People throughout Los Angeles County and across the U.S. participated in “ICE Out for Good: A National Day of Action” last week to protest increasingly violent ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raids.
In the City of San Fernando, several dozen protesters of all ages gathered near San Fernando Road and South Brand Boulevard, holding up signs and loudly shouting, “No justice, no peace, no ICE on our streets!” and “Hey, hey, ho, ho, Donald Trump has got to go” and other chants.
“Today was the national strike day, so I participated – I didn’t shop, I didn’t work,” said Anna Salazar, a former long-time resident of San Fernando. She has participated in several protests over the past year. “I feel that people – not just so-called ‘illegal’ people – are being terrorized, all of us. I feel that now is the time to say something, to stand up for one another.”
Salazar said undocumented immigrants are being targeted today, but believes that tomorrow, “it will be another group, and then another group after that, unless we start to say something now.”
“This is my home. I came out here to support my colleagues, to support my family and my friends who are affected by the current political [climate],” said Jack Gibbs. “Our freedoms and our voices … are being challenged by white supremacy. They fear what immigrants can do and how great they can make this country, so they want to shut down our voices. They want to bring fear into our communities. So it’s important [to] fight against those people who want to lead with hate, who want to lead with fear, and show them that … the people will always be united.”
Denise Beltran from Sherman Oaks attended the protest with her husband and their two children. She became emotional trying to explain why she felt it was important to be at the demonstration.
“My mom is an immigrant, and practically my whole family are immigrants,” said Beltran. “My kids are scared. They’re talking about what’s going on at their school [and] they’re giving each other advice on how to protect themselves … and I just think it’s so unfair. There’s no humanity in what’s happening – they’re just killing people and treating people like animals. It’s not okay.
“There [are] so many problems in the world,” she said. “Why are we adding more and hurting more people?”
Aida Valdivia, who was born and raised in the city of San Fernando, said she wanted to show her support and solidarity “for our families, for our neighbors, for the people we work with, for all of us.”
“Like they say, united we stand,” said Valdivia. “It’s important to come out and support what’s going on, because they didn’t listen [before], even though we’ve been screaming that this was going to happen.” Valdivia said she believes that more people finally started paying attention to the ICE raids “when somebody other than our brown and black people started being targeted.”
Nate Barlow of Burbank and his 13-year-old daughter were among several hundred protesters gathered outside Burbank City Hall during a rowdy and energetic noon demonstration.
“ICE from the very get-go has been doing horrible things to people and it’s just escalating, it feels like, with each passing day. They need to be stopped,” said Barlow. He believes that ICE’s increasingly aggressive tactics are against the law. “[We’re here] to make our voices heard, which they’re trying to squash every which way … but only the people can stop it.”
Regarding those who believe that violence against protestors is warranted if they don’t follow orders or resist arrest, Barlow said simply, “That’s garbage. Protesting is our right.”
Barlow said he felt comfortable keeping his daughter out of school for the day to attend the protest, especially because the experience provided an important lesson in solidarity.
“We’re a very education-focused family, but making [our] voices heard during times of political strife and against injustice is more important,” he said.
Sunland resident Mary Brown said she wanted to participate in the Burbank protest because her “heart is with the people of Minnesota … and here in California,” and wherever people are suffering injustices due to unjust and violent immigration enforcement activities.
Brown said she feels that civil rights in the U.S. are being eroded, unlike when she was growing up. Back then, she said, progress was still needed, but things were moving in the right direction.
“Today it’s certainly going backwards … in a way,” she never could have imagined, she said.
California Assemblymember Nick Schultz, who represents District 44, was protesting among his constituents in Burbank for one simple reason: “We want ICE the hell out of our community.”
“The energy here is palpable. … If you look at this crowd today, you’ll see so many people who are out here fighting for those in our community who [need our support]. I stand with all of them,” said Schultz, reiterating, “I’ll be here until ICE gets the fu*k out of Burbank and the hell out of LA.”