Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
John Daley ReportingFirst there was talk of a May 1st strike, now the focus in Utah is a "No Buy Day." But that date presented some problems and Latino leaders have been wrestling with the best way to move forward.
May 1st, this coming Monday, is set for a national strike for immigration reform. But not here in Utah where leaders are not calling for a repeat of the huge rallies earlier this month. The date competes with statewide testing and if too many students are absent, Utah could lose federal education money.
Besides that, the group of community leaders planning events worry about the consequences if workers or students miss a day.
Archie Archuleta, Utah Hispanic Legislative Task Force: "I do not want to be responsible for asking somebody to leave their job and then they get fired and get deported. I do not want to be responsible for asking a kid to leave school on his or her own hook and getting dumped from school, getting expelled."
Instead of big demonstrations, organizers are calling for a day to demonstrate some economic muscle, a "No-Buy Day."
Archie Archuleta, Utah Hispanic Legislative Task Force: "Just don't shop, period."
Another complicating factor is the nationwide sweep of illegal immigrants a week ago at one company, which has a plant in Tooele. The raids have some undocumented workers afraid to attend any rallies or miss work or school. Instead, organizers are distributing blue ribbons symbolizing solidarity
Tony Yapias, Proyecto Latino De Utah: "If you have to go to work, we ask that you wear a ribbon. We're encouraging parents to send their kids to school."
There still will be plenty going on Monday. The minutemen are planning a rally at the City and County building and Latino organizers are planning a rally at Liberty Park that afternoon.
