Archives - May Day 2006
May Day in New York City
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May 1, 2006 in New York City
One million hit the streets to demand Justice for Immigrants
More than 1 million immigrants and supporters skipped work and school and took to the streets of New York City today in support of immigration rights.
As the day began, many businesses throughout the region remained closed, as owners observed the May 1 Great American Boycott -- a day of no work, no School, no shopping, and no selling.
More than 2,000 students walked out of CUNY schools and rallied in Washington Square Park before marching to Union Square.
Although the rally in Union Square was scheduled to begin at 4:00 pm, by 2:00 pm the Park was already packed to capacity.
By 4:00 pm, the crowd had begun to spill into the streets.
Speakers included: Michael Andrade Lalan of Break the Chains Alliance / National Mobilization Against Sweatshops, Nellie Bailey of the Harlem Tenants Council, Rev. Luis Barrios, New York City Council member Charles Barron, Carlos Canales of the Long Island Workplace Project, Hector Castillo of Organizaciones Comunitarias del Bronx, Berna Ellorin of the Justice 4 Immigrants Filipino Coalition, Larry Holmes of the International Action Center, Jesse Jackson, Siu Hin Lee of the National May 1 Network in Los Angeles, Chuck Mohan of the Guyanese Workers United, actress Susan Sarandon, Rev. Al Sharpton, New York City Council member Kendall Stewart, Brenda Stokely of the Million Worker March, Victor Toro of La Pena del Bronx, Roger Toussaint of the TWU, and many other representatives of immigrant, labor, and community organizations.
Roger Toussaint, recently released from jail for defending transit workers' pensions, was greeted with thunderous applause and shouts of "TWU! TWU!" Toussaint stressed the link between attacks on immigrants and attacks on unions.
Speakers unanimously called for amnesty and denounced the racist, anti-immigrant legislation in Washington.
Many linked the struggle against the war with the struggle for immigrant rights, with several saying, "Immigrants are not criminals, Bush is a criminal."
As the rally continued, thousands continued to pour into Union Square, filling the surrounding streets and sidewalks as far north as 18th St. Arial shots show a crowd far overflowing the entire Union Square and surrounding streets. Because of the intense crush of people it became a safety issue and the march stepped off before 5pm rather than the scheduled 6pm.
The spirited march headed south on Broadway to Fulton Square, directly behind the Federal Building, home of the Department of Homeland Security, INS, and FEMA.
As the march reached Foley Square and the closing rally began, many thousands in Union Square had not even begun the march.
The march stretched nearly 3 miles and over 25 blocks from Union Square to Foley Square. As the front of the march was reaching Foley Square it was still coming out of Union Square.
It was literally wall-to-wall on the streets including sidewalks on both sides and the entire street. The end of the march did not reach Foley Square until after 8:30 pm.
The massive turnout of more than a million people today is was the result of a grassroots, immigrant-led effort, with a total budget of less than $10,000.
The coalition that organized today's rally and march, the NYC May 1 Coalition, announced that it plans to continue to build on the success of the day, and is holding a planning meeting this Wednesday, May 3, and Teamsters Local 808 in Long Island City. A regional conference is also planned for June 17 in NYC.
A Call to Support the May 1 2006 Great American Boycott for Immigrant Rights
Support the Fight for Immigrant Workers' Rights!
Justice for Hurricane Katrina Survivors!
The People United Will Never Be Defeated!
Dear Sisters and brothers,
We call on you to endorse and organize for the May 1 Great American Boycott 2006 in support of Amnesty and full rights for undocumented workers called by the March 25th Coalition Against HR4437 and many other immigrant organizations. (The May 1 national call is included below). In NYC, The May 1 Great American Boycott 2006 Coalition will rally and march on Monday, May 1 starting at 4:00 pm in UNION SQUARE, on 14th Street in Manhattan.
Be in the Streets on April 10, the national day of action in support of immigrant rights, and in NYC on April 29 for the March for Peace, Justice, and Democracy – and then on to
This is an issue that all working people and progressive organizations must embrace. The struggle for immigrant rights is a vital part of the struggle against racism and repression, and for the full rights of all working people. Let's all be in the streets on May 1 in support of the call coming from the Los Angeles March 25th Coalition Against HR4437. Organize local protests on May 1. Organize boycotts and student walkouts. Connect local issues that you’re organizing around with the struggle for Immigrant Rights. We strongly encourage all who are organizing May 1 events to make sure that their program and demands reflect solidarity with immigrant workers and Hurricane Katrina Survivors. Let’s build on the unity and momentum.
National Call
MAY 1, 2006: CALL TO ACTION!
"EL GRAN PARO AMERICANO 2006" · "THE GREAT AMERICAN BOYCOTT 2006"
"Un dia sin immigrante" · "A day without an immigrant"
Nationwide Immigrant General Strike
Immigrants contribute 7 billion in social security per year. they earn 240 billion, report 90 billion, and only are reimbursed 5 billion, "where are the 85 billion?" They also contribute to the U.S. economy 25 billion more than they receive in healthcare, etc., etc., etc. According to the anti-immigrant politicians and hatemongers, "immigrants are a drain on society." If this is true, then during the day on May 1st the stock market will surge, and the economy will boom. If not, we prove them wrong once and for all. We know what will happen!
Therefore, the "March 25th Coalition against HR4437 in Los Angeles," the organizers of the mega march of almost 2 million on March 25th, has called for an emergency videoconferenced meeting on April 8th between Los Angeles and any city that wishes to join the efforts toward "El Gran Paro Americano 2006." The following meeting will take place in Chicago on April 22nd, we ask that all that wish to participate and be a part of a national effort on May 1st and beyond, to attend by finding facilities in your areas that can hold the meeting, technologically.
