160,000 Green Voters, Others Urged to Support ‘Dark Monday' Gasoline Boycott, Protest of Immigrant Driver's License Denial

GREEN PARTY OF CALIFORNIA NEWS ADVISORY
For immediate release: Thursday, Dec. 14, 2004

Contacts:
Cres Vellucci, State Press Office, 916-996-1970,
Beth Moore Haines, GPCA Spokesperson, 530-277-0610,
Kevin McKeown, GPCA Spokesperson, 310-393-3639,

SACRAMENTO (Dec. 14, 2004) – The Green Party of California today officially endorsed a boycott of gasoline purchases on Mondays to protest the denial of driver's licenses to millions of immigrants in the state, and urged the more than 160,000 registered Green voters and all Californians to honor the boycott immediately.

At dramatic news conferences held in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Sacramento Monday, the Mexican American Political Association and a coalition of other Latino groups announced the boycott that they have dubbed "Dark Mondays."

MAPA is calling on the public to not purchase gasoline one day a week, on Monday, to demonstrate support to immigrants and the right to obtain a driver's license in California without regard to immigration status.

"Dark Mondays will continue for the remainder of this year and continue throughout 2005 until California becomes a hospitable state to immigrants and grants them the right to obtain a driver's license, as was the case prior to 1994," said Nativo V. Lopez, MAPA President, the oldest Latino political organization in the state.

Lopez re-registered Green from Democrat a few months ago, and has urged that Green and MAPA members merge throughout the state and form a stronger alliance for justice.

"We Greens are excited to endorse, support and promote, this boycott," said Hugo Vera, a spokesperson for the Green Party and MAPA in Sacramento. "All Californians must send a message to the Governor, and the Legislature, that we cannot continue to insult our Latino brothers and sisters who work by our side daily and contribute so much to this state."

Other organizations participating in the MAPA coalition include the California Coalition for Immigrant's Rights and Against Raids, Centro Azteca de Informacion, the Council of Mexican Federations, Hermandad Mexicana Latinoamericana, Centro CSO and MAPA Youth Leadership.

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The Green Party of California
http://www.cagreens.org
P.O. Box 2828, Sacramento, CA 95812
Phone: (916) 448-3437
gpca@greens.org