I met Mar Cardenas a couple of weekends ago at a Coffee Party meeting. I knew she was one of the main organizers of a car caravan to Phoenix to protest the new Arizona immigration law, SB 1070. She is an energetic woman in her mid-forties who has a huge heart, a leader in the local Unitarian Universalist church, who also is the granddaughter of Lázaro Cardenas, one of the great former presidents of Mexico – in fact the FDR of our southern neighbor.
On Friday, May 28th, she and about a hundred others departed from Chicano Park on their way to cross the desert and arrive in Phoenix for a protest rally and march to the Arizona state capital today. I had asked to send us messages that we could post, and she replied that she is one of the drivers and it would be difficult for her to communicate with us.
Another caravan left Santee later in the day, also bound for the protest.
Mar left the following message on her facebook:
“Off to the rally where we will Stand on the Side of Love in opposition to SB 1070 & other anti-immigrant, piecemeal laws, and in support of comprehensive, humane immigration reform!! Again, please hold good thoughts that the rally will be peaceful & respectful, allowing people to engage in productive dialog about comprehensive immigration reform.”
Mar was also quoted in today’s Union-Tribune:
Some opponents of the law support a boycott of Arizona, so they are trying to stay in private homes, churches, and donated warehouse space. Businesses have donated food, said Mar Cardenas, an organizer of the San Diego caravan.
“The response has been amazing,” said Cardenas, who is with the Unitarian Universalists of the South Bay, a campus of the main church in Hillcrest.
Here is the full U-T article:
Locals heading to Arizona for rallies
By Leslie Berestein / Union-Tribune / May 29, 2010
Rallies in Phoenix to show opposition to and support for Arizona’s anti-illegal immigration law begin this weekend, and people from San Diego County are headed there to participate.
A group that left Friday ?is going to rally against the law, which was signed last month, while those leaving next weekend will rally in favor of it.
Both groups are trying to send a message to the federal government to take a stand on immigration.
The Arizona law, which empowers local police to check individuals’ immigration status, has reinvigorated the immigration debate, putting pressure on Washington to tackle the contentious issue.
An estimated 100 people who oppose the new law left Friday evening from Chicano Park to caravan to Arizona. They represent community, church, union and other groups and intend to march five miles with an expected crowd of several thousand from a downtown park to the state capitol.
For the remainder of the article, go here.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
On the way back from a night and day in local mountains on Friday afternoon, we saw many, many cars with Arizona license plates heading for San Diego. It was like a 3 to 1 ratio of Zonie plates over Cali ones.
I thought they were going to boycott San Diego, I was looking forward to having more parking this summer.
We heard there was a large rally and march yesterday of 10,000 to 20,000 in 94 degree heat.
I was so sorry I couldn’t make the trip to my home state. That would have been very powerful and emotionally satisfying to make a stand like that. But, oh, well, life: can’t live without it, huh?
I hope it had a significant impact.
we thank you all for coming and protesting our laws, while booking our motel rooms, eating in our restaraunts, buying our gasoline-please, schedule another one for august, when even the rattlesnakes stay out of the sun.
over 80% of registered usa voters agree with arizona, by the bye.
oh, the license plates you saw were likely headed to orange county. remember, picking on zonies could cost you.
maybe, an arizona flag this year for the geriatrics performance on coronado, july 4th, you know,you just cant trust us—————-