Representatives of the Multi-ethnic Immigrant Workers Organizing Network (MIWON) and Pilipino Workers Center (PWC) recently got together with their colleagues at various other community groups to get word out about a $13 million settlement of a lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles for actions of police officers during a May Day rally in 2007.
Any demonstrators who sustained injuries in what has been generally described as an overzealous response by Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers will be eligible to receive compensation, they said.
address the media's questions.
The events took place on May 1, 2007 at MacArthur Park in the Westlake district a few miles west of Downtown. The largely peaceful gathering was near its end when LAPD officers reacted to some minor provocations by a few individuals by storming the crowd of thousands at the park.
The crowd had a multi-ethnic mix of participants, including a significant contingent from the Filipino-American community. When the police began to disperse the crowd, the Filipinos there were also forced to flee, which violated their rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of speech.
"We never heard a warning — suddenly the police were firing tear gas and rubber-bullets into the crowd," said Strela Cervas, a volunteer of the Pilipino Workers Center. "One of the Filipina caregivers, Normita, was going to speak on the stage to advocate for genuine legalization for all immigrants when we had to start running. We had to duck into a doorway because we were completely out of breath. It was terrible."
Aquilina Soriano-Versoza, executive director of the PWC, said that the settlement is a victory for the community. PWC recognizes that what happened on May 1st 2007 was not a "melee," but in fact wrongful actions committed by the police against a peaceful demonstration.
"No amount of money can erase the trauma experienced by the demonstrators, but the settlement sends a strong message that the community does have a right to voice its opinions and messages without threat of violence," said Versoza.
The press conference featured representatives from the PWC, Association of Filipino Workers (AFW), Multi-ethnic Immigrant Workers Organizing Network (MIWON), Justice for Filipino American Veterans (JFAV), Echo Park Community Coalition (EPCC), Alliance Philippines (AJLPP), Gabnet of the Mariposa Alliance, Kabataan Makabayan (KMB) and Filipino Americans for Immigration Reform. The participants reminded the community that money from the settlement is available for those who participated in the May 1st 2007 demonstration. Anyone who needs instructions for filing a claim should contact (800) 430-8895 or the Pilipino Workers Center at (213) 250-4353, they said.
Cynthia De Castro is a writer for Asian Journal.
Photo of police at MacArthur Park, May Day 2007, from la.indymedia.org
Photo of Pilipino Workers Center (PWC) members from Asian Journal
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