Oakland May Day March Brings Out Thousands to Advocate for Immigrant Rights
Joe Sciarrillo was on the ground photographing the May Day "March for Dignity and Resistance" in Oakland, California's Fruitvale District. Here is his post about the march: May Day is traditionally a holiday celebrating springtime where people in many countries take to the streets to celebrate spring. In Oakland, California on May 1, 2012, thousands of Bay Area residents and progressive organizations turned out in an impressive march full of people celebrating their backgrounds and cultures while pushing for social change. The march from Fruitvale BART at 3pm, ending at Frank Ogawa Plaza in Downtown Oakland at 7pm was distinctly nonviolent and upbeat. Among the crowd were all cross-sections of the Bay Area, from Asian senior groups to Latino day laborer groups, from white hipsters and hippies to black youth on scraper bikes . With thousands of demonstrators marching, police presence was heavy, but non-confrontational. Over a dozen law enforcement vehicles foll...