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PageA2
May 03. 2006
Immigrants, Supporters Keep Up Pressure
Sending message of injustice
See story on Portland rally,
fro n t page
(A P)— Illegal immigrants and
their supporters vowed to keep
up the pressure on Congress for
reforms after more than I million
people stepped out of the shad­
ows and poured into the streets
in a nationw ide show o f eco­
nomic clout.
A day after rallies, boycotts and
marches in Los Angeles. Chicago,
Houston, Miami and elsewhere,
the challenge for immigration ad­
vocates was to extend the mo­
mentum of M onday's "Day With­
out Immigrants" into a sustainable
effort to get immigrants more in­
volved in the political process.
“We have far exceeded our
ex p ectatio n s," said M ahonrry
Hidalgo, chairman of the Im m i­
gration Committee of the Latino
Leadership Alliance o f New Jer­
sey. “The events are intended to
show solidarity and, at the same
time, send a message that injus­
tice against the immigrant com ­
munity is unacceptable. This is
not the end of our struggle. It is
the beginning.”
The boycott was organized by
immigrant activists angered by
federal legislation that would
criminalize an estimated 11 m il­
lion illegal immigrants and fortify
the U.S-M exico border.
While some businesses suf­
fered, the marches were festive -
despite divisions among activists
who argued a boycott w ould
alienate federal lawmakers.
In all, police departm ents and
local officials in more than two Demonstrators hold U.S. flags along Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles during an immigration rally
dozen U.S. cities contacted by Monday. Protests around the country were intended to flex the economic muscle o f immigrants
The Associated Press gave crowd and slow or shut down many farms, factories, markets and restaurants for the day. (AP photo)
estim ates that totaled about 1.1
million marchers.
Tw o major rallies in Los A n­
geles a ttra c te d an e s tim a te d
4 0 0 ,0 0 0 , a c c o rd in g to the
m ayor's office. Another 400,000
m a rc h e d th ro u g h C h ic a g o 's
downtown business district, po­
lice estimated. The list was long:
As many as 30,000 in Houston,
50.000 in San Jose, 30,(XM) more
a c ro s s F lo rid a . F ro m N ew
M exico to Tennessee to M assa­
chusetts, sm aller rallies attracted
hundreds more.
M archers standing shoulder-
to-shoulder sang and chanted and
danced in the streets w earing
American flags as capes and ban­
danas. In most cities, those who
rallied wore white to signify peace
and solidarity and waved signs
reading "W e are A m erica" and
“T oday we m arch, tom orrow
we vote."
Groups Focus on Disaster Ask lawmakers to visit New Orleans
The Links, Inc., an A frican
A m erican volunteer service o r­
ganization, has join ed w ith three
o th er national w o m e n 's groups
to support W om en o f the Storm ,
a non-partisan group o f m oth­
ers, housew ives, law yers and
business ow ners created to per­
suade M em bers o f C ongress to
visit hurricane-ravaged L ouisi­
ana.
W om en o f the Storm was
originally m ade up o f w om en
laborating w ith like m inded or-,
g a n iz a tio n s to stro n g ly urge
M em bers o f C ongress to tour
m etropolitan N ew O rleans and
pass legislation to rebuild the
G u lf C oast R egion and protect
our m ost vulnerable c itiz e n s.”
Established in 1946, The Links
is one o f the n a tio n 's o ldest and
largest vo lu n teer service o rg a ­
nization o f w om en w ho are co m ­
m itted to enriching, sustaining
and ensuring the cultu re and
econom ic survival o f A frican-
A m ericans and o th er persons
o f A frican decent.
from South L ouisiana and the
N ew O rleans m etropolitan area
to raise aw areness about re ­
building and coastal protection
needs.
“T he catastrophe o f H urri­
cane K atrina binds us all and
leaves none o f us unscathed,”
said T he L in ks' national p resi­
dent G ladys G ary V aughn. "T he
Links, Incorporated understands
the im portance o f w orking to­
geth er and the necessity o f col-
The catastrophe of
Hurricane Katrina hinds us
all and leaves none of us
unscathed.
Janet Walker, executive
director o f The Links, Inc.
(left) and Anne Milling of
‘Women o f the Storm .'
A V-X 111
Drunk Driving Arrest Upsets Liquor Panel
Acting director
named
The Oregon LiquorControl Com­
mission has a new acting director to
replace the administrator who re­
signed Thursday after being ar­
rested and charged with drunken
driving.
Steve Pharo, the OLCC distilled
spirits program director, takes over
the job of Teresa Kaiser, who re­
signed 5 days after an automobile
accident near the Ross Island
Bridge. Police said her blood alco­
hol level was measured a t . 16 per­
cent, twice the legal limit for driving
in Oregon.
Kaiser assumed the post Sept.
15, 2003, after several years with
Maryland's child support enforce­
ment office. She is a graduate of the
Lewis & Clark Law School and
worked as an attorney for seven
Teresa Kaiser
Steve Pharo
years as well as in liquor enforce­ year pi lot program to allow sales of'
ment in Colorado and Washington. distilled spirits in separate liquor
She was an OLCC inspector from stores within supermarkets instead
of in traditional state-run outlets.
1981-1982.
The OLCC board held an emer­
So far, the pilot program has
gency meeting on Friday and ap­ brought in more revenue than ex­
pointed Pharo as acting executive pected, the agency has said. But
director.
the pilot program has upset some
During Kaiser s tenure at the existing liquor agents, who say it
agency, the OLCC began a two- will create unfair competition.
Black Soldiers 10 Percent of War Deaths
“It is now three years since the
Since the March 20,2003 inva­
sion of Iraq, at least 235 black men beginning ofthe war in Iraq. In this
and women have died in the Iraq period, our men and women have
War. A majority of those deaths fought bravely and valiantly and
— 196 - have been in the Army, these soldiers and their families have
3 1 in the marines, four in the Navy made tremendous sacrifices," said
and three in the Air Force, ac­ U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, D-Fla.,a
cording to U.S. Dept. of Defense member of the Congressional Black
Caucus. “Tragically, we have now
statistics.
The number of black deaths ac­ lost more than 2,300 U.S. soldiers
count for roughly 10 percent of the and more than 17,(MM) have been
total. A majority of the war deaths, wounded."
As the number of deaths climbs.
74 percent have been among whites.
Cl|t Jiortlanh (Observer Established 1970
USPS 959-680 __________________________________
4747 NE Martin Luther King. Jr. Blvd., Portland, OR 97211
the number of blacks entering the
military continues to decline. Ac­
cording to a recent study, African
American enlistments have fallen
from 20 percent in 2000 to about 15
percent today.
A variety of factors are influenc­
ing the lower enlistments, includ­
ing military recruiting in rural areas
and polls that show the protracted
war in Iraq is more unpopular with
blacks than with other demographid
groups.
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