Send Elián home
Children lead march in Washington
By Teresa
Gutierrez
Washington
In several U.S. cities on Feb. 19, people once again took to
the streets to call on the Justice Department and the Clinton
administration to send 6-year-old Elián González
home to Cuba.
The National Committee for the Return of Elián
González to His Father in Cuba organized the
demonstrations.
In Washington a big contingent of children and youths led
the protest. They marched with the adults for over three miles,
carrying colorful balloons and piñatas with slogans
like: "Little boys need more than toys. Send Elián
home!"
The Salvadoran community here mobilized, sending a large and
very spirited delegation to the event. A Panamanian child and a
Salvadoran child both addressed the march. They stirred the
crowd when they called for the immediate return of Elián
to his father and assured everyone that the people are going to
win this battle.
African American and Puerto Rican students from Georgetown
Law School also organized for the demonstration.
When the Washington marchers passed by the Cuban Interest
Section they were heartened to see out in front, lined up in a
row, Cubans who greeted the march with waves and smiles. Some
had tears in their eyes.
Washington police gave the organizers problems, however.
First they told a group of right-wing Cubans and Nicaraguans
that they could not apply for a permit for the same place as
the Send Elián Home demonstration. But then the police
told the right-wing group they could stand alongside the
march.
Organizers informed the police that this was unacceptable
and that the police were helping to create a provocative
situation. On the day of the march cops also tried to change
the route formerly agreed upon. They attempted to prevent the
demonstration from marching in front of the Cuban Interest
Section. But organizers persisted and prevailed.
Marches were also held in San Francisco, Miami, Milwaukee,
Seattle, and in both Jacksonville and Tampa, Fla.
The Feb. 19 demonstration followed a Feb. 17 Washington news
conference featuring several members of Congress and sponsored
by the National Committee for the Return of Elián to His
Father in Cuba. IFCO/Pastors for Peace, a principal
organization of the National Committee, was the primary
organizer of the news conference.
Reps. Maxine Waters of California, Jose Serrano and Charles
Rangel of New York, and Julia Carson of Indiana--all people of
color--attended the news conference. So did Walter Benda of the
Children's Rights Council and a religious activist from Notre
Dame.
Waters said that the Immigration and Naturalization Service
had made the right decision in January but that INS
Commissioner Doris Meissner had "literally botched it in not
expediting her own decision."
Serrano said: "I lay blame totally on the INS. The INS had
no right, no authority to hand this child over to a political
situation. Politically, I'm no fool. I'm putting together a
list of every person awaiting citizenship in my district. If
Elián can get it, I want all those folks to get it
too."
Rep. Charles Rangel said he was surprised and disappointed
that the U.S. government had placed the child "in the hands of
adults that have questionable backgrounds."
In Miami, Andres Gomez, also an organizer for the National
Committee and a leader of the Antonio Maceo Brigade, vowed to
continue the struggle.
The National Committee is planning a major symposium in
Miami on March 4. The symposium will feature prominent experts,
including child psychiatrists and immigration lawyers. The Rev.
Lucius Walker of IFCO/Pastors for Peace is also expected to
address the symposium.
For more information on this event or other National
Committee activities, readers can contact the International
Action Center at 212-633-6646 in New York. In San Francisco
call the IAC at 415-821-6545.
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
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