Slideshow: May Day Rally 2011
"Obama, escucha! Estamos en la lucha!" went the rallying cry Sunday as thousands jammed Broadway in downtown Los Angeles.
In Spanish, that slogan literally translates, "Obama, listen! We're in the fight!" Coupled with signs proclaiming "No re-election without legalization" and "With Obama, yes we can!" it seemed to capture the conflicted feelings of the crowd.
While many immigrant rights activists may still see the president as a sign of hope, anger over this administration's as yet unfulfilled promise to pursue immigration reform simmered just below the surface.
The annual rally on May Day, also known as International Workers' Day, has come to be a key demonstration for proponents of immigration reform and amnesty for undocumented immigrants. The turnout this year was not nearly as large as it has been in the past, but it did go off peacefully.
Labor activists were trying to rally support to head off any action resembling what happened in Wisconsin, while immigrant rights activists were calling for full amnesty, and at the same time protesting what they viewed as strict anti-immigrant laws such as the one enacted in Arizona. It was a lively scene, and you can click through the slides above to get a taste.