Immigration Raid Thwarted in Flagstaff???
by Wesley Flowers Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008 at 4:00 PM
nodoubtinfo@gmail.com

Did Flagstaff residents prevent an ICE raid on an elementary school today?

On Thursday, November 20th, 2008 an amazing thing happened in Flagstaff. With only about an hours notice, 50 people from the Flagstaff community, including folks from the Repeal Coalition, Flagstaff Copwatch, FACT, and the NAU Peace and Justice Center came together to protest a raid by the Department of Homeland Security – Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Killip Elementary School.

This event was an amazing example of organic solidarity in action. There were people from every ethnic and socioeconomic background distributing ICE raid information and pamphlets on Constitutional Rights, folks patrolling on foot, looking for ICE vehicles or activity, legal observer, foot patrol and escorts. Considering that many of the folks involved met each other that day, the coordination was extremely successful for an ad hoc mobilization.

The people converged at the Sunnyside Center, in the park's picnic shelter around 2:45pm, and remained until 5:00pm. There were no ICE officers who showed up, other than a couple driving by in their minivans when I left the scene. The coalition had an impromptu meeting using consensus process, and decided to continue the rally in solidarity with 12 of the 40 people ICE is targeting currently who have already been detained and are being held in the Coconino County Jail, as well as to continue to work together as a coalition and improve the ability to contact folks more quickly and efficiently should this happen in the future.

ICE is targeting the school because they would be able to apprehend the most people at one time while they are there to pick up their children after school is dismissed for the day.

Therer will be more updates as iniformation becomes available. This is a developing story.

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