Lights for Liberty vigils tonight everywhere! Click here to find one near you.
#LightsforLiberty now has 753 worldwide vigils tomorrow night.
We stand with all who object to this administration's criminalization of Black and brown people in detention camps.
Asylum is a human right.https://t.co/ZrUgtJyAft pic.twitter.com/WPsQ1LxLIt
— LightsForLiberty– Official (@Lights4Liberty) July 11, 2019
If you take photos, you can send them to me and I’ll make posts over the weekend. If you have photos, contact me through the “Quick Links” at the top right, and I’ll send you my email address.
Open thread
TaMara (HFG)
Colorado Peeps! Western Conservative Summit is in town, which means Proud Boys and Patriot Front members have been spotted around. The local Lights for Liberty is reminding everyone NOT to engage with these people and are expecting counter-protesters. Here’s the link to that Denver/Aurora protest today.
rikyrah
Thanks for the reminder.
Tom Levenson
Going to the downtown Boston one tonight (passing on the suburban events — though I’m glad that Newton represents!
MisterForkbeard
Turns out there’s one about 5 minutes from my house. Trying to figure out if I can make it tonight – it’s not at a particularly convenient time, but it’s really important. :(
Cheryl Rofer
Looks like Mike Pence is going to try to compete.
MisterForkbeard
@Cheryl Rofer: What does he want Congress to do, perhaps mandate that ICE agents don’t break the law and torture kids? Because we already do that.
FelonyGovt
I’m going to my little suburban one. I hope the fact that this many are happening is covered in the media, and I hope that some of the ones right in the cities are too huge to ignore.
mrmoshpotato
@FelonyGovt: In addition to tonight’s vigils (one being in downtown after work hours), Chicago has one scheduled for mid-day tomorrow too. I have a feeling people will show up.
Sister Golden Bear
Today’s edition of “the Border Patrol and ICE need to be burned to the ground and the earth salted”:
Border Patrol Hangs Framed Photo Of Anti-Immigrant Fox Host Tomi Lahren In Washington DC Headquarters
and
Border Patrol Mocks Migrants With “Challenge Coin”
Adam L Silverman
Peale
@MisterForkbeard: My guess is he wants them to fund the wall, hire the 200,000 anti-immigrant thug force that Trump promised, money for a back hoe to make digging mass graves easier, and the ability to deport anyone, legal, illegal, natural born or naturalized citizen, without messy hearings. I mean, look, the much ballyhooed mass deportation that’s being mustered this weekend will deport 2,000, which is tragic. But trump promised millions.
Suzanne
I won’t be attending, as Spawn the Youngest still needs mom’s boobs nearby at a moment’s notice, but I hope the events are all great. I am looking forward to the pictures.
Humdog
The one nearest to me is over fifty miles away. Would one old white lady’s attendance help the local people most affected by these atrocities feel they are not alone in their indignation? I am shamed that I haven’t yet committed to going, but it is far and will wrap up late for driving fifty miles back. Donating to RAICES does not feel like enough, tho.
SenyorDave
@Humdog: What area do you live in? Maybe a BJ’er can give you a ride, although I agree that 50 miles is a long ride especially since it will be dark when it ends.
JanieM
I am probably going to the one in Augusta, Maine. There are a bunch across the state, and I don’t know if anyone lives close enough so that Augusta would be the destination of choice. I’ll be wearing my Kennebec Land Trust hat and some aqua cargo shorts if anyone wants to say hi.
lurker dean
i just got back from the one in center city philadelphia. there were maybe a few hundred people there, about a city-block length of people. it was actually a little depressing to me that so few people attended. i’m not sure why it was scheduled for 11:30am but that probably played into the low attendance. there is another one in NW philly later tonight that i might also attend. i’m actually more hopeful about attendance on that one because it is being “sponsored” by a few schools and other entities. please attend if you can, we need to show the administration that people care.
zhena gogolia
@Humdog:
Everybody does what they can. I’m going to give to RAICES. Sometimes standing for an hour is not possible.
satby
Going to the one in downtown South Bend. Hope there’s a decent turnout.
lurker dean
@lurker dean: wanted to add – the people who were there were enthusiastic and wonderful. also, i noticed that netroots nation was having it’s meetings only a block away from the start point, i don’t know if that affected the schedule at all.
Mary G
I can’t make it, but hope you guys can represent me.
O. Felix Culpa
We’re anticipating a good turnout in Santa Fe. Fingers crossed we don’t get a surprise thunderstorm like the one yesterday. Also please think good thoughts for the sound system, which is often a weak link. I’ve hired professional equipment and operators, so hopefully it will work. Also good thoughts for all the speakers to show up on time. Managing one of these events is quite the undertaking. But worthwhile.
Cheryl Rofer
@O. Felix Culpa: ?????
See you there!
raven
So candles at 7 in Athens and the sun goes down at 9:30?
BC in Illinois
Mrs BC and I will be at the Arch.
They don’t allow open flames (out of fear that we’ll burn down Mr Saarinen’s stainless steel handle on the city) so we have invested in battery-powered “tea lights.”
Abuse of children, concentration camps, hostility to immigration, denial of asylum, separation of families, abuse of little children — the Trump maladministration has combined all the worst elements of human history. It has to stop, or it will get worse.
In St Louis, there will be two gatherings. (Not unusual foe St Louis.)
A gathering on Cherokee Street.
And another gathering under the Arch.
raven
@BC in Illinois: I had to do a double take. The one in Athens is at the gateway to the University, “The Arches”!
