Immigrant rights and grassroots organizations across Southern California are preparing for this Sunday’s annual May Day march for workers rights.
Organizers have been trying to match the size and intensity of the 2006 event, where they say more than a million people took to the streets of downtown Los Angeles.
The immigrant rights movement in L.A. has worked to overcome divisions and infighting and last year the numerous factions agreed to join together for one unified march. But on Sunday, the Southern California Immigration Coalition will stage a second march. It accuses the May Day 2011 Los Angeles Coalition of being steered by the Democrats. Both coalitions are critical of what they say is President Obama’s failure to pass comprehensive immigration reform. Activists say there have been more deportations under a Democrat-run White House then during the entire Bush tenure. The inaction on the part of Democrats has angered coalition members and led the way for the latest break among the broad immigrant rights movement.
Pacifica’s Ernesto Arce has more from Los Angeles.