Proponents from both sides of the immigration debate squared in front of St. Luke's Church. Save Our State, an anti-illegal immigration group, was upset because of a recent decision by St. Luke's to offer sanctuary to a 29 year-old illegal immigrant and her U.S.-born infant son. Counter-protesters organized by Fast Response Network, Workers in Resistance and Cuauhtemoc Dance also yelled their little hearts out. These groups support the New Sanctuary Movement, which placed Mexican native Liliana, whose last name was withheld, and her son Pablo at the Long Beach church. At one point during the back and forth yelling Liliana's supporter dragged out her two older children, who, after being prompted, said to the news media, "We want our mommy." The crazy part about this protest is that police had each group separated in to their own corrals facing one another. And both groups were using the same religious rhetoric and The Constitution to defend their positions. Oh, and apparently both sides hate George Bush.
Religion, Immigration, Patriots, The Constitution, Aliens, etc., etc., etc.,
About
This blog is a journal of Southern California, through the lens of Jeff Gritchen. It's updated frequently with pictures, photo tips and musings from the various assignments he covers as a staff photographer for the Press-Telegram and Torrance Daily Breeze.
Gritchen has been documenting the diverse city of Long Beach since 1998. He covers everything from the Cambodian community to prep sports to gang ridden neighborhoods to the annual running of the Long Beach Grand Prix. He covered destruction Hurricane Katrina brought to Long Beach, Mississippi and traveled to Southeast Asia to document a rural Cambodian girl's as she traveled to the U.S. for life-altering heart surgery. He has won numerous state and national awards, including an international NPPA Best of Photojournalism award in 2003 and Best News Photo from the Los Angeles Press Club in 2010. In 2011, the photo staffs of the Long Beach Press-Telegram and Torrance Daily Breeze merged. Now he covers all of Southern Los Angeles County. He can be contacted at
jeff.gritchen@presstelegram.com
Gritchen has been documenting the diverse city of Long Beach since 1998. He covers everything from the Cambodian community to prep sports to gang ridden neighborhoods to the annual running of the Long Beach Grand Prix. He covered destruction Hurricane Katrina brought to Long Beach, Mississippi and traveled to Southeast Asia to document a rural Cambodian girl's as she traveled to the U.S. for life-altering heart surgery. He has won numerous state and national awards, including an international NPPA Best of Photojournalism award in 2003 and Best News Photo from the Los Angeles Press Club in 2010. In 2011, the photo staffs of the Long Beach Press-Telegram and Torrance Daily Breeze merged. Now he covers all of Southern Los Angeles County. He can be contacted at
jeff.gritchen@presstelegram.com
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