BradleyStuart.net » No Borders

Santa Cruz City Council Votes for ICE and “Secure Communities” (S-Comm)

bradley — Wed, 11 May 2011 04:37:58 +0000

On May 10, the Santa Cruz City Council failed, by a 4-3 vote, to pass a resolution in support of AB 1081 (The Trust Act), which would change California’s contract with ICE-DHS over “Secure Communities” (S-Comm). AB 1081 honors local governments’ right to decide whether and how to participate in S-Comm.

“Secure Communities” (S-Comm) is a federal program that requires local law enforcement agencies to share the fingerprints of all people arrested to immigration enforcement and target those suspected of immigration violations for detention and deportation. This mandated sharing occurs regardless of the type of crime and even if the charges are dropped. Read More and View Photos

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ICE has sold S-Comm to local police departments as a program focused on Level I “high-threat” criminal immigrants (such as kidnappers, drug dealers and murders). However, according to ICE’s own data, the vast majority (79%) of people deported due to S-Comm are non-criminals or were picked up for lower level offenses, such as traffic offenses or petty juvenile mischief.

Local community members in support of AB 1081, who greatly outnumbered opponents (Take Back Santa Cruz) at the city council meeting, point out that in Santa Cruz County, the percentages of persons deported who are categorized as non-criminals or low level offenders is 86%, which is higher than the national average.

Kindergartener Nazis?

bradley — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 01:58:48 +0000

Photo by Bradley, August 9, 2010, downtown Santa Cruz.
Text and tip taken from Antifascist 831 (http://antifascist831.wordpress.com)

Encouragingly, someone used black to cross out the “SS” lightning bolt tag in yellow chalk on the wall next to the pay phone on Lincoln Street, and wrote “Kill Nazis” underneath. It is a good practice to cross out racist and nazi graffiti, even if it is written in chalk. Crossing out racist graffiti allows passerby to see that there is that element out there, and also opposition to it, whereas merely covering it up makes the problem invisible.

For those unfamiliar, “SS” refers to Nazi Germany’s Schutzstaffel, the paramilitary force that ran the concentration camps (among other functions), and is a common Neo-Nazi symbol. Read More and View Photo

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Santa Cruz Responds to SB 1070, Arizona’s Criminalization of Immigrant Communities

bradley — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 23:39:39 +0000

On July 29th, a diverse showing of Santa Cruz residents rallied at Depot Park and marched up Pacific Avenue to the town clock in protest of Arizona’s Senate Bill 1070, a legislative act that is said to be the broadest and strictest anti-immigrant measure in decades. The demonstrators proclaimed solidarity with all communities resisting SB 1070, a law they say scapegoats migrants, and also voiced outrage to local police and sheriffs working with the federal Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) within Santa Cruz County neighborhoods and the jail.

Demonstrators carried homemade signs with statements such as, “Blame Wall Street, Not Immigrants” and “Destroy Every Border, Solidarity to Detainees & Prisoners, Free Them All!” Read More and View Photos

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Bay Area Youth Protest ICE in SF; Call for an Immediate End to All Raids

bradley — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 23:59:17 +0000

On October 31st, Halloween, Bay Area youth, families and other community members gathered around the Northern California Headquarters of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at 630 Sansome in San Francisco to denounce the atrocities committed by ICE against immigrant communities, even in the so called “sanctuary cities.” The demonstration included a lively funeral march, drumming and dancing by Danza Azteca, inciting speeches delivered by three Xicanas, as well as Sleeping dragons set up on two sides of the ICE building, effectively blocking the entry and exit of ICE vehicles for several hours. Demonstrators call for an immediate end to all ICE raids and to shut down all detention centers. Read More and View Photos

