That Immigration Protest? I Heard It

As of late, thousands of Hispanics and people of different ethnic backgrounds have been protesting proposed immigration reform laws. I think. I know some don't like the fact that they're illegal might actually be punishable by the law. But I don't know exactly why each group is protesting, so I'll be quiet about motive for now.

On Monday, March 27, 2006, thousands march in downtown Grand Rapids, MI to show their... dislike of proposed immigration law changes. WoodTV8 is describing the crowd as "thousands" in number. The march started in Garfield Park and ended at Calder Plaza, so not much of a walk, eh? They then held a rally in Calder Plaza, and I think it's pretty much done by now.

This all started, I'll wager, in the 2 o'clock hour. See, between 2 and 5, I have my philosophy class at Grand Rapids Community College. It is on the fifth floor. And since this afternoon was so beautiful, we had a window open. Well, around 2:30(?), there was a very large noise. It kind of sounded like a sports event. And for a while, that's what I thought it was, probably coming from GRCC's Ford Fieldhouse. Until I realized that the direction of the sound probably couldn't come from the sports place. And why on earth would thousands of people be yelling and cheering at the top of their lungs at 2:30 on a MONDAY?

But here's the kicker... The windows that are right by my seat? The blinds were closed. I KNOW! There was this loud event happening somewhere outside, and I couldn't see much of anything outside. So when break came at 3:30, I looked outside another window, and I saw some people walking towards a parking ramp, mostly latinos, carrying signs and flags. Ha! "It must be another immigration protest," I reasoned. And my curiosity was quenched. Thankfully, the super loud yelling and screaming ended after about a half-hour, then I could barely hear anything from the crowd.

When class got done at 5, I walked on over towards the Kent County Courthouse, but by then, the crowd was walking AWAY. I saw mostly families, with their kids forced to carry flags of different nationalities. The parents were probably like, "Rosetta, we're going and you're going to carry this so photographers will see us and we'll be all over the news!". So I went back to GRCC, and typed this up while waiting for Art History After 1400 to start.

So that's my angle on this piece of local history. Thousands protested, and I heard a vague, generic-sounding large crowd, which I mistook for a basketball match. (I'm so good at identifying history.)