A Day Without An Immigrant Monday May 01, 2006 8:41pm   Reporter: Courtney Ward   Posted By: Courtney Ward Which football team will have a better record in 2006?  USC  Clemson  Citadel  Charleston Southern  SC State ___  ABC News 4 Interact  ___    • Signup for eNews Alerts    • ABC News 4 Pulse Poll    • Whats Your Opinion?    • Printable Version    • E-Mail This Story North Charleston, SC - Today's been labeled "A Day Without An Immigrant" – where immigrants, mostly Hispanics, boycotted stores and stayed home from work to show their economic clout. In cities like Philadelphia and Chicago, immigrants held rallies and protests in honor of "Day Without An Immigrant."  But at a construction site in North Charleston, there was no hoopla.  Cisco Martinez, Construction Coordinator for F.L. Crane and Sons, says many Hispanics just didn't come to work. “They didn't show up because they were afraid some action was [going to be] taken against them through the government agencies like immigration…” Martinez says about 65 of his workers are Hispanic - that's 85% of his workforce. “You can see the impact of the Hispanic population in any aspects...not only on construction.” But over at Mt. Pleasant's La Hacienda, restaurant manager Victor Ayala says it was business as usual. “On this location everybody showed up.  We don't have any problem with this location at all.” But some Hispanic businesses and restaurants, like Casa Grande, weren't open...even though signs said they would be. One woman says she disapproves of the boycott because she says if she owned a store in Mexico and closed for a day, no one would let her get away with it.  But Martinez says all Hispanics want is to be recognized. “They don't want to try to get our business behind.  All they want is for the Anglo population to see how much they're worth.”   » Find More Articles Related To This One Copyright 2006 WCIV, LLC.

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