News

Milwaukee protests HR-4437

By Br. Steve Herro, O.Praem.

	Green Bay protest What: March for Immigrant Rights When: 2:30 p.m.Sunday, April 2 Where: St. John's Park, Green Bay (across from St. John's Church, 413 St. John St.) Participants will march to the Brown County Court House. Event also will include speakers and music. More: Volunteer sign makers are welcome at the Multicultural Center, 411 St. John St., Green Bay at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 1.

MILWAUKEE -- Some 15,000 Latinos and non-Latinos marched on March 23 from the south side of Milwaukee to Zeidler Park downtown for a demonstration against HR-4437, "The Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005" and in support of S-1033/HR-2330, "The Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act of 2005."

The "A Day Without Latinos" demonstration was organized by Voces de la Frontera, which may be Milwaukee's most powerful Latino advocacy group.

What was this middle-class, second-generation, Catholic, Lebanese-German-American man doing in the Latino barrio on Milwaukee's south side? Demonstrating for justice for immigrants.

As we gathered at the Cesar Chavez Community Center storefront on S. 6th Street, I looked around and saw the multitude of U.S. and Mexico flags amid protest signs bearing messages such as "Unite Here," "Living Is Not a Crime," "Justice and Dignity for All the Immigrants," "We Want to Be Treated as Equals," "We're Not a Threat or Criminals" and "No Human Being Is Illegal."

It was an orderly and well behaved group. There were no arrests or cuss words - unlike the crowd at Lambeau Field for a Packers game.

Marching with us among the banners for Our Lady of Guadalupe were people of my Catholic ethnic tradition from St. Anthony (German) and St. Patrick (Irish) parishes in Milwaukee; staff of the Milwaukee Archdiocese; and Carlos Hernandez, Hispanic ministry consultant for the Green Bay Diocese.

Though the sponsor of HR-4437 - Rep. James Sensenbrenner - lives just a few miles north, Milwaukee City Alderman Michael Murphy announced that his resolution to denounce the bill and to support a path to citizenship, expansion of worker visas, and strengthen border security had been approved by the Milwaukee City Council, 11-1.

One 60-something Latina at the demonstration told me, "It seems like we are going back to slavery. It seems worse than when black people couldn't go on buses ... A lot of innocents will be treated like criminals ... All we're trying to do is make a living ... It seems like they want to make it that you can't go out of your house to go to church. If they pass this law, we are going to be chained."

Three Latina staff from Milwaukee Public Schools at the Park told me: "We came for our kids. It is scary when you hear third graders saying, 'They are going to throw us in jail.' If our kids are not educated, we will have no future Latino leaders ... This is a moment in history; I am just proud to be a part of it."

(Br. Herro is a member of St. Norbert Abbey, De Pere, and is the social concerns consultant for the Green Bay Diocese.)