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Hundreds of protesters converged on Sunday afternoon at City Hall, under the blazing sun, to hear politicians and activists call for action and a radical change in response to politicians' policies. federal immigration.
"We will remember this injustice as a blot on the history of our country," shouted representative Sheri Malstrom in a loudspeaker. I will not shut up, and neither of you should.
The protest was part of the ongoing opposition to the federal zero tolerance policies on the southern border.
Outrage has grown nationwide on President Donald Trump's policy of separating children from their parents. Even though the president made a concession promising to imprison parents with their children, activist fervor seems barely diminished.
On Sunday, Oregon lawmakers and activists called for the abolition of immigration and US law enforcement, the reunification of immigrant children with their parents and the abolition of Republican control by the Americans in the mid-term elections.
People were already gathered at City Hall before the official time of departure at 1 pm. The sidewalk was covered with chalk messages, including those with phone numbers for Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley.
A fanfare played catchy music. The crowd grew up, with most people sheltered in the shade of the trees. A woman walked with a five-foot teddy bear holding a heart with the message "Hug me," which she said was for children separated from their parents.
Katie Bone, 33, squatted on the sidewalk with a piece of blue chalk, writing "Compassionate Practice." As part of a group that is trying to spread messages across Portland, Bone said the idea is to give people something physical to do with their indignation, and to spread the message of activists.
"When people come together, they can have a collective impact," said Bone.
Many protesters said that they came because they needed to "do something". A resident of Vancouver, Washington, said he was deeply troubled by news that children were ripped from their families. A woman with Mexican parents said that she came to support "her people".
This event was an extension of an eight-day event held at the Portland ICE office, hosted by Occupy ICE PDX. Activists who have camped there since Wednesday have forced the office to relocate. They demanded that the office permanently close. Similar protests have spread to cities across the country, including Tacoma, Los Angeles and New York.
As the speakers took the megaphone on Sunday, their anger and outrage virtually shook the air.
The state representative, Diego Hernandez, re-read the grievances against the ICE, claiming that it was a threat to democracy, "cruel", and that it violated the rights of the man. After each item on its list, protesters chanted "abolish ICE".
The signs of protest such as "ICE = Trump's Gestapo" have made it clear to some people that these times are not ordinary.
Melanie Kebler, 35, was standing on the edge of the road with a black cardboard sign that said, "Let them in. She was there because she felt that she "had to do something," Kebler said. She imagined what it would be like for someone to snatch her eight-month-old daughter from her, she said.
"These people come to our border to get help," she said.
Beyond specific goals like the end of the zero tolerance policy and the closing of the ICE, Kebler said she hoped such demonstrations would help educate the public.
While speakers and listeners were noisy and passionate, there were no visible counter-protesters and no apparent conflict.
Kebler was not surprised.
"I hope most Americans will agree that it is a cruel and inhumane policy," she said.
– Fedor Zarkhin
office: 503-294-7674 | cell: 971-373-2905 |@fedorzarkhin
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