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Boycott begins building pressure

Thousands turn up at marches in Florida, and more around the country, aimed at spurring action on immigration reform.

By SAUNDRA AMRHEIN, KRIS HUNDLEY, JOSE CARDENAS and CRAIG PITTMAN
Published May 2, 2006

	[Times photo: Zach Boyden-Holmes]
	Victor Rodriguez, 18, right, cheers with thousands of others during a rally at Columbus and Dale Mabry in Tampa. Watch video

Across Florida and around the nation, hundreds of thousands of immigrants walked off jobs, boycotted stores, left school and took to the streets for a national day of protest designed to show the impact of their contributions to U.S. society.

The biggest crowds in the state showed up in Miami and Orlando, where police estimated 20,000 attended the marches - far larger numbers than at similar events last month. Tampa's event drew 7,000 people.

Some employers in the Tampa Bay area characterized immigrants' actions as a temporary inconvenience, but said they saw what a more concerted effort could do.

"If they did a weeklong (boycott) or they got a lot more solidarity, we'd have some problems," said Colin Gillingham, owner of Pro Care Landscaping in St. Petersburg, who said fewer than 10 of his 40 Hispanic employees were absent.

Increasing the pressure is exactly what organizers plan to do, with talks of a May 19 march on Washington to protest in front of the White House.

"This is just the beginning," said Luis Peraza, a 40-year-old legal citizen who came from Guatemala, at the Tampa demonstration.

"My sense is that this movement, or whatever it is, is building, and it's trying different things," said Louis DeSipio, an expert in social movements and Chicano-Latino studies at the University of California at Irvine.

Nationwide, Monday's demonstrations were spotty, from huge crowds in Los Angeles to small, sporadic protests in Washington, D.C.

Quieter than the rallies were the absences and shutdowns that were intended to show how pervasive the immigrants' influence is.

Throughout the Tampa Bay area, "There are a substantial amount of houses that aren't being framed or dry-walled today because of the boycott," said Scott Neal, vice president of Pulte Homes in Tampa.

At the Holiday Inn at Sun City Center, six of seven housekeepers skipped work. A desk clerk cleaned rooms.

A major stormwater repair project in Clearwater stood idle all day. The subcontractor told city officials that no construction workers showed up.

Monday's boycotts and rallies highlighted concerns about a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that would crack down on foreigners in the country illegally and deport anyone who was caught. The Senate has been considering compromise brokered by Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., but that bill has stalled.

Many congressional Democrats praised Monday's protests while Republicans bashed it. Martinez, one of three Hispanic senators, said the nationwide boycott "sends the wrong message."

President Bush "is not a fan of boycotts," his spokesman said.

Gov. Jeb Bush said he thought the boycott approach was legitimate but, "I don't think it will be effective. The way to solve this problem is first to secure the border, and then use technology, use barriers, use more Border Patrol - whatever it takes - to protect our borders. ...Then I think we need to deal with reforming the system."

In Tampa, about 7,000 demonstrators packed the sidewalk around Dale Mabry Highway and Columbus Drive. A mariachi band played.

The protesters pounded out beats on cymbals, drums and worn plastic buckets. They cheered passing drivers who sounded an endless chorus of horns. They waved signs. Some were serious: "America was built by immigrants." Some were not: "You like Taco Bell. Why don't you like us?"

As they gathered around a stage near the New York Yankees spring training facility, many stood draped in flags - Mexican, Honduran, Colombian, Guatemalan, and most popular of all, American.

Juan Gallardo of St. Petersburg said he feared attending the rally with two of his children. His family, including his wife and youngest child who stayed home Monday, are illegal immigrants who fled Mexico in search of a brighter future.

But his determination to send a message to Congress proved stronger than his fear.

"We have to take the risk," said Gallardo, 31.

Blanca Gonzalez, president of Immigrants United for Freedom, said she was pleased by Monday's turnout, but knows it would have been much larger had many people not stayed away for fear of being arrested by immigration officials.

"Because of all the rumors, that couldn't be helped," Gonzalez said. "They're scared. They live with that fear every day that they can be reported."

But Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were not actively making arrests at any of the demonstrations in the Tampa Bay area, said spokeswoman Pam McCullough.

Across Columbus Drive, a smaller group of about 20 people gathered to oppose the immigrants. Calling themselves the Tampa Bay Chapter of the Minutemen Florida Corps, they waved signs that said "National Security = Enforced Borders."

John Hendrix said his group wants fortified borders and opposes the Senate compromise granting legal status to many of the nation's 11-million illegal immigrants.

"Amnesty makes a fool out of the people with good intentions to obey immigration law," he said.

Some business owners persuaded their employees that the rallies and boycotts were not the way to change the system.

At West Coast Tomato Co. in Palmetto, co-owner Bob Spencer said he told his 1,150 employees - about 95 percent of whom are Hispanic - that while the company supports reform, a boycott isn't the solution. He said all 150 packing house workers showed up for work and so did about 80 percent of his field crew.

"There are many things that happen in Washington, D.C., that bother me, but I still come to work," Spencer said. "You work and you deal with political issues, but they are two separate arenas. We need them, and they've got jobs to do. Meanwhile, we'll continue through our lobbying efforts to get them the legalized status they want."

Tampa's protest was one of several around the state, from Pensacola to Homestead. Many Orlando protesters said they received permission from their bosses to attend.

"I talked to the boss to tell him we were not going to work," said Juan Gomez, 22, one of 33 workers from Mann Construction in New Smyrna Beach who attended the Orlando march. "He agreed we were not going to lose work or suffer repercussions."

Orlando police made one arrest: a counterdemonstrator named the Rev. John Butler Book, who was charged with trespassing and resisting arrest without violence. Book is a Central Florida televangelist who in the past has protested - often alone - against gay rights, abortion, rap music, school busing, sex education, gun control and Sunday liquor sales.

"My message was we have to close the border," he said. "How do we know which ones are terrorists?"

Times staff writers Vanessa de la Torre, Brady Dennis, Wes Allison, Steve Bousquet, Melanie Ave, Amber Mobley, Graham Brink, Mary Spicuzza, Rebecca Catalanello, Thomas C. Tobin and Sherri Day contributed to this report, which includes information from the Associated Press.

THE DAY AT A GLANCE

IN MEXICO: A daylong protest dubbed "A Day Without Gringos" drew thousands of Mexicans into the streets and kept many away from U.S.-owned supermarkets and fast-food restaurants to support rallies in the United States demanding immigration reform. Some Mexicans said staying away from U.S. businesses was tough, and customers streamed into branches of Wal-Mart, McDonald's and Burger King in Mexico City.

IN THE UNITED STATES: The mood in Los Angeles was jubilant as tens of thousands of protesters wearing white and waving U.S. flags sang the national anthem in English as traditional Mexican dancers wove through the crowd. A law enforcement official put the crowd at about 300,000. In Chicago an estimated 400,000 people marched. In Phoenix, protesters formed a human chain in front of Wal-Mart and Home Depot stores. Tens of thousands rallied in New York.

IMPACT ON SCHOOLS: In the sprawling Los Angeles Unified School District, which is 73 percent Hispanic, about 72,000 middle and high school students were absent - roughly one in every four.

WHITE HOUSE REACTION: "The president is not a fan of boycotts," said press secretary Scott McClellan. "People have the right to peacefully express their views, but the president wants to see comprehensive reform pass the Congress so that he can sign it into law."

- ASSOCIATED PRESS

[Last modified May 2, 2006, 07:03:17]