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May Day 2008 in Watsonville: Los Derechos Humano Start w/ Immigrants

bradley — Fri, 02 May 2008 07:32:58 +0000

Hundreds of families, students and workers participated in May Day activities in Watsonville which included free legal consultations, a rally in the plaza with speakers, musicians, face painting and a brinkolin (jump house) for kids. Homemade signs stated, human rights start with immigrants, legalization now, end the war, we are not criminals, fuck Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), lets help people!, yes we can, and asked the fundamental question, “Whatcha gonna do when they come for you?” Read More and View Photos | More Photos

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May Day Rally at UCSC and March to Santa Cruz Demands Rights for Immigrants, Workers and Students

bradley — Fri, 02 May 2008 06:57:19 +0000

On May 1st, May Day (International Workers’ Day), hundreds of students and workers rallied at UC Santa Cruz and marched to Santa Cruz to demand rights for immigrants, workers and students, including freedom to transcend man-made borders. The intersection at the base of UCSC was briefly barricaded with pallets, a dumpster, tables and various other devices as the march crossed crossed High Street and continued down Bay Street. Onlookers and car passengers clapped, gave thumbs-up and raised their fists to express solidarity with the May Day demonstration. Read More and View Photos | More Photos

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Community Vigil in Beach Flats to Support Elvira Arellano

bradley — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 07:04:19 +0000

On August 24th, dozens of community members gathered in Beach Flats Park for a vigil in solidarity with Elvira Arellano and all of the other families in risk of separation because of the US government’s inhumane immigration laws and selective enforcement practices. The emergency rally and vigil was coordinated by M.E.Ch.A. de La Tierra with the support of a handful of local organizations. People spoke about the case of Elvira Arellano, who, with her son Saul, has become a national symbol of the destruction of families by federal policy. Read More and View Photos

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Anti-Immigrant Hysteria Opposed in Campbell

bradley — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 07:48:42 +0000

On August 11th, Raging Grannies and friends rallied on the corner of Hamilton and Bascom to keep Campbell a hate-free zone, stop the militarization of the border and protest the Minutemen. The Golden Gate Minutemen / East Bay Coalition for Border Security are trying to expand their anti-immigrant interpretation of God’s Law and the Bible to the South Bay. Campbell is a small city in Santa Clara County next to San Jose and just over the hill (Highway 17) from Santa Cruz. Read More and View Photos

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May Day 2007 March for Immigrant Rights in Watsonville

bradley — Wed, 02 May 2007 05:45:10 +0000

The MigraWatch Network has become a dynamic grouping of people and organizations based in Watsonville dedicated to providing a welcoming community and securing human rights for all people. MigraWatch came together in September of 2006 following the raids in Santa Cruz, Watsonville and Hollister on September 7th and 8th by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers. In 2006, the Watsonville Brown Berets were the primary organizers of the May Day demonstration, however this year’s march and rally was organized by the multidimensional MigraWatch Network. Thousands of families marched through the streets of Watsonville and Pajaro to protest ongoing immigration raids taking place throughout the U.S. and to honor the amazing contributions immigrants make to our community. After the march, a rally with speakers and musicians in the Plaza, and a performance by White Hawk Dancers, the Guerilla Drive-In screened the new documentary Crossing Arizona outside the Brown Berets office in downtown Watsonville. Read More and View Photos

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May Day 2007 March from UC Santa Cruz to Downtown

bradley — Wed, 02 May 2007 02:35:07 +0000

Hundreds of students and workers rallied at UCSC’s Baytree Plaza and then marched to downtown Santa Cruz to meet up with families from the Beach Flats. The demonstration, which ended in the Beach Flats, was part of the international workers day celebrations popularly known as May Day. The M.I.R.A. Coalition, Movement for Immigrant Rights Alliance, at UCSC organized students and workers in the march against the current inhumane situation undocumented immigrants are facing and to demand the following:

* Stop the militarization of the U.S.-Mexican Border
* Stop the unjust deportation and criminalization of all immigrants
* Support and protect workers rights
* Legalization for undocumented
* Close inhumane detention centers
* Stop the Separation of families
* Stop the military recruitment of immigrant youth
* Equal rights as citizens, regardless of immigration status

Read More and View Photos

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