KTLA News: "Demonstration in front of Department of Social Services in East Los Angeles" (1971)

[Stan Chambers:] Several hundred people demonstrated today in front of the Department of Social Services on Whittier Boulevard in East Los Angeles, protesting a state welfare ruling that would bar aid to aliens in California. [Protestor:] Well, we think that the impact that such cutbacks, or the results of eliminating certain people from the welfare rolls here will have an impact on the community because of the fact that you'll have a family split. You'll have individuals who will be charges of other relatives in the area which and this will result in bad housing conditions and a lot of other conditions that'll be bad for the entire community here. It's - especially in the East L.A. area. [Chambers:] Do you feel that the government should subsidize aliens? [Protestor:] Well, I don't think that's really the question. The question is, is a matter of need. A hungry child, for instance, doesn't really care whether or not he is a, an American citizen or legally in this country, or illegally. He's just as hungry as anybody else. [quiet chanting:] Chicano. Power! Chicano. Power! [crowd noise] [street noise] [crowd noise] [Person in crowd:] What's going on there? [street noise] [Chambers?:] Return on the front. [street noise] [Cameraman:] Okay, Stanley, go ahead. [Chambers:] Joey Barra and Uberto Camacho are speakers for the ad hoc group picketing here on Whittier Boulevard. Who do you represent Mr. Camacho? [Camacho:] Well, basically I represent the United Electrical Workers, and I've been assigned to this task today on behalf of several groups of the community, mainly to protest the cut off from welfare to the Mexican people. [Chambers:] What do you hope to accomplish by this demonstration? [Camacho:] By this demonstration, we hope to accomplish that the, the suspension of this reform be taken into consideration, because it's a big impact on the poor Mexican community. And what they're doing is putting all the burden on the community by denying some rights over welfare to the people who they want to disqualify. [Chambers:] Mr. Barra, what impact will this have on the Mexican community? [Chambers:] … involved in this cutback? [Camacho:] Well, we don't have no, no way to determine. But one of the things that we are - worry about is that there will be mass deportation with this […] on trying to expose illegal persons. And in this particular problem, we are plying several groups in the community to call a conference by March the 20th, because there are families deported and childrens that are born in this country, sent out to Mexico. And the split of a family is a cruel situation and it exists. And this deportation cases that happen every day, and we're trying to make aware the community. Maybe we can ask Senator Kennedy to introduce some reform like he did before on the question of immigration, especially when affects Mexico. And, you know, it's impossible to stop the entry of people from Mexico because there is no jobs over there. And I don't think it would be a crime for anybody to seek a better way of life in any other country. [Chambers, quietly:] That's good. Anything else, Joey? [Chambers:] One of the social workers supporting the demonstration today, Mr. Al Hernandez. [Hernandez:] [clears throat] I am one of many of the social workers that are very concerned that this actually is in direct conflict with our training, and also with our profession. Because our profession is entirely different from many... [Chambers:] Let's just stop one second. [Chambers:] One of the social workers supporting the demonstration is Mr. Al Hernandez. [Hernandez:] [clears throat] I'd like to repeat, that are - many of the social workers that are let's say in sympathy and also against this public assistance cut-offs because they - if they will not be able to show a residency, all legal requirements to be in this country. Our profession is entirely different from others because with our profession, our training and education, we're mainly concerned with servicing human needs and not acting in the role of, let's say, in an immigration officer. Now this is a problem that actually was created way back by law 78. That was an agreement that this government, Department of Labor, and the government of Mexico came to an agreement in order to bring alien workers that they said were vitally needed in this country, and the people that were in this country were not capable of performing. We have always been able to perform any task in this country, and we can still do it if the wages are considered fair that we can make a decent living. Now if it takes an act of Congress and all these people that were involved to institute this law 78, which is - this is a result of, then it should be just like the Cuban, which I agree with, that he's a political refugee, these people are refugees. If it's not political on a humanistic basis, and they should be considered and given a privilege of remaining in the country legally. [Chambers, quietly:] Thank you. [protest noise] Te viva! Several hundred demonstrators continue their protest here at the Human Resources Development office on Whittier Boulevard. Stan Chambers, Channel Five news, reporting. [Chambers:] Social Services... do it again? Several hundred protesters continue their demonstration. They're outside the Department of Social Welfare on Whittier Boulevard. Stan Chambers, Channel Five news, reporting. [Protesters:] Chicano! Viva la Raza! Several hundred people demonstrated this afternoon in front of the Bureau of Social Services here on Whittier Boulevard in East Los Angeles. They're protesting in a, a statement. They're protesting a ruling by the Welfare Department that wouldn't allel... [Chambers:] All right [Chambers:] These are the operators who were on the switchboard when the bomb threat was received. Stephanie Ryan actually received the call. What happened? He just asked me for a supervisor, and I was trying to find out what kind of information he wanted. So he said, "Well, it's nothing like that. There's a bomb in the building. It's set to go off in 15 minutes. [Chambers:] What did you do then? [Ryan:] I told my supervisor. [laughs] So she notified everybody else. [Chambers:] During the heighth of the demonstration a bomb threat was received, and the building was evacuated. Telephone Operator, Stephanie Ryan, received the call.