Hundreds Denounce Prop. 187 in March Through Ventura

With less than a month to go before Election Day, hundreds of opponents of an initiative that would deny public benefits to illegal immigrants marched through Ventura on Wednesday to urge defeat of the ballot measure.

The sign-carrying, slogan-chanting protesters took to the streets to publicly denounce Proposition 187, a sweeping initiative that would deny schooling, non-emergency health care and other benefits to people living illegally in the United States.

“We want to educate people about the evils of this initiative,” said Octavio Sifuentes, a Ventura College librarian and one of the organizers of the two-mile march from Ventura College to the County Government Center.

“It is divisive and discriminatory,” Sifuentes said. “And it makes it look like immigrants are the ones causing all of the state’s economic woes.”

But supporters of the Nov. 8 ballot measure say they believe the protest will have little effect on voters.

“The California public has already made up its mind,” said Steve Frank, coordinator of the Ventura County campaign in support of Proposition 187. “We’re not concerned about demonstrations, we’re just concerned about voters and in this case the voters are with us.”

A number of groups in the county have publicly opposed the measure, including the Ventura County Board of Supervisors, the county Board of Education and a host of school districts and other boards.

But despite such opposition, polls still show the initiative gathering widespread support.

With that in mind, demonstrators set out Wednesday to try to win over voters who have not yet made up their minds.

Chanting “No on 187,” they marched down Telegraph Road and took a right turn on Victoria Avenue. They carried signs that read “187, A Racist Proposition” and “Down With Wilson, Up With Human Rights.” (Gov. Pete Wilson is among supporters of the initiative.) More than 300 people took part in the march, police estimated.

A leader in the group shouted, “What do we want?” The crowd responded, “Education.”

“When do we want it?” the leader said. “Now!” came the refrain.

Many motorists expressed support for the marchers by honking horns and pumping their fists. Nearby residents came out to view the procession.

Jackie Smith and her 9-year-old daughter Sandi sat atop a brick wall bordering Telegraph Road, watching the marchers go by. The woman said her family recently moved from Arizona to California and knew nothing about the measure.

“It’s neat to see people coming together for something,” she said. “It made me aware, I didn’t know what was going on.”

Up the way on Victoria Avenue, a truck full of young men flashed a “Re-elect Pete Wilson” placard and waved an American flag out the window.

“Go back home,” shouted one. “We don’t need you guys,” shouted another.

Undeterred, the demonstrators marched on.

Hope Holcomb, president of the Oxnard Democratic Club, said she joined the march to show that it wasn’t just Latinos who opposed the proposition.

“I think Proposition 187, after studying it and knowing the details of it, is one of the most foolish things we could ever do,” said Holcomb, who successfully lobbied the Oxnard City Council over the summer to oppose the measure, also known as the Save Our State initiative.

“It goes against everything this country has ever stood for,” she said. “Instead of saving our state, I think it’s going to sink our state.”

In perhaps the most drastic provision of the initiative, illegal immigrants would be barred from public education.

To accomplish this, teachers and administrators would be obligated to verify the legal status not only of students but of parents and guardians, even if their children are U.S. citizens.

During a rally at the Government Center following the march, Ventura College math teacher Lydia Matthews leaned on a mountain bike that she had wheeled the length of the route. She said she wanted to support her students taking part in the event.

“Want to know what my favorite sign is?” she asked. She pointed to a sign that read, “Keep the World’s Children in School, No on 187.”

“I’m going to vote no on Proposition 187,” Matthews said.

While speakers at the rally blasted the ballot measure--calling it a misguided measure that violates the U.S. Constitution and discriminates against nonwhites--Fidel Martinez and his wife rested in a surrounding courtyard.

Despite aching joints, Martinez said he felt it was important to take part in the demonstration.

“They are trying to take away our rights,” said the 61-year-old former farm worker who was born in Mexico. “We need to do whatever we can to defeat this proposition. I know I’ll vote against it.”