Last weekend, a coalition of organizations and residents coalesced for “La Gran Marcha Del Valle De San Fernando” in Pacoima, to protest everything from immigration policies to gentrification.
The couple hundred demonstrators gathered at Ritchie Valens Park and marched in the streets to Pacoima City Hall, chanting “El pueblo unido jamás será vencido!” and “Esta es mi tierra, esta es mi lucha!” – “The people united will never be defeated!” and “This is my land, this is my fight!”
The march was endorsed by Partido Nacional de la Raza Unida (PNLRU), Unión del Barrio, The People’s Struggle San Fernando Valley, the P.U.E.D.E. campaign, People in Action for Community (PAC) in Solidarity, People Organized for Westside Renewal (POWER), Community Self Defense Coalition, car clubs and more.
“We have to organize. Marches are important … but marches themselves are not organizing,” said Ron Gochez, a leader from Unión del Barrio. “Right now we are living through difficult times. This is going to get worse. Fascism is trying to consolidate right now. … There will be no rights in fascism.
“The entire country has their eyes on Los Angeles,” Gochez continued, “because Los Angeles, right now, is leading the way in the self-defense of our people.”
He noted that the Community Self-Defense Coalition is working to protect the community against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, pointing to an action the day before in Pico-Union, when community members banded together to prevent a resident from being taken. Last week, members of the San Fernando Valley Community Self-Defense Coalition also claimed to have successfully thwarted ICE activity outside the San Fernando Swap Meet through legal observation.
“We must learn to sustain ourselves by serving the people within our communities,” said Kat, an organizer at the People’s Struggle SFV. “Being undocumented makes you vulnerable to the militarized state of our government, but community is what aided us and connected my family to jobs and resources during our most vulnerable time.”