Easthampton Community Coalition

Please join us for the wonderful one woman play written and performed by Najla Said, co sponsored by Easthampton for Peace and Massachusetts Peace Action EF. Please take note of the other events in the community that will accompany the play in Easthampton.

It's nice to see our new city council kicking off it's term by adding "immigration status" to our existing anti-discrimination resolution.

Stay warm today Easthampton! I’ll post a recap of last night’s meeting soon, I just have a few things I need to do first. In the meantime, I thought I’d share something that I think is pretty exciting, which is the first resolution I signed as a city councilor.

At the start of each new term, the Easthampton City Council reaffirms our resolution pertaining to discrimination and intolerance. This year, we unanimously agreed to add immigration status to the list of characteristics upon which we will not tolerate discrimination.

My chicken scratch is the third one down on the left. Signing this resolution is a small move in a much bigger conversation, but I think it’s a nice way to start off my first term. Please let me know if you have any feedback on this or anything else.

ICE has conducted several raids in Western Mass over the last few days.

Update about ICE raids in Holyoke and Hatfield. (Actualización sobre las redadas de la migra en Holyoke y Hatfield. Español abajo)

Yesterday at 3pm, ICE detained two immigrants, Anival and Alvaro at a Holyoke factory. Anival is a long-term organizer and currently a leader in our Springfield committee. Yesterday, about 20 people mobilized outside the Federal Building in Springfield to denounce the detentions and we quickly mobilized a bond legal team for Anival and Alvaro, and we are in communication with their families.

Today, ICE detained three people at a farm in Hatfield. At 4:30pm, a woman drove down Main Street in Hatfield and saw a van of farm workers pulled over with five ICE vehicles surrounding them. She called her friend, who called the PVWC, and within minutes we were talking as she took pictures of the three men being handcuffed and led away. Two of our team members rushed to Hatfield, trying to comfort the remaining workers and connecting them with resources and lawyers. At about 6pm, 70 Sanctuary in the Streets responders mobilized for a vigil outside of the Greenfield Jail, which functions as a temporary immigrant detention center. The PVWC team contacted lawyers from the Immigrant Protection Project who are currently in Greenfield now, doing intakes with the detained fathers.
We will be in touch with the families.

Thank you to the people who quickly mobilized to support undocumented immigrants. Showing up is just the first step in a long-term fight to confront and dismantle the institutions that inflict violence against us. Hug your loved ones, the struggle is long.

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Ayer a las 3pm, la migra detuvo a dos inmigrantes, Anival y Álvaro en una fábrica en Holyoke. Anival es un organizador desde hace mucho tiempo y actualmente es un líder en nuestro comité obrero en Springfield. Ayer, aproximadamente 20 personas se movilizaron frente al edificio federal en Springfield (donde está ubicada la oficina de la migra) para denunciar las detenciones. A la misma vez, rápidamente movilizamos a un equipo legal para Anival y Álvaro. También estamos en comunicación con sus familias.

Hoy, la migra detuvo a tres personas en una granja en Hatfield. A las 4:30 pm, una mujer que andaba conduciendo por Main Street cuando vió una camioneta con trabajadores del campo rodeaba por cinco vehículos de la migra. La mujer llamó a su amiga, y la amiga llamó al Centro Obrero. En cuestión de minutos, estábamos hablando mientras ella tomaba fotos de los tres hombres que fueron detenidos. Dos mujeres de nuestro equipo corrieron hacia Hatfield, tratando de consolar a los trabajadores que no fueron detenidos y conectándolos con recursos y abogados. Aproximadamente a las 6pm, 70 personas de Santuario en las Calles organizaron una vigilia afuera de la cárcel en Greenfield, que funciona como un centro de detención temporal. El equipo de PVWC contactó a abogados del Proyecto de Protección al Inmigrante que se encuentran actualmente en Greenfield trabajando con los padres detenidos. Estaremos en contacto con las familias.

