A diversity of tactics were used during the 3 hour protest at the ICE Detention facility in Baldwin on Saturday

Yesterday, roughly 200 people gathered for a protest at the GEO Group-owned ICE Detention facility in Baldwin, Michigan. This was the second protest at the site organized by No Detention Centers in Michigan, since the GEO Group took ownership of the former North Lake Prison facility.

People came from all over the state and represented several dozen organizations. A group of trained street medics were own hand to make sure that everyone stayed hydrated, the National Lawyers Guild had several legal observers on hand in case cops showed up or to document any malfeasance on the part of the private security that worked for the GEO Group. In addition, members of GR Rapid Response to ICE provided crowd safety to make sure that people were safe from potential counter-protesters and to act as a buffer if cops showed up.

The No Detention Centers in Michigan organized protest featured several speakers and statements from various group that were in solidarity with the protest, all of which were calling for the GEO Group-owned ICE Detention facility in Baldwin to be shut down. Longtime immigration lawyer Richard Kessler, who is representing several people who are already prisoners at the Baldwin facility shared some disturbing news about what the GEO Group was telling prisoners days before the protest. Based on a conversation that Richard had with a client who is in the ICE Detention facility, the client said that the GEO Group was saying that there was going to be “a riot” on Saturday. In standard fashion, the GEO Group hoped to control the narrative about what was going to happen on Saturday, attempted to frame the protest as a riot.

In addition, Kessler shared that the GEO Group made a punitive decision to cancel visitation for both families & attorneys, which of course was meant to punish those incarcerated at the Baldwin facility, but also to blame those who came to protest. Of course this is all just a PR stunt, since no one is buying the narrative put out by the GEO Group, since thinking people understand that the GEO Group made the choice of cancelling visitations for Saturday.

There were several other speakers who addressed the crowd gathered near the gates of the North Lake ICE Detention facility, such as a statement from the wife of a Palestinian American who was abducted by ICE in early August, There was also a statement from someone who is currently incarcerated in the Baldwin facility, who talked about the conditions of the GEO Group-owned ICE Detention facility, which was followed by comments from No Detention Centers in Michigan organizers who encourage people to support those who are imprisoned in Baldwin. Information about them can be found at this link, where there are also fundraising campaigns that people can make contributions.

It was interesting to note that the local police never showed up, unlike the last protest on July 4th, which I wrote about. Saturday’s protest also didn’t include some of the drama that happened on July 4th and those in attendance were more supportive of tactics that people were using, in part because No Detention Centers in Michigan had made a point to address the importance of a diversity of tactics, specifically referring to the St. Paul Principles that were developed prior to the massive action action the Republican convention in 2008, which I and many other Grand Rapidians participated in.

The only cops that people encountered were GEO Group security personnel that were driving around inside the prison compound in white trucks, where they were filming those protesting. At one point people heard that prison guards were using a different entrance to the ICE Detention facility, so people began to move to that area and deterring vehicles from entering. At one point people began dragging large tree branches and limbs to placing them in from the narrow entrance to the Baldwin facility, much to the delight of the crowd. One person I know said to me, “I’m so glad I stayed, since this is the first time I saw people engage in Direct Action,” referring to the makeshift blockade of the entrance.

Once vehicles were prevented from entering and exiting that entrance, the crowd then moved to back to the main gate. Once again, people began dragging out tree branches and limbs to placing them on top of and in front of the metal gate that the GEO Group has at the main entrance. 

At the same time that the main gate was being blockaded, other people began altering the main sign near the main entrance. There were several words placed on the sign, but the most creative alteration was by someone who blackened out the most of the letters that read North Lake Correctional Facility, to then read No Correctional Facility. 

There are some who might consider these tactics to be problematic, but this is what a diversity of tactics looks like. And one major point of the principles of a diversity of tactics is that even if some people don’t feel comfortable with certain tactics, they should never disparage those who engage in said tactics. 

By all accounts the protest on Saturday at the GEO Group-owned ICE Detention facility in Baldwin, Michigan was a success. No Detention Centers in Michigan brought together a coalition of groups to make the protest happen, bring greater awareness to the facility and especially to the people who are currently incarcerated there. A diversity of tactics were used, direct actions took place, and cops never showed up during the 3 hours that the protest lasted. People should be encouraged by the momentum of the action, take that energy back to their communities and build on it and then continue to work of shutting down the GEO Group-owned ICE Detention facility in Baldwin. #AbolishICE!