top
Peninsula
Peninsula
Indybay
Indybay
Indybay
Regions
Indybay Regions North Coast Central Valley North Bay East Bay South Bay San Francisco Peninsula Santa Cruz IMC - Independent Media Center for the Monterey Bay Area North Coast Central Valley North Bay East Bay South Bay San Francisco Peninsula Santa Cruz IMC - Independent Media Center for the Monterey Bay Area California United States International Americas Haiti Iraq Palestine Afghanistan
Topics
Newswire
Features
From the Open-Publishing Calendar
From the Open-Publishing Newswire
Indybay Feature

Protest of Planned Federal Immigration Roundups Draws Hundreds to Redwood City

by Ruth Robertson
President Donald Trump has threatened mass deportation roundups, starting today. On Friday July 12, in Redwood City, California, demonstrators said it was important to protest the administration's crackdown.

Photos by Charlie Moehle, Pro Bono Photo. Please credit the photographer.
sm_l4lcmdreamclub.jpg
Saying their vigil was a chance to give voice to the immense suffering and loss of people affected by policies that tear apart vulnerable families, a coalition of faith based and social justice groups put together a rally that drew hundreds to Redwood City. The focus of the vigil was the separation of families and extreme mistreatment of children and adults in the detention centers.

Participants in activist group San Francisco Peninsula People Power, part of ACLU's grassroots army, printed resource information for immigrants in Spanish which members of the artistic collective Fools Mission distributed at the rally. Grupo Danza Colibrí and the Raging Grannies started off the event with music; they were followed by speakers who gave their audience much to think about and act on.

Adressing the crowd, Rev. Jorge Bautista, an eyewitness to the horrors on the border, said that prisoners in detention centers are subjected to torture, humiliation and even death. Member of the latinx volunteer community Charo Martinez spoke about the psychological harm to immigrants and their families.

Audience members said they were deeply disturbed by reports of terrible conditions at the border where children are held separated from their parents in detention camps overcrowded and lacking proper food and hygiene. Rally members at the candlelight vigil held in front of the main Redwood City Public Library were moved to donate money to Raices (raicestexas.org) for help at the border and Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto (clsepa.org) to help local immigrants.

Most importantly, organizers and participants alike said they felt focused and primed for even bigger protest following the rally. Many said that the calls for more assertive action on the San Francisco Peninsula will not go unheeded.
§Sources and Resources
by Ruth Robertson
sm_l4lcmsources.jpg
Members of San Francisco Peninsula People Power
§Report ICE
by Ruth Robertson
sm_l4lcmreportice.jpg
Pictured here, Carmen is a leader with Faith in Action Bay Area.

Another source for help for immigrants in the E. Palo Alto area is Nuestra Casa. Visit website shown here.
§Reporta La Migra
by Ruth Robertson
sm_l4lcmreportalamigra.jpg
§Dancer and Musicians
by Ruth Robertson
sm_l4lcmdancer.jpg
Grupo Danza Colibrí website here
§Rev. Jorge Bautista, Direct Eyewitness to the Camp Horrors
by Ruth Robertson
sm_l4lcmbautista.jpg
Website here for donations to help at the border, Texas Raices.
§7 Children Have Died in the Camps
by Ruth Robertson
sm_nuestra_casa_dude.jpg
Julio Garcia stood with other staff from Nuestra Casa of East Palo Alto to read aloud names of the 7 children who have recently died due to conditions in U.S. immigration detention camps.
§Rise Up!
by Ruth Robertson
sm_l4lcmriseup.jpg
Paul Bocanegra, Criminal Justice advocate, speaks about "de-funding for-profit prisons and immigrant concentration camps in California."
§Child with Sign She Made
by Ruth Robertson
sm_l4lcmchildsign.jpg
§City Council Member Diana Reddy
by Ruth Robertson
sm_l4lcmdianaplus.jpg
§Some protesters spread around the corner
by Ruth Robertson
sm_l4lcmcornercrowd.jpg
§People of the Cloth
by Ruth Robertson
sm_l4lcmpeopleofcloth.jpg
Faith In Action Bay Area (link here) was key in making this event happen.

Redwood City Council Member Diana Reddy is a veteran leader of the group. Here we see two people of the cloth.
§Sequoia H.S. Dream Club Member
by Ruth Robertson
sm_l4lcmdreamclubspeaks.jpg
§Las Abuelitas Enojadas
by Ruth Robertson
sm_l4lcmlasabuelitasrwc.jpg
Granny Gail, second granny from left spoke from the mic. She said the Grannies need a new adjective as they are no longer just pissed off, they are horrified.
sm_l4lcmbrianperkins.jpg
The Congresswoman was at the border visiting detention camps this very day. It was her second trip.
§Matching T-shirts, Spanish/English
by Ruth Robertson
sm_l4lcmmatchintts.jpg
Author Julie Lythcott-Haims, left, and Kris Brockmann are eye-witnesses to the atrocities at the Clint detention center in Texas where child immigrants are being jailed separately from their families. Together with other volunteers they run Caravan to Clint that helps concerned people visit the camp, deliver supplies, and protest in Clint and nearby El Paso.
§Message on Wheels
by Ruth Robertson
sm_l4lcmwheels.jpg
§The Crowd
by Ruth Robertson
sm_l4lcmgrannybacksrwc.jpg
§Lit candles after dark
by Ruth Robertson
sm_l4lcmcandlesatdark.jpg
Add Your Comments
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!

Donate

$110.00 donated
in the past month

Get Involved

If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us.

Publish

Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay.

IMC Network