Si se puede!

Well, today was the big immigration march in San Francisco.  I started hearing hooting and hollering from my office window, about a half block off Market Street, along with drums and chanting around 10:30 AM.  About noon, my colleague Mary Ann asked me if I wanted to go out to the big march, so off I went.

If the organizers intention was to stop work in San Francisco, they failed. Only a handful of restaurants were closed in the Financial District. But then, there aren't many illegal immigrants who are commodities dealers.  The march was impressive.  I would estimate 250,000 people, a little smaller than the Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans (LGBT--pronounce "le-gibbet") Freedom Day Parade in June.  More people were on the street, but it didn't last as long.  By 12:30 PM all the marchers had passed.  The march wasn't supposed to leave Justin Herman Plaza until 1 PM, but a marcher told me that the plaza got so full they started early.  (Unlike the LGBT Freedom Day Parade!)

There were a number of socialistas from the Revolutionary Communist Party and Socialist Workers Party with red flags and clenched fists.  Whenever they marched by, I shouted "socialismo no, capitalismo si!" the socialists frowned, the immigrants looked puzzled. You could tell that the march organizers were trying to seem serious and purposeful about the immigration issue.  Many chants of si se puede! (yes, we can)  and signs demanding Derechos plenos (Full rights). But most of the marchers looked like average Hispanic families, enjoying a day of May sunshine in San Francisco.  American flags outnumbered Mexican ones.

Afterwords I left for my evening class at Dominican University in San Rafael.  Instead of taking the Golden Gate Transit bus, which passed right through the rally area at Civic Center, I opted for a ferryboat instead.  What a good idea!  It was a glorious day to be on the bay.  In downtown San Rafael I encountered the Marin immigration march as it was passing the Transit Center.  About 250 people marching down Second Street toward the Canal District. 

I'm not sure that marches and demos will help the immigrants with their cause; it could very well provoke a backlash; but at least today it was a nice day to take off work and enjoy a day in the sun.