5-2-2007

I spent all of Tuesday covering the May day rallies in Salem and Portland. Comparing with last year, the demonstrations were actually kind of small. Less than HALF the number of protesters. (I talked with some other reporters about that . . . we're guessing that without the Sensenbrenner Bill on the table like last year, it's less of a hot button issue).

In Salem, the focus split between education and the Real ID Act. Hundreds of local teens were bussed in from high schools to lobby congress in favor of tuition equity (policies that would open the door for immigrants, legal or illegal, to obtain a college education). The split among the kids was striking. Some teens I spoke with really know their stuff and went on at length about the various obstacles and possible ways to open the academic door for everyone. At the same time, it seemed like some of the students there were simply looking for a free day off from class.

Elsewhere in the sea of Mexican and American flags, adults marched with signs bearing slogans like "Driving is a Privilege not a Crime" referencing the Real ID Act. They're fighting for everyone (legal or illegal) to have the capability to get a license, which they say is about safety. Some members of congress see it differently.

I managed to meet up with Rep. Kim Thatcher from Keizer inside the Capitol. She's pushing several immigration reform bills (although she says moving anything through has proven difficult due to partisan politics). In a nutshell, she says the Real ID Act, passed by the federal government, requires states to be sure of a person's citizenship before giving them a license. Thatcher points out that once you have a license, you have access to a plethora of other services.

Some counter protesters were on hand waving signs encouraging the real ID Act and so forth but, aside from a few verbal altercations (at one point I saw a woman with the rally and a man holding a sign urging a closure of the border screaming back and forth "you are offending me!" "No, YOU are offending me!") there were no major issues between the two sides.

The Salem demonstrators spent most of the late morning and early afternoon chanting and singing on the capitol steps before moving inside to meet with law makers.

A few hours later, the south park blocks near the Arlene Schnitzer Concert hall swarmed with a different rally. This one was focused more on the issue of jobs (and allowing legal and illegal immigrants the ability to secure a job paying fair wages).

The vibe at this protest was . . . .well . . . kind of creepy at first. I don't really know why (and I'm just speaking as an impartial observer). Maybe it was because it started later in the day (4 PM) or maybe it was the weather. Whatever it was, there was just something in the air that kind of made me shiver as a reporter (other journalists at the march shared the vibe . . . not that something was wrong . . . just that feeling that things COULD get interesting rather quickly).

About twenty minutes before the rally started, a handful of mounted patrol members had to break up a fist fight at one end of the block. A few minutes later, security had to get between a counter protester marching with a "Pass the real ID ACT" sign and some demonstrators.

Once the actual march began, the eerie sensation wore off. Participants stretched about four to six blocks long as they wound their way through south west. There were some pretty creative folks . . . . one guy walked the whole route on stilts . . . a few people dressed up as "working class clowns" and juggled as they walked. Mainly, like the marchers in Salem, the Portland rally chanted "Si Se Puede" (yes we can), beat drums and made as much noise as possible.

The rally worked it's way back to the park blocks a little after six where people hung out listening to music for about an hour before calling it a day. Cops called the day pretty low key (several dozen officers in uniform lined the route as we walked) and there were only a few reported arrests.