For a brief update: on October 8, four members of the Tucson community were taken away right in front of Southside Presbyterian Church, and my amazing housemate Steph was able to rally over 80 community members (including Southsiders) to non-violently protest the cooperation between local police and immigration authorities (aka Polimigra). Here are photos from today's press conference at noon, and there will be more action to demand justice for the Tucson community to come!
When we woke up this morning, Tucson was finding out about what we already knew. Here are press photos from last night's protest as the police short-distance pepper sprayed many of the peaceful protesters:
Photos: Protesters interfere with TPD traffic stop
Here was today's press release:
"Tucson, Arizona –Local Tucson Police Department (TPD) officers called Border Patrol on a worker and a loving father—Agustin and Arturo— Tuesday evening for a minor traffic stop. In response to this SB 1070 injustice, community members surrounded the Border Patrol vehicle locked in arms in order to protest the detention of Agustin and Arturo. The Border Patrol agents rushed-in to break the non-violent circle. About 20 TPD cars and 15 Border Patrol vehicles arrived to the scene. Agents pushed elderly women, threatened youth with tasers, shot people with rubber bullets, and pepper-sprayed community members.
Furthermore, Border Patrol interrogated random people on the sidewalk and took community leader Rosa Leal, even after she showed agents an Arizona driver’s license. They also handcuffed and detained local activist Mari Galup.
In light of the growing debate on immigration reform, collaborations between local police and immigration agents, as well as criminalization of migrants and militarization of the US-Mexico border continue. Our community does not stand for this.
The community demands that local TPD stop calling Border Patrol. Otherwise, Police Chief Villaseñor must go!"
Today at Southside, the community and the press turned out.
Channel 4 in front of Southside Presbyterian Church, our Tucson church home and where the protest took place last night.
Eleazar, husband of Rosa who was detained, speaks to the press beforehand.
Videographers for various media start setting up.
Community members ready to show their support in Southside's kiva, the sanctuary.
Protesters
calling police chief Villaseñor to step down, and for an end to the Polimigra.
Raul Alcaraz Ochoa, friend of our housemate Steph, and now friend of our whole house (not to mention boss immigration activista!), and a young woman led the press conference in English and Spanish.
As one of the leaders of the Southside Worker Center that organizes and advocates for the rights of mainly day laborers and their families, Raul not only calls for justice with his powerful words, but also in his actions, having himself thrown his own body under Border Patrol vehicles twice in protest of detentions.
The intersection between church and state; faith and conscience.
By 12:15 the kiva was brimming, and the chants of "Ni una mas," (Not one more), "Si se puede" (Yes we can), and "No estas solo" thundered.
Dan Millis of the Sierra Club Borderlands chapter and BorderLinks' board member held up his sign: "If Rosa is a criminal, I am the tooth fairy."
At the press conference, I ran into Elsbeth, one of my BorderLinks supervisors on her day off! Here she is with her partner Mike.
Raul and the young woman did an incredible job laying out the main message, and then Rev. John Fife took the pulpit, a place he is rather accustomed to as the former pastor of Southside.
John Fife called out the police and Border Patrol for unlawful actions, namely racial profiling, inappropriate and illegal usage of SB 1070 legislation, and violence against a peaceful demonstration.
"I asked the officer what the charge was. 'No license plate light.' 'So why are you holding him?'" The reason for holding him? "He did not speak English and he did not have a driver's license." I'm sorry, what?! Would a white person, in either the driver's seat or the passenger's seat, be asked for their documents and held for Border Patrol to come under reasonable suspicion that he/she was in the country illegally?
"This did not need to happen. This was a simple traffic stop that should have resulted in a ticket and sending that person on their way..." There should have been no asking about documentation status, especially not of the passenger. There is no way a passenger should be asked or required to show identification, much less a driver's license.
The passenger, Arturo in this case, should have been released immediately. And even under SB 1070, local authorities are not allowed to hold someone any longer than it would take to process the infraction: the traffic violation. You cannot just call Border Patrol and wait for them to show up.
When they did show up, Tucsonians formed a double circle around their van and refused to let it leave. In response to this action, people were pepper sprayed, sometimes within six inches of their eyes, shot at with rubber bullets that left marks, and many were thrown to the ground, including viejitas, little old women, as Steph said. "All of the violence was on part of the TPD (Tucson Police Department), all of it, without any attempt to diffuse the situation... Twenty Border Patrol agents attacked members of this community without any warning. They attacked peaceably assembled members of this community."
Those who enforce the law need to know the law. They need to know the discretion they are granted (to not call Border Patrol), and they need to know the parameters in which they can operate (so many violations as I have mentioned). Rev. Fife demanded a full investigation of the actions of the police and of Border Patrol, as well as their policy and training. Along with getting the remaining three out of detention, that will be the subject of further organizing for justice.
This is the
13-year-old son of Agustin, the first man to be detained. He left us
all crying saying, "I need my father because he is my mother and my
father at the same time... He's the most generous person... I've never
been separated from him... Please give me my father back."
Remember Eleazar from the beginning, whose wife Rosa was detained? He came still had some incredible words, though. He introduced himself as "Eleazar Castellanos, padre y esposo." "Eleazar Castellanos, father and husband." Eleazar and Rosa heard about the hubbub at Southside and went to see what was going on with their friends and how they could help. Rosa stayed out of the fray, sitting on a curb and observing, and she was questioned by police including about her immigration status, apparently, or she would have not been taken away. Rosa showed her Arizona driver's license.
Eleazar said thank goodness for that. They have the privilege of having documents, he added. But the police kept questioning her. "Qué más pruebas quieres, señor?" she asked. "What more proof do you want, sir?" He continued with his own questions: "Why are the police doing the function of Border Patrol? Its not their job!"
And then the true heartbreaker: "I woke up without my wife for the first time in 25 years." I at age 23 cannot even fathom spending 25 years with someone, let alone waking up with them every morning for 25 years until one day they aren't there.
Finally, here is the
wife of Arturo. She challenged the community: "How are they leaving us alone, in the shadows, with so
much fear, with so many questions from our children? We need to live in
freedom! We need our voice to be heard! We need our vote to matter! My
husband is a good man. We are part of our parish and active in the
community... This is our country too!... How do the police and the migra
just keep doing whatever, detaining whomever?"
How can we deny this 13-year-old his only parent, all from a traffic violation? How much longer will we continue to separate families? All I can say is I am so shocked and saddened, and I guarantee you work will be done on this. I will keep you posted. Ni una mas! Not one more!
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