Le damos gracias a las personas que se movilizaron rápidamente para apoyar a los inmigrantes indocumentados. Estar presente en estas acciones es solo el primer paso de una lucha de largo plazo para enfrentar y erradicar a las instituciones violentas del estado. Abrazen a sus seres queridos porque la lucha es larga.

Pioneer Valley Workers Center

La migra está patrullando la zona oeste de Massachusetts. Hay reportes de detenciones desde el 25 de Septiembre. Si estás indocumentado, tomes precaución y sigas estos pasos.

Llama la linea de emergencia 24horas: 413-351-2300

Petition: Make Easthampton a Sanctuary City, addressed to Mayor Cadieux & Easthampton City Council

If you live or work in Easthampton and would like to have Easthampton be a safe and welcoming place for all people, including immigrants and those who may be marginalized by the current atmosphere of fear facing our country, please sign the Easthampton Community Coalition petition: https://petition.tools/make-easthampton-sanctuary-city/

petition.tools Urge Mayor Cadieux and the Easthampton City Council to instruct Easthampton PD to ignore ICE detainer requests.

Safe Communities Act: Time to Lead!

In July, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in a ruling forbid court/police officers from arresting or holding someone based only on an immigration violation (called ICE detainers), and called for legislation to clarify the relationship between state and federal law enforcement to be enacted. (Links in the comments for more details.) The SAFE Communities Act is currently in committee in the Massachusetts legislature and would provide for clarification by ensuring due process rights, that police resources are used to fight crime rather than separate immigrant families, and prohibit state participation in setting up a Muslim registry. Call your legislators today to tell them you support SAFE Communities. In Easthampton, we can thank Rep. Scibek for supporting and invite Sen. Humason to come on board. A script is provided with this great online tool https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdX1uI_oThaqthEIG4wmW5j0gcm0ShRU6DL0klqseFXAxHTlQ/viewform?fbzx=-5246960383736320000

docs.google.com AUGUST 18 UPDATE: The white supremacist "alt-right" is marching in Boston. If it was not clear before, it is now. The Administration is giving comfort to white supremacy, and its shocking deportation machine is steeped in its agenda. We must stop this. Beacon Hill MUST pass the Safe Communities Act....

Support Your Neighbor: Niberd Abdalla, our Western Mass neighbor who has made his life in the US for 41 years, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) when he showed up for his regular check in with them in June. He is facing deportation. His parents sent him as a teenagers to study in the US because of violence in Iraq. They followed him with refugee status - and lived many years in Easthampton - but because he didn't get his student visa renewed he became undocumented. His whole family is here, English is his primary language, he has health issues, and he doesn't not know anyone in Iraq. More info and press coverage in links in the comments section.

Actions you can take:

Call our Senators and ask for their support for Niberd’s immediate release from detention & and to weigh in personally with DHS to stop Niberd’s deportation:
Senator Markey: (617) 565-8519
Senator Warren: (617) 565-3170

You can also call these ICE numbers to ask that Niberd Alzendi Abdalla (DOB: 2/23/1960 and A # 090233750) to be immediately released from detention. Almost certainly you will get a Voice Mail:
New England Field Office Director Chris Cronen: (781) 359-7526.
New England Regional ICE office: (781) 359-7500
Community Relations officer Alexia Koplewski: (781) 359-7511
If you live in MA, you can call Senators Warren and Markey to urge them to keep working for Niberd's release.

Photos of our event by the amazing Erin Long.

Photos from today's standing in solidarity with Charlottesville Thank you Kae Collins and Libby Reinish, and to our beautiful community for coming together, we are STRONGER TOGETHER. Now, what's next?

Easthampton comes together against racism in wake of Charlottesville attack

We would like to thank everyone who came out last night on incredibly short notice to stand out against hate. We have an amazing community and we're proud to be working with you to foster important conversations! Here is Masslive's coverage of the event.

masslive.com Some attendees carried signs with slogans like " ," and the crowd sang songs together, but most of the focus was on conversation.

Easthampton Community Coalition

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