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Rally against hate group defends Mexican immigrants

Published May 19, 2005 11:08 PM

Historically in the United States the indigenous, people of color and the poor have had to carry the burden of being perfect scapegoats for the ruling class. Migrant workers are continually portrayed by the capitalist media as being less than human in an effort to create public ambiv alence about the less-than-human standards they work and live under. As if this were not enough, a recent wave of anti-immigrant hysteria has swept across the country and is manifesting itself in the form of racist vigilante groups like the Arizona “Minute men” and equally danger ous anti-immigrant “community” groups.

In California, one such group, calling them selves “Save our State,” claims that “Cali fornians are tired of watching their communities turn into third world cess pools as a result of a massive invasion of illegal aliens.”

“Save our State” and another anti-immigrant group called “Friends of the Border Patrol” are both connected with the Arizona Minutemen.

In Baldwin Park, just east of Los Angeles, a racist mobilization was called on May 14 by “Save our State” to protest a monument at the Baldwin Park Metro-Link station. The monument makes reference to the theft of Native and Mexican land by the U.S. The racists were demanding that the city of Baldwin Park “voluntarily remove these offensive passages by Friday July 1st, in advance of the Amer ican Independence weekend.”

Ominously, they threatened to take “additional steps to ensure the passages are removed.”

‘Who’s the immigrant, pilgrim?’

In response, many community groups and individuals in Baldwin Park—Mecha, the Committee in Defense of Immigrant Workers/IAC-LA, San Diego’s FIST (Fight Imperi alism, Stand Together)—and other South ern California activist groups gathered at the monument an hour before the scheduled racist rally.

Initially several blocks separated the two groups, and when the largely youthful marchers set out to confront the 30 or so racists, the local police blocked their way. After a long standoff and police threats to make arrests if the anti-racists didn’t disperse, the youth—first by ones and twos, and then in ever-growing numbers—were able to use side streets to sidestep the police blockade and move closer to the racists.

As members of FIST and local youth moved through side streets, community people on their porches and in their front yards joined them. Within minutes, the racists were pushed onto one street corner while youth occupied the other three. Shouts of anger mixed with chants of “Who’s the immigrant, pilgrim?” and “Whose land? Our land!” could be heard back at the monument several blocks away.

Still protected by the police, the racists taunted the protesters. Meanwhile, helicopter loudspeaker warnings that the protesting youth would all be arrested were drowned out by the growing crowd. Tensions rose as did the number of cops who were fighting to keep the youth on the sidewalks.

Yet rather than back down, the protesters filled the streets, almost completely surrounding the racists.

After a nearly two-hour standoff, the racists and their police escort threw in the towel. Their tails between their legs and their heads bowed in defeat they were led away with the sound of anti-racist victory cheers and the chanted, heartfelt message from the Baldwin Park community, “Don’t come back!”

As good as it felt to win this battle, the arrogance of the racists and their police allies also served as a reminder that we have yet to win the war against this system that breeds oppression and division. We must embrace the fight of our immigrant sisters and brothers and further commit ourselves to the struggle against imperialism, so that we may truly “save the state” of our working class from the clutches of the ungrateful, racist, parasitic bourgeoisie.