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Rapid Response Solidarity Standout and Vigil
July 10 @ 7:30 pm – 8:30 pm EDT
This past Tuesday, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was shot and killed by ICE agents in Houston, Texas, during a traffic stop in which they were looking for someone else, who they say matched Lorenzo’s description. The ICE agents were not wearing body cams and the Federal Government is already spinning a narrative that we have heard before to justify past shootings. LULAC, the oldest Hispanic civil rights organization in the US, has launched a petition called for a fully transparent investigation and accountability for Lorenzo’s death.
It will take immense public pressure to force accountability, but accountability is long overdue. Jonathan Ross, who murdered Reneé Good, is still walking free as are Alex Pretti’s killers. If we do not respond collectively, the message we will send is clear: ICE can continue to kill people, both on the streets and in detention facilities across the country, with impunity. Americans will simply continue with our business, and ICE (and our elected officials) will pay no price for their violence. Community members in Houston took the streets today, and in consultation with organizers from Fuerza, we decided today to organize a rapid response solidarity standout and vigil tomorrow, Friday July 10, from 7:30-8:30pm on Main and Moody Streets (see flyer for sharing at the end of this newsletter).
We want to make it clear that in Waltham, we will not turn a blind eye to ICE shootings nor to ICE’s ongoing abuses in detention centers. In Waltham, we will stand up publicly for our immigrant neighbors, friends, and family members; we will not be intimidated into silence, we will continue to take up space and exercise our rights, and we will demand justice and accountability, as well as ICE OUT of our community.
Immediately prior to this standout, we have an existing postcard writing gathering at First Parish in Waltham, from 5:30-7:30pm. We will have postcard packets to fill out and will also have sign making supplies in case you want to come make a sign prior the standout.
