Under the auspices of Pajamas Media, Roger Simon and I went out to one of the LA versions of “A Day without Immigrants” and took documentary-maker Andrew Marcus and cameraman/editor Jeff Koeglar along with us.
One of the fun things about being among a multitude with a video camera is that many folks are willing to talk to you—whether they have their thoughts and concepts in order or not. Andrew and Jeff caught much of this which will be featured here directly. (In the meantime, go check out our other “A Day without Immigrants” coverage.)
Go below the fold to see the some of the still images captured.
The first person that our group encountered was a gentleman playing patriotic songs and old classics on his trumpet.
He wouldn't give his name nor would he play for the camera. He said that he needed to practice more, but I thought that he sounded just fine.
After a bit, we encountered the demonstrators--the first wave of many, as it turns out.
Many businesses in the area were shut down for the day and the question of whether they supported the march went unanswered. Not so for Pitfire Pizza Company.
The sign reads thusly: "Pitfire Pizza Co will be closed Monday May 1st 2006 in support of the Hispanic community."
About half of the signs were in Spanish, and, as Roger was the only one of our number who understood the lingo reasonably well, he was kind enough to translate for us. However, the crafters of the following sign were kind enough to print it in both Spanish and English on opposing sides.
The gentleman on the right was wearing an FBI cap and had a certain bearing about him that I recognized.
And, as is often so with large-scale demonstrations, persons with other agendas seized the opportunity to put forth their messages.
Those who protect and serve were out in much force but, happily, I don't think they had to work too hard.
(Cross-posted at Pajamas Media; don't miss the video version of this report.)
