Rights march Monday

By SEAN C. McCULLEN

Staff Writer

BRIDGETON -- An immigrant-rights march will be held here Monday morning despite concerns of Mayor Michael Pirolli and others, including one of the city's leading immigrant activists, that it will further divide the community.

CATA, an acronym for an organization that translates in English to "The Farmworker Support Committee," has organized the march to coincide with International Workers' Day, or May Day.

It expects 200 to 300 people to participate in the march, according to Vanessa Cardinale, community outreach coordinator at CATA's Glassboro office.

The marchers hope to raise awareness that currently "there isn't a path to citizenship or to be here legally," which many illegal immigrants want so they no longer have to live in fear of deportation, Cardinale said.

The march is scheduled to get under way at 10 a.m.

City council voted on Monday to approve the march, but with a reduced route as compared to what the organization proposed.

Council also agreed the marchers could follow CATA's proposed route, but only if it agreed to have marchers walk on sidewalks, not in the streets.

CATA informed the city Thursday afternoon that it will take the longer route, walking the sidewalks, according to Pirolli. Police still will provide an escort.

Pirolli and council members expressed concerns that the proposed route could be dangerous and cause traffic problems given the large group would be crossing Pearl Street and Laurel Street Monday morning.

Plus, Ewing noted the city could not give approval to shut down county or state roadways for the march. It appears that will happen now, but only for a few minutes when the marchers are crossing streets.

"We understand it's not a personal thing, that it's because the roads are county roads and it's not up to the city council whether we can use those roads," Cardinale said.

CATA also understands that not everyone in the city will be supportive of the group's cause, but hopes the march will help change the minds of at least some people regarding illegal immigrants' plights, Cardinale said.

"We have seen that sort of (negative) energy coming from other people," she said. "People (with CATA) see it and know how to handle that type of situation. It's not about being confrontational with them. It's about letting people know we're here, we're part of the community and we care about the community."

Pirolli thinks the march could contribute to further dividing the Latino community from the rest of the city's residents, but said it is certainly CATA's right to organize it if it views it as a good idea.

"I think that the march is mistaken on a couple different levels. First of all, I think in a community like ours, it's going to divide us," the mayor said, noting many residents have been negatively impacted by issues largely blamed on illegal immigrants, including hit-and-run accidents. "It's a negative thing to happen here."

Ramon Hernandez, who has been active with Delaware Valley Coalition Day Without an Immigrant, does not think the march makes any sense.

He feels local government officials who may witness the march have no real power to reform immigration law. That has to happen at the federal level, he said.

"I'm not saying the march is a bad thing," Hernandez said. "For me, it just doesn't make any sense to do the march in Bridgeton."

Hernandez has supported and helped organize people in the area for marches in Philadelphia and Trenton already this year.

Now is the time to meet with federal representatives, Hernandez said. He and another group affiliated with Day Without an Immigrant, representing immigrants living in and around Atlantic City, Hammonton, Bridgeton, and Vineland, will meet with U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo at the congressman's Mays Landing office Monday afternoon, he said.

Cardinale said a group of CATA representatives also are planning to attend the meeting at LoBiondo's office after the march, which will end in the city park.

Hernandez and Pirolli said that of the people they have spoken with among the city's Latino community, there is not a lot of support for Monday's march.

Cardinale disagreed.

"The idea to conceive a march in Bridgeton wasn't conceived out of our office," she said. "It was conceived out of meetings with people from Bridgeton."

Hernandez has called for a meeting in the Immaculate Conception Church's parking lot, located at North Pearl and Myrtle streets, Saturday night at 6 p.m. to discuss the march.

He is concerned that Latino children will skip school and Latino adults will skip work to participate in the march, something he doesn't want to see happen.

Councilman Miguel Lopez has written a letter to Bridgeton school children's parents advising them that the students should go to school on Monday, Hernandez said.