LOS ANGELES (KABC) — In response to the ICE raids across Los Angeles, labor and immigrant rights groups are launching what they’re calling a “Summer of Resistance,” a rapid response effort calling for an end to the raids and mass deportations.
Several groups gathered Friday afternoon at La Plazita Olvera in downtown Los Angeles, calling the raids “a moral and spiritual issue.” Friday marked one week of increased demonstrations in L.A., crisis response and for many, grief.
“What we have lived through and witnessed in the past few days is terrorism against our community,” said Martha Arévalo, the executive director of the Central American Resource Center (CARECEN). “We have witnessed kidnappings of our community.”
The 30-day campaign centers on non-violent tactics, including fasting, prayer, art, and know-your-rights training sessions.
“The campaign is rooted in tactics from the civil rights to the farm worker movement, and that’s why we’re here as a united front,” said Vladimir Carrasco with the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles.
The groups gathered against an art installation of the U.S. Constitution, brought in by a collective of artists.
“The ‘We the People,’ for me, is a reminder of where our power is, and who this country is supposed to exist for,” said Bill Moyer, the executive director of the Backbone Campaign, a nonviolent movement-building organization that uses creative tactical tools and artful activism. “I feel like it’s intensely important for people who have tools to show up with those tools.”
Meanwhile, members of United Teachers Los Angeles expressed their support for students and families that have been impacted by the raids.
“My father was deported when I was a teenager, and so I know a lot of my students are going through the same thing,” said one member.
Attendance counselors said they want families experiencing fear to know there are resources in schools.
“Please come to the schools and ask to speak with the attendance counselor, because we can help you find and refer us for housing, immigration, food, mental health support,” said Sofia Ryan, a child welfare and attendance counselor.
