GILROY
– Closed doors at numerous Gilroy businesses and sparsely
attended classrooms were evidence of the statewide economic protest
urged by Latino groups Friday. However, businesses that remained
open said they were not impacted by the boycott of all businesses
and schools.
By Lori Stuenkel
GILROY – Closed doors at numerous Gilroy businesses and sparsely attended classrooms were evidence of the statewide economic protest urged by Latino groups Friday. However, businesses that remained open said they were not impacted by the boycott of all businesses and schools.
At least some of those angered by the repeal of a law that would have given driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants took to the street in protest.
Juan Ayala joined about 30 of his fellow students from Center for Employment Training in a march down Arroyo Circle from their classrooms at 7800 Arroyo Circle to Leavesley Road and back. Ayala carried a sign that read, “Governator, don’t terminate licenses.”
“I think they should give the licenses to (undocumented immigrants),” he said. “It’s a win-win situation because … the police will have a mug shot and fingerprint of everybody that’s on the road.”
Although Latinos were urged to stay home from work and school Friday, CET students – predominantly Latino, Ayala said – chose instead to attend school and “do something about it” while on their lunch hour.
Schwarzenegger asked legislators to repeal Senate Bill 60, which would have allowed undocumented immigrants to get a driver’s license. Former Gov. Gray Davis signed the bill during the gubernatorial recall election campaign.
Several Latino groups, including the Mexican American Political Association, organized the statewide economic protest in an effort to highlight the economic clout of California’s largest minority group. Latinos account for one-third of the state’s population.
Dozens of Latino-owned businesses in Gilroy closed their doors Friday in solidarity, including Arteaga’s Super Save Markets, Kachy Produce, El Charrito Market, El Grullense Jalisco and Los Pericos Taqueria. Many restaurants and shops in southeast Gilroy and in the area known as “Little Baja,” the section of businesses along Monterey Road across from the train station, also shut down.
The economic protest, intended to be peaceful and non-participatory, did not raise fears of demonstrations or possible acts of vandalism against businesses in town. Gilroy Police officials heard about the economic protest through the media but did not receive any information about threats to businesses.
“We’re not stepping anything up, and we have not received any major concerns,” Sgt. Kurt Ashley said. “We will be dealing with things on an individual basis … if needed. But we don’t anticipate anything.”
Friday seemed to be business as usual at the shops and restaurants in the city that chose to stay open.
“We don’t feel like it’s affected us,” said Linda Bowen, assistant manager of Wal-Mart, late Friday morning. “We wondered if it would, but we don’t see that it is.”
Latino shoppers were still supporting the store at 7900 Arroyo Circle, she said. Bowen also said that Wal-Mart was not experiencing any problems with employees skipping out on work or calling in sick.
Plenty of shoppers were visible during an afternoon visit to the store and a cashier said he did not notice a difference in business.
One teen-ager shopping at Wal-Mart Friday, who said she was Mexican-American, said her family was patronizing the store only because they needed a fever-reducer for her infant sister, who was ill. She stayed home from school to support the economic protest.
Dean O’Neal, manager of Grocery Outlet, at 727 First St., said he was unaware of the boycott but reported that business was normal.
A Grocery Outlet shopper, who identified herself as Mexican-American, said she had not heard of the boycott.
Business was thriving at the cafe inside Gilroy Bowl, 7554 Monterey Road, according to the manager there.
A clerk and a customer service manager at Nob Hill Foods, at 777 First St., also said they noticed no difference in the number of customers.
Bryan Aguirre, of Salinas, also said he hadn’t heard of the boycott as he shopped in downtown Gilroy Friday.
“I wouldn’t support that,” he said.
Aguirre said undocumented immigrants should not have the right to obtain California driver’s licenses.
Tony Fuentes, president of the Gilroy Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said that the purpose of the economic protest, for him, did not jibe with the organizers’ intent. Because Davis signed SB60 during the recall campaign, Fuentes said, it was mostly a public relations move. Fuentes said that, while he disagrees with the legislation because it ignores national security issues, he is intrigued by the boycott.
“This has generated an opportunity to make an economic statement by a segment of our collective community, yet again the unfortunate part is that that particular ‘leadership’ couldn’t have intended for such an event …” Fuentes said. “I personally don’t like to dwell on my strong opinions and the divisiveness of the boycott, but on the opportunity the information may generate will be an interesting topic for me to follow.”
Parents followed through on their promise to keep children home from school Friday.
Twenty-five percent of Ascencion Solorsano Middle School students were absent, according to Principal Sal Tomasello. He said that absences normally range between 2 and 3 percent of students.
Rucker Elementary School reported a similar amount of absences Friday.
Tomasello said he made several announcements over the school’s intercom and asked teachers to urge students to attend school Friday. Students who were absent due to the boycott will only face consequences if their absence remains unexcused.
“If we can determine a student cut, there can be (consequences), but if parents call in and they give us some information that the child was sick, there’s not a lot we can do,” Tomasello said.
The state bases some education funding on daily attendance, so Gilroy Unified School District will lose approximately $36 for each student who was absent.
Not all Hispanic groups supported the boycott. The Republican National Hispanic Assembly of Greater Los Angeles urged Hispanics to drive with their headlights on Friday to show their support for Schwarzenegger.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
