Immigration protest / counter protest sees violence and vandalism

The Associated Press: Calif. immigrants' rights march ends in vandalism

Calif. immigrants' rights march ends in vandalism

By JOHN S. MARSHALL (AP) – 15 hours ago

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — Close to 20 businesses were damaged after what started as a peaceful immigrants' rights march in downtown Santa Cruz turned violent, requiring police to call other agencies for help, authorities said.

Police spokesman Zach Friend said an estimated 250 people started marching through the city around 10:30 p.m. Saturday.

It was a harmonious but "unpermitted and unsanctioned event," he said, until some in the crowd started breaking windows and spraying paint on retail shops that line the downtown corridor.

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From a more local perspective :
Riot breaks out in downtown Santa Cruz; windows broken on dozens of businesses, porch of cafe set on fire - Santa Cruz Sentinel

Video : Thousands protest Arizona immigration law in SF | Video | abc7news.com

At 2:18-2:20 in the news clip just makes me laugh :
The illegal immigrant protestor tells the people that are trying to get him kicked back to where he legally belongs... and he tells them "I think they should stop complaining."

I know it's racist to suggest that immigrants follow the law when moving to another country and all, but can you imaging the reaction to this story if it was tea parties that got violent?

Guess I'm a racist, and I am home in AZ. Seems to me the ones that are racists are the pro-illegals. They judged a person to be racists by the color of their skin (white). Yea, I know they were part of a group that was supporting the AZ law.

So far what I see is the "illegals" causing damage, and the ones supporting the new law being peaceful.

What is more important, what is the Feds and the President doing? Lip service in support of the illegals. Same for Congress. We want action and we want it now.

wow... they sure convinced me to take their side. :roll:

mike2810 said:

Guess I'm a racist, and I am home in AZ. Seems to me the ones that are racists are the pro-illegals. They judged a person to be racists by the color of their skin (white). Yea, I know they were part of a group that was supporting the AZ law.

So far what I see is the "illegals" causing damage, and the ones supporting the new law being peaceful.

What is more important, what is the Feds and the President doing? Lip service in support of the illegals. Same for Congress. We want action and we want it now.

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Funny how any negative news about the tea party are front page but they avoid pro illegal violence like the plague

texmaster said:

Funny how any negative news about the tea party are front page but they avoid pro illegal violence like the plague

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I agree. The news paper AZ Republic goes out of its way to not use the term "illegal".

I was hoping someone else would bring up the irony of an illegal immigrant protesting against a law that would see him potentially deported, when if the shoe was on the other foot and you had americans in mexico protesting mexican laws.

I could be mistaken, but I'm pretty sure there's a good chance you'd wind up dead if you tried it.

Also, HOW BRAZENLY does one have to flout the law.... as to put his face on national television announcing his illegal status in this country, yet participating in a group that plans to lobby government through it's protests.

Finally, has anyone considered that the influx of illegal immigrants might lead to the creation of a voting block that could be used to pass anti-american legislation?

mike2810 said:

So far what I see is the "illegals" causing damage, and the ones supporting the new law being peaceful.
.

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Seems like an intellectually dishonest dichotomy to me, since you don't have to be anti-illegal to support this bill, nor pro-illegal to oppose this bill.

Travelsonic said:

Seems like an intellectually dishonest dichotomy to me, since you don't have to be anti-illegal to support this bill, nor pro-illegal to oppose this bill.

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It could be, but it's not... but whether you are 'pro' or 'con' when discussing illegal immigration there's still the issue if 'ILLLEGAL' that ends up being glossed over.

Granted, I don't fully condone creating a situation where cops will start asking for your proof of citizenship, but there has to be measures created to deal with those that come to the country illegally... there's a good portion that came into the country legally, but overstayed their welcome, they are at least documented somewhere, so it will eventually come to the attention of some beaurocrat.

The biggest concern really is of those that come in by boat or by jumping the fence, they might be criminals evading arrest, or whatever the case is, that wind up being a drain on the ressources, because they are not paying any taxes. They drive down wages because they'll work for next to nothing, because they have no choice.

I think the bigger issue is that you have illegal immigrants that are becoming an undue influence on our politics... and really, this issue really SHOULDN"T be as big of a deal as it is... I mean, we're talking only about deporting those that are in the country illegally... I would prefer it to be done through attacking the business that hire illegal aliens in the first place, but when the federal government is not enforcing a federal law eventually someone has to come in and deal with the problem.

So, really, my position is that if you are a citizen we should be discussing this issue whether you're black, white, brown or purple... but you got illegal aliens that are just brazenly trying to veto a law that stands to see them deported for their crime.

Seriously, since when has it been such a huge deal to enforce the law???

Police? Enforce the law? Sir, you must be mad.

I'm suprised the police stopped this violent protest at all. They must be bigots. Also, owned by Robert Murdoch.

The majority of Mexicans have no respect for the law.

When a law is passed they don't like they protest and disobey it.

The police here in Mexico do nothing.

For example, a city ordinence was passed where I am that the people that sell the cars on the side of the street all have to go to a certain spot set up for them. The flatly refuse to do it.

They say they have no money. They can buy the car, transport it, and fix it but they will not spend a few pesos to comply with the ordinence.

Yesterday the police set up 5 patrol units to prevent them from going to the normal area but the people just went around them. The police did nothing.

Another example is when the bus drivers protest the price of the diesel fuel, which is controlled by the government. The bus drivers block streets downtown and stop all traffic causing problems for the drivers caught up in it.

Instead of calling tow trucks and arresting the drivers, the police just wait until they are done and to hell with the public good.

The Mexicans take that attitude to the US, thinking the laws don't apply to them.

I would expect the violent protesters have some people with Mexican decent and they think a violent protest is an acceptable way to show their point of view.

I hope they are all prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and the media singles each one of them out to show who they were.