An immigration rally in Los Angeles ended with a bang, literally, as police fired rubber bullets into a crowd after a few people threw plastic bottles at police.
Demonstrations also took place in New York, Chicago, Detroit and Phoenix. Those marching were demanding a path to citizenship for the estimated 12 million to 13 million undocumented workers currently working in the United States.
Los Angeles, where this journalist is based, featured two demonstrations, the first of which started at 10 a.m. with only an estimated 8,000 marchers. By mid-afternoon, as the crowd walked to City Hall, the number swelled to 25,000. Still, that was far smaller than last year's demonstration—650,000, the largest demonstration in the nation.
Demonstrators carried signs, most of which were in Spanish. Some said, "Stop the division of our families," while others said, "Stop the raids and deportations," printed by the March25 Coalition.
"We're asking for immigration reform that calls for family unity and an immediate stop to raids and deportations," said Javier Rodriguez, spokesperson for March25 Coalition. "We're asking for full legalization, immediate, not a 50-year wait."
"I've given my best years to the United States," said Ricardo Soltero, a Mexican who has been working in the United States illegally for 21 years and currently works in a warehouse.
Soltero's wife and two children live in Mexico. He rarely sees them but sends money home on a regular basis. Soltero, like most marchers, said he believes in amnesty for undocumented immigrants already in the United States. He also believes that undocumented immigrants should have to submit to background checks and be sent to their home countries if they have committed crimes.
"Lawyers tell me I should get married, but I'm gay," said Hugh McPherson, an undocumented immigrant from Canada who has lived in Los Angeles for 23 years.
McPherson said he came to the May Day march to show that undocumented immigrants are not only from Latin America.
"Since I'm white and speak English, people don't see me ... but I still have fear of being caught and deported," said McPherson.
The chaos in Los Angeles erupted at an afternoon rally at the city's historic McArthur Park, where about 5,000 protesters rallied for immigrant rights. Around 6 p.m., after police tried to disperse a group of demonstrators from an intersection, some participants threw plastic bottles and rocks at officers. In response, several dozen riot police, dressed in helmets and carrying batons, started clearing the park, firing volleys of rubber bullets into the crowd.
Mike Lopez, spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department, told the Los Angeles Times that an undetermined number of both marchers and police officers were injured. He also said some demonstrators were arrested, but he did not know how many.
While Los Angeles' rallies were peaceful until the very end, protests elsewhere reported no chaotic incidents and more participants. In Chicago, 150,000 demonstrators marched. As many as 15,000 turned out in Phoenix, 2,500 in Tucson, and in Detroit, hundreds marched.
Most participants in the marches wore red and white and carried American flags. The smaller number of protesters was attributed to a general fear of being caught in an immigration raid. Also, Congress motivated a lot of protests. Last year, a bill was being considered that would have punished undocumented workers and people who help them. This year, Congress is at a standstill on immigration reform and none of the proposals are as harsh as last year's.
"We're out here for immigrants' rights and workers' rights," said Eric Soto, a Los Angeles native and second-generation Mexican American.
Soto blames U.S. foreign policy, such as the North American Free Trade Agreement, with forcing Latin American workers to seek higher-paying jobs in the United States.
"We need to look at the U.S. policies that force people to come here seeking a better life," Soto said.
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