AVWatch: Villaraigosa, Bratton "send message" on MacArthur Park immigration riot

Posted Mon, May 7, 2007 at 1:41 pm
Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and LAPD chief William Bratton is currently holding a press conference pledging a "comprehensive review" of the May 1 MacArthur Park immigration riot. Bratton is demoting two leaders of the Central Division. Tony Villar is offering his remarks in both English and Spanish.

In earlier demagogic news, Louis Sahagun of the Los Angeles Times offered "L.A. mayor vows action against guilty officers":
In a show of solidarity with families confronted by police during Tuesday's immigrant rally at MacArthur Park, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa told Cinco de Mayo audiences around Los Angeles on Saturday that action would be taken against officers found to have violated the law.

The mayor stepped up to a downtown pulpit Saturday night and vowed, "There will be consequences... There will be an investigation into what occurred," Villaraigosa said in Spanish, assuring about 300 parishioners at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church that "not even police are above the law."

...Earlier, during the Mass, Villaraigosa, who was seated in the front pew, rose and walked down the center aisle toward the back of the church, grasping people's hands and hugging parishioners. He then returned to give his speech at the end of the hour-long service.

During his 10-minute address, he told the parishioners, "It doesn't matter to me whether you have papers or not. You came to work. We all have the same dreams. We want peace and decent jobs."

Tags: 
los angeles times
antonio villaraigosa

Comments

petty bourgeois (not verified)

Tue, 05/08/2007 - 00:56

Our government siding with lawbreakers, once again. L.A. is a lost cause.

Pat (not verified)

Tue, 05/08/2007 - 02:36

I hear Bratton ripped the stars of a commander's uniform today in public. These two will regret the video coming out of this shameful event--Bratton in his NYC mayor's run and Tony V's for governor.

Ana Ascencio (not verified)

Tue, 05/08/2007 - 16:14

Without going religious, everyone should remember that immigrants were pushed out of their countries by circumstances. In many cases, it's by our own Foreign Policies, ie: providing Aid to governments with Human Rights Violations stacked a mile high as in El Salvador, then there's NAFTA & CAFTA, The "Salvador Option" in Iraq which actually means Extrajudiciary kidnappings & killings. Maybe we should look at ourselves closer before we start throwing stones.

petty bourgeois (not verified)

Wed, 05/09/2007 - 00:10

Maybe you should look at your own flawed logic before you blame the USA. No one forced these people here--they voted with their feet instead of changing their own country.

The Other Mary (not verified)

Wed, 05/09/2007 - 04:30

Hey Ana: Quit playing the poor little me helpless game. Mexico for one is a rich country, the 12th richest country in the world, and the residence of the world's second wealthiest man, Carlos Slim Helou. It's certainly not the fault of middle-class American taxpayers that Mexico's "government" (quote marks fully intended) only spends 10 percent of that country's trillion dollar GDP on social services and infrastructure because Mexico's billionaires and millionaires do not want to pay taxes. Go babble at Carlos Slim Helou, tax-evading billionaire, before sticking your hands in the pockets of some poor American middle-class family squeaking by on 50K a year. As for El Salvador, please. If a Communist government had taken over in that country, we would have gotten their "immigrants" anyways -since Communists have such a great record of creating decent countries, NOT. How do you think we got the five million Cubans in Florida?

The Other Mary (not verified)

Wed, 05/09/2007 - 04:33

As for Traitoraigosa, his chances of being elected governor of Mexifornia are nil. His record as mayor has been one big failure at everything he's attempted. Then again, he said when he took office that "Mexico will shape my policies." If he's taking orders from the Mexican "government" (quote marks fully intended) no wonder he's a total screw-up.