My Incident Report
At 5am a-week-ago Monday I received a text from an organizer. There was an incident in Beach Flats with ICE — Immigration & Customs Enforcement. There were also incidents in Live Oak, on Ocean St. and at 41st. At 5:15 I texted everyone who I thought could help. No one replied. I tried calling. Nothing. I finally called J. He wasn't on my list but is a good friend. He answered.
We had no specific location. I went there alone. I drove around looking. It was dark and the streets were empty. By the time I found the location J. and M. were already there. AND so was a CBS reporter from San Francisco with camera in hand. He was interviewing J. He said there were four locations and a helicopter. He had information. After all, he had come down from San Francisco and was on the ground. As I look back it seems clear that 'they' intended to control the narrative via the media. The local police also had a press release out by noon that day stating they were going after 'organized gang members and murders'. Not immigrants. Even though there were 150 immigrants arrested in CA that day and 680+ immigrants in total.
I spoke with a man there on the street and offered to leave red cards (know-your-rights cards) and guardianship papers for the neighborhood. M. was already talking to people in an apartment that had been raided by ICE. The door had been broken down. I took pictures of the door and of the warrant. People said they saw the 'ICE' logo on uniforms and vehicles even though everyone later assured us they were not there – that it was DHS, the Department of Homeland Security.
The warrant was for the boyfriend of the daughter of the couple that lived in that apartment. He was not there. There were several children present – a ~three year old and a young girl around 12. There may have been others. A neighbor was already there and she said a woman and a young child had been put into the back of a ‘paddy wagon’ without warm clothes and with no shoes. We later found out that this was an ICE vehicle. It was really cold out. Someone was finally allowed to bring clothes out to them. The neighbor said that she planned to call for counseling later.
M. said we needed to call a meeting with all the people on the ground. I made some calls. By 10:30 there were ~30 people at the Day Worker Center. People went around in a circle and spoke.
There was a woman who had one son in San Francisco taken and one here. There was another local woman who also had her house entered and her door broken down. People from Live Oak said that there were a lot of loud sounds from different locations which happened simultaneously at ~5am. They used flash-bang grenades. One was thrown through window at one location. People thought it was an earthquake. We were told of a couple in San Francisco who was taken with their daughter and hoped to have this young daughter stay here in the U.S. with family members. They were looking for legal help. A. took incident reports. We discussed what we needed to do to organize and broke into work groups.
I have to say that - the faces of the people - who had their homes raided, their doors broken down, their belongings rifled through and their children traumatized – their faces – are indelibly imprinted on my mind. I cannot imagine how the families and the children of the families that were raided must feel. As time passes more and more information is coming out. None of it is good. I will keep on keeping on but I am not the same person that I was nine days ago.
In my opinion this is just the beginning.
Comments
Wow!
I would have never expected that in Santa Cruz. I guess ICE goes where it wants to, no matter what the locals want.
P.S. Wiggy Stardust in the avatar pic is a Live Oak street cat rescue.
"The presence of those seeking the truth is infinitely to be preferred to those who think they've found it."
Terry Pratchett, Monstrous Regiment
I think raids in Sanctuary cities was
part of the strategy. Just as all the noise, the drama and the press was. People are terrified now. If they have a warrant they can legally knock your door down. By the end of the day of the raids three of the nine people arrested had been released. Two because the names were similar.
The suspect did not even live at the apartment where I was.
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evening magiamma...
thanks for posting your experience.
it's sad that the nation of immigrants that we are has failed to learn much in the years of its existence about how to be decent to the waves of desperate people who come here only wanting to live in peace and raise their children in a place that offers them a chance at a decent life.
@joe shikspack
Just back and good evening. More today about plans to increase immigration enforcement. This now includes DACA immigrants.
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Thanks for the real news.
I imagine CBS left a lot of what they know about this on the cutting room floor.
"You can't just leave those who created the problem in charge of the solution."---Tyree Scott
Even if you have a good reason to arrest someone,
low key is actually more effective, usually, and you don't make enemies, damage property, or terrorize children.