The points of unity are: No Work, No School, No Sales, and No Buying, and also to have rallies around symbols of economic trade in your areas (stock exchanges, anti-immigrant corporations, etc.).
Cities across the United States have marched during the week, therefore, in essence observing a regional boycott, which is only felt regionally. The March 25th Coalition against HR4437, calls for these regions to develop a national network that will "connect the dots." We believe with numbers we have power, the power currently necessary to keep the pressure on the White House to propose provisions that are just and fair for all immigrants.
We will settle for nothing less than full amnesty and dignity for the millions of undocumented workers presently in the U.S. We believe that increased enforcement is a step in the wrong direction and will only serve to facilitate more tragedies along the Mexican-U.S. border in terms of deaths and family separation.
More details to come... Keep your eye on www.nohr4437.org
and or write to granmarcha2006@hotmail.com
and any tax deductible donations should be made to:
La Hermandand
Mexicana, 7915 Van Nuys Blvd.
Panorama City, CA 91402.
Please organize your areas, and join this monumental event that will put our mark on U.S. history.
Endorse the May 1 General Strike >> Click Here
Partial list of endorsers of the May 1, 2006 actions in New York
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Asociacion Tepeyac Association of Senegalese in America Latin American Workers Project Justice 4 Immigrants Filipino Coalition Freeport Community Worklink Center, Long Island Guyanese-American Workers United, New York, NY Pakistan USA Freedom Forum Anakbayan, NY/NJ Million Worker March Philippine Forum Break the Chains Alliance Centro Guatemalteco Tecun Uman Congreso Nacional Dominicano La Pena del Bronx Chris Silvera, Pres. National Teamsters Black Caucus, Sec.-Treas. Teamsters Local 808 LIUNA Local 108 Teamsters Joint Council #16 CASA Freehold, NJ Congreso Nacional Dominicano Harlem Tenants Council Troops Out Now Coalition New York Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines Rev Luis Barrios, Iglesia San Romero de las Ameritas Reverend Lucius Walker Salvation Baptist Church in Brooklyn Hunter College Justice Center Chinese Staff and Workers Association National Mobilization Against Sweatshops (NMASS) NYC Working People’s Voice Newspaper International Socialist Organization The Workplace Project IFCO Pastors for Peace BAYAN USA Philippine New Patriotic Alliance International Action Center |
Restaurant Opportunities Center of New York Make the Road by Walking Trabajadoras por la Paz The Dominican Club/LaGuardia Community College Industrial Workers of the World National Alliance of Latin America and Caribbean Frente Unido Inmigrantes Ecuatorianos Frente De Cultos Del Pro Y Lider Comunitario Ecuador Para Todos Lenin Medina Haitian Coalition to Support the Struggle in Haiti 100 African Tribes United, Philadelphia, PA Peoples Video Network Citywide Harm Reduction For a Better Bronx Freedom Socialist Party International Friends and Family of Mumia Abu Jamal Almighty Latin Kings & Queens Nation, Perth Amboy, NJ Art for Change, New York City, NY Center For Immigrant Families, New York, NY Coalicion Civica De Rochester NY Fanm Lakay, New York, NY Great Peace March For Global Nuclear Disarmament, Fredonia, NY Haitian Women For Haitian Refugees, Brooklyn, NY Indigenous Dialogue, NYC, NY Jersey City Peace Movement, Jersey City, NJ New Jersey Civil Rights Defense Committee, West Orange, NJ Peace Train Coalition, Ossining, NY Queers For Peace And Justice, NYC, NY LeftShift.org Korea Truth Commission Workers World Party Radical Women, New York, NY |
Sunnyside Woodside Peace, Sunnyside, NY NY CISPES NJ Civil Rights Defense Committee New Immigrant Community Empowerment NCBL Medgar Evers College Immigration Center Pachamama NYC Tasini For New York, New York, NY West Queens Greens, Sunnyside, NY F.I.S.T. - Fight Imperialism, Stand Together Phil Berns, City Councilmember/Attorney, Stamford, CT Diane Clark, Mayor of Peace City, Fredonia, NY James Cockcroft, prof. SUNY- Empire, Chestertown, NY David Davis, Cross Border Network For Justice & Solidarity, Colombia Support Network, KC Fair Trade Coalition Richard Franke, Professor of Anthropology, Montclair State University*, Montclair, NJ Kurt Hill, Dir. Public Safety, The People's Firehouse, Inc.*, Brooklyn, NY John McFaul, musician, Local 802*, New York, NY Erik-Anders Nilsson, Co-founder, Jersey City Peace Movement, Jersey City, NJ Milos Raickovich, composer, College Of Staten Island*, Brooklyn, NY Roberto Resto, Coalicion Civica De Rochester N Y., Rochester, NY Jenaro Rodriguez, Spanish teacher, Saint Benedict School*, Hastings, PA Hank Sambach, Exec Bd member NY Public Library Guild, Local 1930, DC-37 AFSCME*, Bronx, NY Andrea Sanchez, Bookkeeper, Jamaica, NY |
Plans for the Day
All Day
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No Work, No School, No Sales, No Buying In Solidarity with the call for a Great American Boycott 2006 |
4 - 6 pm |
Rally in Union Square
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6:00 pm |
March - south on Broadway |
7:00 pm |
Closing rally at Foley Square |
Feeder marches to Union Square
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From Grand & Chrystie Streets, Chinatown To join, take the B / D train to Grand St. | |
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Student & Youth contingent from Washington Square Park Contingent organizers are asking participants to wear green bandanas | |