MARCH 27th WALK OUT

Nice photos!

The cop in pictures 7 & 8 is holding a long thin rod, but from these photos, it does not appear to be a standard issue wooden baton. It looks more like an electric shock stick. Were any students tased today?

the cop in picture 6 also has a similar stick, not a standard wooden baton. What is that?

If you listen to the audio of the students at Renn, they said there were two types of night sticks - the wood one and these metal ones. So I guess that's what you're looking at.. a metal stick.

This is a note to cops, since I'm sure you're reading this. I don't know what happened because I wasn't there, but I understand that a small amount of kids got out of hand towards the end. Please consider this: the huge number of law enforcement called in (ahead of time) from all over the place is a threat in itself and it sends the message that the students are already under suspicion. That's what they are objecting about HR 4437 in the first place. (Ask yourself honestly: do you think that if students in Danville walked out of class to celebrate their homecoming, would they have the same kind police presence? Why, then, is there such a large presence at a predominantly Latino school?) It's like when a gang surrounds your path when you are peacefully walking down the street... you would take that as a threat. And the fact that you were dressed in riot gear seems to say that you are looking for a fight.

Here is my advice, for what it is worth: If these things happen again, why not just walk along side the marchers. If any of them gets out of hand to the extent that it is endangering others, pull them out and cite them. That's what teachers do all the time. Somehow they are able to maintain crowds of students without wearing riot gear or having guns.

I think it is important to not create a "them vs. us" atmosphere. After all, I would guess most police in Watsonville would be against HR4437 for a wide variety of reasons. (Really, from a practical standpoint and human rights issues aside, all Californians should oppose it.) Anyway, it is your town, why not show a little solidarity here? I think small verbal affirmations that demonstrate your support for human rights would go very far in this situation... and maybe even eliminate the perceived need for outside assistance entirely.

Just a reminder: we (those in the U.S.) are not all immigrants. Saying something like this completely ignores native americans.

... I do not disrespect Native Americans and their rightful place as the first Americans; I also recognize that this land was illegally stollen from them. However, DNA studies prove that all human beings originated from Africa. In that sense, all people in the Americas are immigrants. Also, just because people didn't cross bodies of water doesn't mean that they are not immigrants. A sign that I saw at a march sums up it well: "Migration is human nature." Boundaries are relative and people have been and always will be on the move.

Also, most people are a mixture of ethnicities, whether they admit it or not. Even among those of us who have Native American ancestry, we also have other blood. In that sense I also consider it true that "we are all immigrants."

No borderlines / Sin fronteras!

Power to the peaceful! Beauty to the bastards! ;-)

Just from looking at the photos you can see the cops are trying to create some kind of confrontation. You can see it in the body language and the way they approach the students who appear to be very calm. These cops need to keep their hands off of our kids. We would much rather pay for more schools, tuition and other things for our kids - instead of all the police and more prisons. We are tired. An immigration bill that criminalizes people will only create national chaos. Those behind the police state would probably love it. Those who trully love freedom would never stand for it...ever!!!

When hearing the statement "we are all immigrants," beyond recognizing that label doesn't fit native americans, the term 'immigrant' also implies a degree of choice - that people 'choose' to immigrate. For many African Americans, that is simply not true as many of their ancestors were enslaved and shipped to the U.S. This act cannot simply be described as 'immigration.'

HELL YEAH, THANKS FOR THE PHOTOS, THOSE COPS LOOK FRIGHTENED