A bunch of cowards and/or sadists, there.
Depends
True enough. Unless making arrests is not as much a goal as is making the local evening news broadcast.
@Sunspots The police, most of them,
The police, most of them, seem to have lost the ideas of de-escalation, and of keeping it cool in the first place. Or maybe those ideas were forcibly removed by federal interference. Hard to say.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal
UnCivil Forces. They've been doing this to Black poors and others deemed vulnerable for how long? Time to accustom the general population to having their doors broken open by armed terrorist squads as a 'legal' norm.
Because once it's OK to do this to any one group, it spreads and ultimately nobody is safe, not even the highest and most corrupt.
And there will be the excuse of 'checking to see if you're hiding any' undocumented people, as was done in Nazi Germany by some to try to save Jewish families and others from the camps.
And there will still be those insisting that each obvious step deeper into the fascist mire doesn't mean it's fascism, even though American elections have been restricted from any oversight or verification demands by Homeland InSecurity... not a good sign.
And this time, the usual Allies are in on it.
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
@Ellen North Good point. Esp the
Good point. Esp the part about coming after immigrants' allies.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal
Well, that too. But the last time, America joined in with other countries to fight fascism, and now TPTB of America, Europe and others are all in for enforcing their own global fascist takeover. It's only the aware people within each of these countries objecting to this.
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
I am in Texas and not an immigration lawyer.
But I know some, intend to network with them.
It is coming to my neighborhood.
They treat dogs better than Mexicans.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Happening here
I believe you're somewhat NE of me, so you are probably aware that it's happening in the Houston area. Various places so far, including my town.
@travelerxxx
Shephard, and Cleveland, should be hard hit.
Lots and lots of people who are here on a wing and a prayer, and I have worked for them, vice versa, and friendhips...so many friends.
I am in San Jacinto County. Are you in Montgomery or over in Magnolia or Waller?
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Harris
Harris, but I can almost land a thrown stone in Montgomery. I'm on the south border of the palatial new Exxon digs (aka The Emerald City).
@travelerxxx Hope you had some
Hope you had some piece of shit property listed for $200k for 2 years and pulled off the market, only to have it be purchased for $2.4 million, because you were a smart invester 12 years go!
My former close friend became shitty rich due to location.
I am saying "former", and truly mean it. I advised her every step of the way on realtors, the expansion/eminent domain land grab by the city of Houston, the real estate contracts, escrow accounts, and on and on, AND DID NOT CHARGE HER A CENT, and we haven't spoken since she pocketed her money because, doncha know, I am not as smart as she is.
She is right.
I am not.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Well, we don't know
The Exxon Emerald City is our neighbor, so as you've guessed, it's affected us. To what extent it's affected us, I don't know. Our neighbors across the street just sold their place to a young professional couple for well over twice what I though they'd get. Places right near us which had been for sale for so long the for sale signs were falling down suddenly made out like bandits. Our little neighborhood is quite working class; not McMansions by any means. We've been primarily Latino, but we see it changing before our eyes.
Guess I should be happy, but on the other hand we used to have deer come up in our yard, etc. No longer.
I'm sure you mean't no harm
but dogs shouldn't be treated like dogs, all living creatures should be treated with dignity and respect.
I suspect that orchardists in the NE US will have trouble
finding crews to pick fruits this year; look for apple, peach and grape prices to rise in the fall. Good job! /s
Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.
It will affect all trades.
Here already so many have left that they are having trouble finding people to plant the fields. The schools were almost empty the day after the raids.
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We had Custom and Border Patrol Agents in New Haven Wednesday
They were wandering around in the Railroad Station...
There is a Dunkin Donuts shop there...
New Haven is a Sanctuary City, and early on issued City ID Cards as a service to the undocumented...
Yea Right...
I'm the only person standing between Richard Nixon and the White House."
~John F. Kennedy~
Economic: -9.13, Social: -7.28,
Apparently they were with the police here
on Thursday. The raids were on Monday.
