Latinos Unidos Siempre (LUS) organized a good action at the Marion County Juvenile Detention Center on Court Street in Salem this afternoon. The photo above shows only a small section of the people who gathered in solidarity with immigrant youth.
The event was well-organized and had the passionate commitment of a cross-section of the community: the skilled LUS activists, community activists, the young Latino/as, members of the Racial Justice Organizing Committee and our socialist group, allies and friends, and union staff. We really need to thank LUS and Mano a Mano activists for this opportunity and for their work.
Today's gathering was significant for me given the ICE repression this week, and particularly over the past 48 hours, and because it helped turn the negatives from last Saturday's rally into positives for going forward. We made a statement today against all of the ICE actions and the deportations, but we focused on supporting the youth. Tomorrow we have the Causa Oregon Lobby Day, there are the Rapid Response Collective meetings next week, the science march and then May Day---and on May Day we need thousands of people with us in Salem. There is talk that there will be another Trump rally in late April and another counter-protest, so we have a chance to set things right and build from there also. One event needs to lead to another, and struggle needs to generate struggle and victories.
Today's event showed that we can get people out on a week day and that there is public support for our work. We can be firm in our positions and non-violent. United front politics, or coalition politics, works. We can---and must---follow young young people of color and be there for them as they take leadership. We learned all of this again today.
Photos from LUS members
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