Why marching mattered to me

Sunday, May 7, 2006 | 10:18 a.m.

On May 1, according to local historians, what may have been the largest political march ever in Las Vegas shut down parts of the Strip. Whether one is for or against the marchers and their push for comprehensive immigration reform in Congress, the event was a local milestone. But media until now have portrayed the march as a mass event, part of the time even trying to establish whether 8,000, 18,000 or 79,000 people filled those streets. In these pages you'll see a few of the faces of the May 1 march, as some of those who participated tell - in their own words - why they were there.

--compiled by Timothy Pratt

Javier Salas, 59

I was born in Mexico City, grew up in Chihuahua and have lived in Las Vegas for 36 years. I'm a citizen. I own a home by Alta and Decatur.

When I arrived in Nevada it was very different. There was no media in Spanish, only a radio station that had two hours of music a day, which made us happy because it made me remember my homeland. Racism was notable. When you went into a store, whether they were white or black people, they looked at you like you were from Mars. It was like a party when you met another Hispanic.

I was discriminated against on the job. I worked in construction. I wanted to be in the union. I was rejected. I wanted to move up in the company. The president told me one day, "Look Javier. You're an excellent person and one of the best workers I have come across. But as long as you're in this company, you'll only be a laborer." Later, they tried to fire me because I wanted to be in the union.

I don't think it's right for any human being to go through what I went through.

And that's why I marched. A lot of people I marched with are going through worse - if they treated me that way and I was a citizen. It's like, "Serve me and get out." You can't do that.

I love the United States. It gave me the great opportunity to give something to society and to raise my family Now I'm going to keep struggling to help others.

Suri Maya, 22

I am a Latina woman, born in Mexico, raised in Vegas for the last 17 years, and I attended the march on May 1 because I believe that even though there are immigrants that can cause America hardship, there are many more that will help make it prosperous.

When I was a student at Valley High School I encountered a lot of people who, even though they were capable, because of their immigration status, they couldn't obtain scholarships and other opportunities to study in college. Many of these people were brought here when they were young and couldn't input their opinion. Now that they are young adults they're just as American as anyone else.

Now I am a student at UNLV and I am looking at both sides of this controversial issue so that I may make an educated and logical decision. Do we honestly believe that by building a wall and restricting the law it would stop hungry, desperate, deprived immigrants from a country that has food, tranquility and privilege? Of course not! The way I see it, most of these people just want a hand, and we can give it to them.

I know that as we marched we were accomplishing our goal to show that immigrants really do want to be here. Whether Americans understood it or not, we have yet to see. What I do know is that, we must prove to America that immigrants deserve to be here. We can be the hope at the end of the sinister tunnel for many underprivileged people, so why not?

Jesus Amezquita, 81

I'm from Jalisco, Mexico. I've lived in the United States for 17 years, though for 14 years before that I lived six months here and six months there. I worked in the bracero program up and down California and in Mexico. I have my papers in order but I have family members " nephews " who are children of undocumented immigrants. I'm afraid they'll be kicked out and I marched for them and for everybody, to help reach justice and that people who deserve to have papers, get them. I felt really happy to be in the march, but I also got tired and had to rest a few times.

Teresa Sanchez, 34

I've lived in Las Vegas for five years and in the U.S. for 15 years. I work in housekeeping at the Mirage. I marched to help our fellow immigrants and for members of Congress to see they couldn't do without us, because they need our labor. Without us, they wouldn't have fruit on their tables or vegetables to cook. And thanks to us, they have a good economy in this country.

I felt happy in the march because I saw that there are millions of people like me with the same hope of belonging to this country. We want to be taken into account because we exist and the country needs us in order to grow.

Anything I can do to reach an immigration law, I will. Wherever I'm needed, I'll stand strong, like a cannon ready for battle.

Juan Perez, 33

I've lived two years in Las Vegas, near Nellis and Lake Mead boulevards. I lived 12 years in San Diego before that. I'm from Guanajuato, Mexico. I work in construction. I'm one of the fortunate people with papers. I have friends who have been here longer than I and haven't been able to get their papers; they don't seek welfare and work like donkeys.

When I lived in San Diego, I saw people leave their houses furtively, without knowing if they would return home at night or not, because the Border Patrol is everywhere. They have to make plans with their children in case they don't come back. That's very sad.

Before the march, at the Fremont Experience, a bunch of people said, "Go home, you effin Mexican." I said, "I am home." They don't know if I'm American or not. They don't even ask. If you're Mexican, they look at you as if you're a criminal. You get used to this kind of treatment.

I marched because I wanted politicians to see that we're not like people say. We're not monsters. We didn't come to rob the country. We're just people. We just want a chance.

Brandon Dow, 24

As a Las Vegas Valley resident, born and raised, the May 1 march down the Strip signified a number of powerful truths. What are these truths? That the people of Las Vegas, living beneath the endless stream of glitz, glamour, and 24-hour service, are fiercely organized. On Monday night, we demonstrated that we are not by any means ignorant; no, we are well aware of the issues: socially, politically and legislatively.

As a full-time student, I fully comprehend the rareness of my circumstance. I have been given the rare opportunity to think, to excel, and to challenge myself. Yet such a great privilege bears the enormous responsibility of approaching the world with a conscious and active mindset. Better put, privilege bears solidarity.

What is solidarity? It is the total recognition that my future is intimately bound to the stranger next to me. It goes beyond charity, and it leaves "sympathy" looking for answers. May 1 was not simply a political march; for me, it was the story of misery, injustice, and oppression manifested in every man, woman, and child that walked the seven-mile trek down the Strip. That night, each of us said, "I am aware, I am here, and I will not run."

Eddie Escobedo, 73

I was born in Coahuila, Mexico, and came to the United States in 1953. I served in the Air Force at Nellis at that time and am a citizen. Unlike some people, I was doing well economically in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, where I owned a cantina. But I liked the United States and a soldier I met said that if I wanted to become a first-class citizen I should join the services.

But at the same time, I never forgot my roots. I know the history of family members who have crossed over. And I've helped people with immigration, like in 1986, when there was an amnesty, and I was able to help 1,600 people become legal. Twenty years later, their spouses, their children, are all a part of this country. And three of my four children were born here.

So this is something I feel strongly about. I'm a son of two nations. I defended the United States. And I will also help my people.

In the march, I felt it was a triumph. I wanted to shout to the four winds. It was a victory not in the sense of what might happen in Congress, but what it meant to us as people. We felt proud.

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