M.E.Ch.A.

MECha is El Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan. They're basically a Chicano student organization that deal with issues that affect them and their community. They're having their national conference in Corvallis this weekend. The Dream Act and the cutting of student funding were the big topics at this conference. I went down to participate in a march to to support farmworkers, the UFW, and PCUN. It was a two mile march, full of Si Se Puedes and Viva Cesars, in the pouring rain. There were almost no hecklers, one latched on to me and basically joined the march as we discussed various aspects of immigration and tax expenditure, and it went pretty smoothly. There seemed to be a lot of community support and the police were very helpful. The only time they seemed unhappy was when we stopped at Taco Bell to chant "Boycott Taco Bell" to support the Coalition of Immokalee Workers.
One thing that suprised me was when I told the Old Lady that it might ruin her political aspirations to be part of such a radical group's activity. She didn't get it. I told her MEChA was the organization that Cruz Bustamante was a member of and that his detractors made outrageous claims that they were radicals and Cruz was a radical and he'd open the border and what not. She didn't realize MEChA was that group. She thought Cruz was part of some secret underground kabal plotting against Californians. So it's good whenever the Mechistas can get out and represent themselves instead of lying rightwing nuts.
Viva Cesar, Viva MEChA, y Viva La Raza!