GROWING BACKLASH against the illegals?

That's it... Not only is there a growing backlash, but the guilty white liberals who marched in 2006 along with the illegals are finding their jobs threatened now.

[okie01]

Then explain to me why they always vote Democrat and they seem to support every candidate who preaches amnesty.

The GOP frequently garners in the neighborhood of 40% of the so-called "Hispanic vote". The party is strong among Cuban exiles in Florida and strong among the established legal Hispanics in the Southwest. It is generally weak in California (among Hispanics and whites alike) and among recent immigrants (legal and illegal). Nor has it ever been strong among the Puerto Rican population in and around NYC.

There are many distinct segments among the "Hispanic vote". Politicians and the MSM consider it to be a single massive voting bloc. Don't you make the same mistake. It's not

[Redbob]

Maybe getting their identifiable mugshots on the evening news just hasn’t worked out so well for them...

LOL!