Chanting “¡Sí se puede!” (“Yes we can!”), at least 5,000 demonstrators hoisted signs and waved American flags in Marshall Park on Saturday, March 25. Young and old, rally-goers came from across the Carolinas to demand pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. J. Crispin Rivera, a native Mexican and legal resident from Greenville, SC, had an American flag wrapped around his shoulders. Asked why he came, Rivera gestured to the predominantly Hispanic crowd. Non-Hispanic Pam Smalley of Charlotte came to support the community: “We feel Latinos want to contribute …” Communities for Comprehensive Immigration Reform sponsored the event. The US Senate was expected Monday to debate immigration reform proposals.
This article appears in Mar 29 – Apr 4, 2006.
