The whole country has watched ICE agents conducting violent raids across the country, sweeping up immigrants from their workplaces and homes. This weekend in LA, in response to a mass sweep by ICE of over 100 immigrants, citizens of Los Angeles took to the streets in protests– and were met by militarized police, Trump calling in the National Guard, and over 100 protestors being arrested.
This is all a part of Trump’s broader authoritarian strategy: to mobilize racism against immigrants, create a fake crisis, and then use it as an opportunity to consolidate his power.
On this mass call, we heard from organizers on the ground in LA, including local grassroots organizations like La Defensa. We learned about the work and strategies of Common Defense, a veteran’s group that organizes veterans for progressive values and against racism and violence. And we heard about the Solidarity Organizing Initiative and received clear next steps on how to get involved.
Here is a recording of the call, which includes the script and captions.
