GREELEY — The demonstrators let loose a continuous barrage of chants in both English and Spanish as they marched Saturday afternoon in Greeley.
“Education is a right, not just for the rich and white!” they shouted.
“Si se puede!” they continued.
Between 200 and 400 people from different backgrounds gathered at Island Grove Park before making their way to the Weld County Courthouse in a call for immigration reform and equal rights for immigrants.
The march was sponsored by Al Frente de Lucha, an organization that aims to advance the Latino community leadership in northern Colorado.
The march came one day after thousands attended similar immigration rallies nationwide. Organizers had said they scheduled this event on the weekend so people wouldn’t have to miss work.
Parading in the streets, demonstrators made more noise than with their voices alone. Some rattled maracas made from soda cans, while others beat on homemade drums built from empty paint cans.
Many in the crowd also held signs and banners high above their head, with slogans such as “Immigrant Rights are Human Rights,” and “We are not criminals.”
Naun Ruiz, Allison Shaw and Olivia Brown came from Fort Collins to march behind their banner for Fuerza Latina, a group dedicated to improving the quality of life for immigrants.
Ruiz, especially, understands the pressures that immigrants face. The now-36-year-old immigrated to the United States from Chihuahua, Mexico, in 1996.
An electrician, Ruiz had been laid off from his job in Mexico when he came to visit his brother in the United States. He came here legally with a passport, and stayed after marrying a U.S. citizen.
“I saw the good quality of life here,” Ruiz said. “Once you start adapting to the life here, it makes you want to stay.”
Ruiz said it is amazing how much difference there is in both wages and opportunities between immigrants and citizens in this country.
“The justice system needs to implement and interpret more laws and (that) aren’t oppressive to immigrants,” he said.
The overcast sky began spitting a few stray drops of rain by the time the march made it to the courthouse. Leading the way were dancers from Denver’s Grupo Tlaloc, dressed in traditional Aztec clothing, while a steady drumbeat thudded away.
After a few moments of silence, the marchers burst into a frenzy of cheers, chants, maracas, drums and whistles. They then began their trek back to the park where they started.
A smaller group of counter-protesters had already assembled outside the courthouse, holding signs and American flags of their own. There were some verbal exchanges, but things remained largely peaceful.
Shaw said she thought some people don’t see immigrants as human beings, but rather as competition for work.
“America was built on immigration. It’s part of our national identity as a country,” she said.
George Plaven: 303-954-1638 or gplaven@denverpost.com
