On May 1, 2010 a May Day march and rally will be held in honor of International Workers Day. The rally is made up of The Portland May Day Coalition, a group of grassroots organizations, labor unions, faith groups and community members. The coalition will also work in conjunction with Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition and Jobs with Justice.
The rally will be held in part as a response to the anti-immigrant bill SB1070, which recently passed in Arizona. The bill “allows a law enforcement officer, without a warrant, to arrest a person if the officer has probable cause to believe that the person has committed any public offense that makes the person removable from the U.S.”
If found to be undocumented one could face fines, imprisonment and possible deportation.
According to the organizers, the rally will begin at 11 a.m., at which time there will be entertainment and sign-making. At noon the rally will be held and at 1 p.m. a march will begin at Southwest Park and Salmon.
A news release from the coalition claims that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency will begin to use local police as an extension of the agency, including in Clackamas County.
A stated goal of the rally organizers is to blame large corporations instead of “scapegoating immigrants or the working poor” for the recent economic collapse and job losses.
For more information regarding the rally contact Samantha Alloy, a Portland State student organizer, at samantha.alloy@gmail.com, or contact Stephanie Rio Collier, Students For Unity Event Coordinator, at colliers@pdx.edu.