An estimated 1,000 immigrants and supporters gathered in Baltimore City?s Patterson Park late Monday afternoon to celebrate “DIA DE ACCION IMMIGRANTE” ? Immigrant Action Day ? and show solidarity with similar worker and immigration rights rally?s held around the country Monday.
Sponsored by Casa de Maryland, a local Hispanic advocacy organization, the event kicked off with Latin music underneath shade trees, balloons and a giant U.S. flag sailing above the Pulaski monument in the southeast corner of the park.
Scheduled speakers included the Rev. Robert Wojtek of St. Michael?s Church, Gustavo Torres of Casa and the National Immigration Coalition, David Han of the Korean Society of Maryland, Marvin “Doc” Cheatham of the NAACP, and Carolyn Krysiak and Peter Hammen of the Maryland House of Delegates.
“The rally is for people to come together and in support of the movement nationally, but also we have voter registration tables, citizenship information and educational pamphlets on the resources available to immigrants,” said Candalaria Flores, a Casa community organizer.
The Baltimore City Council on Wednesday passed a resolution 13-0 supporting comprehensive immigration reform that would give undocumented immigrants who have been living and working in Baltimore a path to permanent legal status.
On Monday, nearly all of the Hispanic-owned businesses in the Fells Point-Patterson Park area closed in support of the demonstration.
“During the week, about 70 percent of my customers, who are mostly Hispanic, said they would not be coming today,” said Carlos Zelaya, owner of the El Trovador restaurant on South Broadway. “Then my employees started asking me, ?Are you going to close, boss?? Finally, my distributor said he wouldn?t be coming, so I said, ?OK, we?ll close, we?ll make it a holiday.? ”
Zelaya, an immigrant from El Salvador, said that “probably 100 percent of the 35 Baltimore Hispanic Business Association members closed.
“There are a lot of hardworking immigrants, a lot of them homeowners and paying taxes,” Zelaya said. “Why shouldn?t they get legal status so they can go home and visit their families once in a while?”
In a number of cities, immigration rights organizers called for a workers boycott, but Casa and local groups left that decision to individuals here.
Among the dozen or so group setting up information booths were the Patterson High School Latin group Orgullo Latino, the Maryland Committee for Children, the South East Community Association, The Johns Hopkins Latino Student Union, the Residential Home Funding Corp. and the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
“I think the irony is that [Republican Congressman James] Sensenbrenner and the anti-immigration bill passed in December have to get the credit for starting the whole reaction ? this movement,” Wojtek said.