Martin
@raven: For warmth.
NotMax
OT
Update as of 20 minutes ago for any interested:
Phone service out across much of the island, not expected to be restored for at least several hours yet. 10,000+ acres burned already.
O. Felix Culpa
@Cheryl Rofer: Yay! So glad you’ll be there.
ETA: The Lights for Liberty facebook page now says they have over 800 events registered for today/tonight.
raven
@Martin: yea, it’s only 91 with 90% humidity!
raven
@BC in Illinois: Ours says “no glowsitcks”!
raven
@NotMax: It’s the old cane fields right? I think they stopped the burns right after we were there 7 years ago today!
Omnes Omnibus
I just called my Congress people again. Told them that when I was growing up, the people in the movies who ran concentration camps were always the bad guys and that I was aghast that we were doing it now. The two Dems’ staffers were knowledgeable and had material at hand to describe what their bosses are doing. I thanked them for the efforts they (elected official and staff) have been doing and encouraged them to keep doing everything within their power to end these crimes. The GOPer’s staffer told me that there is another committee meeting next week. I said that wasn’t acceptable and reminded him that we are violating both treaties that were ratified and had the force of law and actual laws passed by Congress and signed by a President. He told me that the agents at the border were understaffed. I said that was no excuse for the kind of behavior described in news reports. I asked if he had ever been to Ft Sill or the border. He said that he had not been there personally. I mentioned that I had been to Sill and talked about how miserable it was for a young army officer, and told him that what was happening now was going to lead to more deaths.
So, for me, it’s off to a protest downtown this evening.
BC in Illinois
@raven:
When we used to take the kids to the Arch for the VP Fair (it’s a long story)*, glowsticks were required !
* (The VP Fair was the St Louis 4th of July celebration — now it’s “Fair St Louis.” It was run, back in the day, by StL’s High Society and was able to push all the buttons of race- and class-division in the city. It was, however, a chance to see Ray Charles, the Beach Boys, Chicago, Ringo and the All-Starr Band. In recent years, we have been reduced to watching the B-52s (one daughter’s request) and George Clinton (one son’s favorite). It’s interesting how the next generation’s taste in music has evolved.)
NotMax
@raven
Mostly former cane fields, yes.
lurker dean
@NotMax: just read about the fires. hope you maui folks are okay.
The Moar You Know
ICE just hit my workplace. They had the wrong address, they were looking for the place across the plaza, software place full of Indians on H1-Bs. But the promised raids are going down.
NotMax
@lurker dean
Personally hunky-dory. Removed from where the action is by both distance and elevation. Winds generally blowing smoke in a direction away from this location.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@The Moar You Know: Oh wow. That must have been disruptive.
Miss Bianca
@TaMara (HFG): Are you going? I was thinking about it – my boss picked a hell of a weekend to go out of town and leave me in charge of the theater. : (
I guess I’ll content myself with sending more letters to my representatives. My mite against evil.
The Moar You Know
@Dorothy A. Winsor: Not for me. They asked to see the owner, gave the name (was not my employer’s name!), and I simply told them “you’ve got the wrong building”.
I did have to get up from behind my desk, but that frankly is something I need to do a lot more of.
The Moar You Know
@Miss Bianca: Literally the most effective thing you can do is mail (not email!) your representatives and Senators. They pay more attention to letters than anything else, because anyone who takes the time to actually write or type out a letter is someone who is probably really pissed off. Or really satisfied.
Don’t think a whole lot of people are satisfied with their representation at the moment, regardless of party.
We need more letter writers than protesters, frankly, so keep on with that good work.
Miss Bianca
@Cheryl Rofer: @O. Felix Culpa: Wish I could be there in Santa Fe! Closest one to me is in Salida, but scheduled for a time I couldn’t make it. Alas.
BroD
Headed for City Hall, Baltimore
schrodingers_cat
I wanted to go but my injured leg hasn’t healed yet. We have two vigils in my vicinity.
Madeleine
Spouse and I will be at the Federal Bldg in Ann Arbor.
bookdragon
@lurker dean: I’ll be at the in Doylestown tonight. It went from ~150 attending to almost 300 over night!
Ohio Mom
@The Moar You Know: As we could have anticipated, ICE isn’t competent enough to read a map or an address.
Am I the only one who is surprised ICE is going after Indian programmers here on H1-Bs? I thought they were obsessed only with immigrants from south of our boarder.
On the other hand, there are lots of middle-aged engineers who are convinced (not completely inaccurately) that their bosses hire H1-Bs to put downward pressure on salaries. Many of them are Trump fans so maybe this is a thank you gift to them.
lurker dean
@bookdragon: nice! I attended the NW philly event, which had a good crowd. It was early 5pm to accommodate Jewish attendees. Hopefully other events are well attended.
@NotMax: yeah, I remember you are a little higher up. The other Maui bjer whose name escapes me seemed to be from lower down, hope he’s ok.
lurker dean
@The Moar You Know: this is a good suggestion, I need to add it to my to do list.
James E Powell
Heading to San Diego to be part of what I hope is a huge crowd. If anyone reading here is there, let me know.
jnfr
If you can judge by Twitter reports, there are very large turnouts in all the big cities, and modest sized protests all over the place. (Seven people in Culpeper, VA, which is tiny.)
The Aurora ICE facility protest has a good number of folks already.
If you’re staying home tonight, light a candle if you can in solidarity.