Last week a wide coalition of immigrant rights organizations announced that they would be sending local representatives to Washington D.C in an effort to testify and lobby in favor of immigration reform where it truly matters most-on the federal level.
This wasn’t reported much in the mainstream media, but delegates are expected to be meeting with Congressional representatives on Monday and staying for the Fair Immigration Reform Movements’ lobby day on Tuesday. To add to the momentum, a boycott has been called for the last week of March, also known as a spring break week. Supporters are asked to not make any purchases, or to patronize banking institutions by using financial transfers.
This tidbit was reported in Denver’s two major newspapers last week, with interesting results.
Predictably, the The Denver Post was quick to quote Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo on his feelings regarding the boycott. (He wasn’t very optimistic about it.)
But even crazier were to comments left on the on-line article; an indulgence that the Rocky Mountain News does not allow.
P.EJ:
Or:
Or:
Such commentary isn’t a great testament for those who claim the issue of immigration has nothing to do with race, but hey, it is the Internet.
On the other side, the New’s Fernando Quintero did a much better job of covering what members of the coalition actually had to say:
At the morning news conference at Skyline Park amid downtown high-rise offices, Ramirez pointed to an adjacent glass tower and said, “Your offices are clean, thanks to who? Your gardens are beautiful, thanks to who? You have dollar menus and Happy Meals, thanks to who?”
In 2006 a general strike was held on May 1st, along with a massive march which included more than 100,000 individuals in Denver alone.
The numbers completely topped any turnout the anti-war movement has been able to muster locally, and coincided with such events on a national level.
Now local organizers are continuing to work on the federal level, as well as the local. It is an organized effort with energy that shows no signs of diminishing in the near future. Because of this, it is also an effort that shouldn’t be ignored by local media outlets.
Sooner or later it seems, ignoring such actions won’t be an option.
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