Protesters also came from the neighboring communities of Carbondale, Silt, New Castle, and Basalt--towns that, along with Rifle, dot the Roaring Fork Valley. The crowd was about half Latino and half white.

On the night of July 3, Steven Stagner, who is white, shot seven Mexican-born workers. He began his shooting spree at the pay phones at the town's City Market grocery store, then continued across the street at the Bookcliff trailer park. Four of those who were shot were killed. They are Angelica Toscano, 19; Juan Hernández, 44; Mel-quia-des Medrano, 23; and Juan Carlos Medrano, 22.

Stagner had recently been released from the Grand Junction Veterans Administration hospital, where he was treated for schizophrenia. Police arrested Stagner in the City Market parking lot shortly after the shootings.

Much of the local media coverage has portrayed the killings as simply the random acts of a mentally ill person. A number of the marchers found that difficult to believe. Sandra Ugalde captured the sentiments of many of the protesters, saying, "If this man gets out that isn't right. He wasn't too crazy because he was only killing Mexicans. We just want justice!"

Rifle's Spanish-speaking population, mostly immigrants from Mexico, has increased nearly four-fold over the last 10 years. They now comprise 16 percent of Rifle's population. A quarter of the town's grammar school students are enrolled in English-as-a-second-language classes.

Like many other workers in this area, most of the immigrant workers here drive 60 to 140 miles round trip every day to work in the posh ski resorts of Glenwood Springs and Aspen. They make the long commute because housing costs in these resort towns are prohibitively expensive.  
 
'Legal or illegal, it doesn't matter'
The protesters marched 10 blocks, passing both the City Market and Bookcliff trailer park, where flowers were left at a small makeshift shrine in memory of those slain. The marchers carried photographs, flowers, Mexican flags, and signs calling for peace. Many wore green ribbons.

A number of the marchers said they felt proud of the turnout. Many commented that it seemed like the whole town was there. Protesters explained that they had come to show their support for the families of the victims and their revulsion to the killings.

Bob Walker, a sheet metal worker, and two of his friends, all U.S.-born, stood near the entrance to the Bookcliff trailer park as the march passed by. They expressed dismay that they had not known any of those killed even though they lived next door. "It's terrible something like this has to happen before we all come together," Walker said.

Lucas Curry, a cook, said he thought there was a lot of racism in Rifle. "I'm proud to be here with the families," he stated. "What happened embarrasses me. I don't want to be judged for what he [the killer] did."

"Legal or illegal, it doesn't matter to me," said Joe Spoon, a plumber and a friend of Curry. "They are just like the rest of us. They are here trying to make a living--trying to make a better life."

Since the shootings there has been a big increase in the number of police who patrol the Bookcliff trailer park. In addition, on the day of the march, police and county sheriffs were brought in from nearby towns to help "control" the marchers.

Pointing across the street to the trailer park where the gunman opened fire, José Varela, a resident of Rifle, talked about the large cop presence and said that "the police patrol Bookcliff all night."

"There are more than 1,000 Latinos who live in Rifle," Varela continued. "The guy was crazy but he aimed his gun at only Mexican people. These were my friends."

In responding to the shootings, the authorities and big-business media have worked hard to try to make the cops look good. Local prosecutor Mac Myers, one of the speakers at the rally that ended the march, promised that the police would investigate whether "race" motivated the shootings. He said the police would make sure that "no stone would be left unturned until justice was done."

Colorado governor William Owens, auxiliary bishop of Denver José Gómez, Leticia Calzada of the Mexican consulate in Denver, local ministers, and Rifle mayor David Ling also addressed the crowd.

A group called Latinoamericanos Unidos (United Latin Americans) from Carbondale brought a number of people to the rally. One of the group's projects is organizing to prevent the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) from opening an office in the valley.

"The INS is planning on setting up 40 Quick Response Teams nationally," said a representative of Latinoamericanos Unidos. "Five are to be in Colorado. They wanted to put one of their offices in Carbondale, but we've protested against it and so far we have been successful in keeping them away."  
 
 
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