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@Oldest Son Of A Sailor
I'm sorry, routine screening for radioactive material??? "Is that a nuke in your pocket, or are you happy to see me?"
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
Sorry...
My watch stopped glowing in the dark years ago...
I didn't know it would still set off alarms...
I'm the only person standing between Richard Nixon and the White House."
~John F. Kennedy~
Economic: -9.13, Social: -7.28,
What good is all the SWAT training and neat gear
if you can't kick doors in, throw flash-bangs, and crack a few skulls with those neat extensile batons? I mean, really, not to use these tools is very wasteful. We must show the unarmed citizenry that we mean business--or else.
No worries, Kevin Leon is on the job
Thanks for witnessing and writing about communities torn asunder. I am still waiting for California Ds to provide some protection other than toothless legal maneuvering, and lots of blabbing in the press. There are church groups up here organizing security against the jack boots, people willing to step in-between and get arrested. Thank goodness.
Meanwhile, the Sacramento Bee runs a feel-good story about Kevin de Leon not being his real name? WTF!? Okay, outrage pegged, fully awake now. He is the speaker.
Don't talk about cost of housing, lack of wages, shitty healthcare and food system, all the things that create divisiveness and despair. Immigrants are not the problem it is employers and landlords, along with their lobby-bought politicians, Ds and Rs alike. Same same, all assimilated in to the pit of corruption. "That's the system."
Peace
Speaking of Cali
I just finished watching a segment on RT about the movement for CA to leave the Union and become its own country. According to polls 1/3 of the people support it but what I found interesting was that a large portion of the people that don't support it was because they thought it would destroy the USA not because it would be hard for CA to make it on its own.
"it would be hard for CA to make it on its own"
that is true I think. I'm not behind the secession thing because it is yet another billionaire. There are no benevolent billionaires, they are the problem in my view.
Anyway, maybe if also Baja, Oregon, and Washington joined in? And Nevada too, for lithium and the drone-port. That would be pretty solid. But no billionaires, they'd be deported. heh
Thanks
Maybe we can carve off the state of Jefferson
while we're at it.
Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.
Thanks for your first person account of what happened
The depravity of the people who have made this decision and the ones who are happily willing to traumatized these people is another thing that I can't wrap my head around.
The comments that I read on various websites are heinous and lack any proof of humanity.
They won't acknowledge that our government and military actions are responsible for a lot of the people who are coming here because they are trying to escape from the violence that we are responsible for after we have bombed and destroyed their countries or are supporting their government's brutality after we overthrew the elected government.
As Alligator Ed points out, the people who are conducting these raids have no reason to be armed to their teeth with their military equipment, they just want to use and make these arrests as traumatic as possible.
I can't imagine the fear that hundreds of thousands of people are experiencing knowing that they and their families or friends could be next to have their doors broken down and violently arrested.
The inhumanity of sending people back to their birth countries after living here for most of their lives and not knowing anyone there.
Shame on everyone who is involved with this and are cheering them on.
Saying it out loud, ICE = SS, Schutzstaffel
My ex father-in-law survived Dachau, a number tattooed on his upper forearm. One thing I realized becoming part of that family is the legacy of fear, it never leaves, in fact it is passed on through generations.
Imagine never going anywhere without a "go bag". Literally being prepared to run away at any moment, any day every day, and especially at night. Always knowing where the exits are, etc.. it is constant fear. Fear of the police, the protectors, the ones that come in the dark and break down doors to take people away, sending them away to suffer and die. Amerika! fuck yeah.
heartbroken
Make me feel like saying to these fucks
that if their own parents, grandparents, or great grandparents were immigrants then maybe they should be kicked back to that "country of origin" wherever in hell that is. And I'd be willing to bet that fits most of them out there having fun with all their new toy weapons, scaring the hell out of people for NOTHING. But as we all know, this is one of the few "campaign promises" Mr Rump CAN keep, deporting powerless immigrants and refugees all to placate his spoiled rotten bigoted "base voter."
Only a fool lets someone else tell him who his enemy is. Assata Shakur