Monday, 7/7/97 July 4 demonstrations reveal dual vision of
America Protesters, counter-protesters face off at Federal
Building
By Hannah Miller Daily Bruin Senior Staff It was noon when LAPD
officers on bikes wheeled over to the counter-protesters on
Wilshire Boulevard. "Are you with that group over there?" one
officer asked the small crowd of mostly Latino men in shades and
jeans. "Why are you questioning us? Why don’t you question those
people over there?" Augustin Cebada snapped back, pointing at an
anti-immigration protest in front of the Federal Building. Taking a
deep breath, he launched into a soliloquy. "We are some of the 7
million Mexicans in this city … " "Yeah," said the cop. "I know.
So are a lot of us." "You’re Mexican?" Cebada asked in disbelief,
the Fourth of July sun glaring off his black sunglasses. "Yes, I
am," she responded. Immigration, regardless of anyone’s
preconceptions, is characteristic of Southern California. It has
not been met without resistance, most recently in the form of a
July 4 demonstration organized by anti-immigration group Voices of
Citizens Together (VCT) on the front lawn of the Federal Building.
A crowd of 300 rallied, waving American flags, wearing "Don’t Mess
With Texas" T-shirts and listening to loudspeakers blaring 1950s
and ’60s tunes, the most multicultural of which was the Beatles’
"She Loves You." "We’re seeing an invasion from Mexico," said the
red-white-and-blue-clad Glenn Spencer, president of VCT. "They’re
working to take over our government. It’s called the
‘Reconquista.’" And the opposition was there, in a small cluster of
30 or so counter-demonstrators. "We’re not going to allow a bunch
of rejects from Manifest Destiny to come here and demonstrate
against us," Cebada said, gesturing at the crowd around him. "Those
guys across the street need to wake up and smell the frijoles."
Between the VCT flag-fest on one side and the counter-protesters on
the other, two distinct visions of American values emerged. Like
brotherly love. "I want to kill people like those (across the
street)," said Bude Donato, 72, of Van Nuys. "I want to shoot them
on the border." And across Wilshire, some had seen this attitude
before. "Southern California is especially anti-Mexican. Other
immigrants don’t get half the pressure we do," said Tony Oseguida,
21, of East L.A. Like the flag. Against a backdrop of multiple
Stars and Stripes paraded in front of the monolith Federal
Building, a pickup truck drove by, honking, with a Mexican flag
flying from the back. The counter-protesters cheered. "Just look at
them. They’re waving the Mexican flag on the Fourth of July,"
griped a protester. Like the democratic process. VCT megaphones
blared, "Oh thank heaven for 187" and signs read "Stop Voter
Fraud," referring to allegations that illegal immigrants are
registering to vote en masse. Like economic opportunity. "This is
not about human rights but economics," said Kenny Felsher, 27, a
Studio City resident. "The U.S. should not be the safety valve of
Mexico. Close the border completely, and Mexico will be forced to
change its policy." According to the other side, "everybody should
have a chance to succeed in this country," said Vic Chaubey, 30, of
Long Beach. "Immigrants are good for the economy." Like social
entitlements. "They come here to get benefits," Donato charged.
Across the street: "Mexicans don’t expect freebies from the
government. It’s those folks who do," said Freda Zegman, of Los
Angeles, pointing across Wilshire. In the end, it was a debate
about ownership. "What’s the name of our city?" shouted the cluster
across the street. And in a thick Spanish accent, someone answered
"Los Angeles!" Previous Daily Bruin Story UCLA hopes new
international center will attract more foreign students, March 2,
1997