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Not in Kansas Anymore: Immigration Protestors Target Obama Outside Hancock Park Fundraiser
President Obama's arrival may have gridlocked traffic on the Westside, but a protest outside the fundraiser he's attending in Hancock Park tonight has a different purpose: immigration.
And it's coming with a whimsical twist. Of the few hundred expected to protest some will be wearing Wizard of Oz costumes. According to organizers, this is the meaning behind them:
- "Dorothy" will represent President Obama's hopeful vision for a fair and just society but lost in the land of bickering and political ploys.
- "Tin Man" will represent Senator Graham and the Republican Party for the absence of heart and conscience.
- "Cowardly Lion" will represent House Speaker Pelosi and Senate Leader Reid.
- "Scarecrow" will represent Senator McCain and those pitting immigrants against the rest of America.
In an advisory, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA), which organized the event, said "During his stump speeches on the campaign trail, Mr. Obama assured immigrant communities he would make it a priority to stop family separations and move immigration reform policy forward. More than 20 months have passed and the promise for reform continues unfulfilled. Although the Democrats control the House and Senate, the blame for not passing immigration reform continues to be assigned to Republicans."
CHIRLA says there are 1,100 deportations a day and that under Obama, there were more than 400,000 immigrants deported in year one.
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