About 70 students gathered at Meyerhoff Park at noon today in a rally to support the DREAM Act and protest the passage of Senate Bill 1070 in Arizona.
Speakers at the rally, organized by the Alliance of DREAMs, so far have included undocumented students, formerly undocumented UCLA alumni and Rafael Garcia-Rangel, Democratic candidate for California State Assembly’s 47th District.
Participants of the rally held signs in support of the DREAM Act, which would allow undocumented students to gain conditional permanent residency, during which time they would be eligible for student loans and work-study programs.
At one point, a speaker called Sen. Dianne Feinstein and rally attendees shouted, “We’re ready, are you?” into her voicemail. On May 18, the protesters will hold a rally in front of Feinstein’s office and said they hope she will come speak.
Today’s rally is a precursor to Saturday’s march, said UCLA alumna Cyndi Bendezu. “This is a rally in support of the DREAM Act and against (SB 1070),” she said.
Bendezu was an undocumented student when she was at UCLA.
”We are marching tomorrow in solidarity with (immigrants) in Arizona,” she added.
Garcia-Rangel was invited to speak today because he was at the rally in Westwood last week, he said.