The Cosecha organized May Day march was inspiring and powerful, but where the hell were all the white allies?

Yesterday, an estimated 250-300 people showed up to participate in the 9th annual May Day march for immigrant justice organized by Movimiento Cosecha.

The energy was high despite there being a chill in the air. People gathered at Garfield Park greeting old friends and making new acquaintances. Eventually Cosecha organizers began to teach people a series of chants that would be used throughout the march, along with a rundown of information on safeties, street medics, those acting as police liaisons and those driving vehicles with supplies and offering rides to those who needed a break. Like most actions people are generally unaware of all the meetings, conversation and prep time it takes to make these kind of actions happen.

I am always amazed by the courage and commitment of the Cosecha organizers, their constant calls for immigrant justice, their demands to have the city and county adopt sanctuary policies and the call to abolish ICE. Cosecha organizers deserve our respect and solidarity.

Just before the march started a GRPD cruiser pulled into Garfield Park. A single officer exited the car and was met by some of the police liaisons. The cop asked the usual questions, like “will you be marching”, “what is the route”, and “ can I speak with the organizers.” No information was given. The cop then said the if people do march that they needed to stay on the sidewalk, since walking in the streets would be “unlawful.”

It is always instructive to hear how the state frames what is unlawful and what is lawful. Currently, it is lawful for ICE to arrest and detain people, causing family separation and family trauma for immigrants that are undocumented. However, immigrants marching in the streets demanding dignity, respect and permanent protection for all 11 million undocumented immigrants is unlawful?

Just before 1:00pm the march got underway and within the fist block we saw GRPD cruisers on side streets just off of Burton St, keeping an eye on the march and making sure that we did not disrupt business as usual. In fact, throughout the march there were about 6 different GRPD cruisers that followed the march, leapfrogging side streets and trying stay ahead of the game since they had no idea what the route was.

The march route itself was deliberate and well planned. For the first time Cosecha organizers decided that the march route would be determined based on locations in the SW part of Grand Rapids where ICE had abducted immigrants – one on S. Division near the railroad tracks, one on Century SW along US 131, and a 3rd location in front of a small, locally owned store on Burton Street SW. In many ways this was the most powerful aspect of the Cosecha organized march, since it provided concrete examples of how ICE is terrorizing immigrants in Grand Rapids at space they we have all passed by, spaces that can now remind us of how state violence will destroy families and terrify entire communities.

The march eventually made its way back to Garfield Park where people celebrated the May Day action by sharing food that the community provided and building community that can sustain us in this fight. I was proud to be a part of the action and to celebrate the people that made it possible.

Where the hell were the white allies?

A day after the No Kings rally in Grand Rapids in late March, where thousands showed up, I wrote the following:

It is imperative that allies, especially white allies, show up on May 1st this year in large numbers to support the demands of the immigrant communities, Movimiento Cosecha and those being targeted by ICE.

We just saw thousands of people show up for the No Kings rally in Grand Rapids, so it would be fabulous if people showed up to the May Day march. It is vitally important that those of us who call ourselves allies show up now and not wait for Grand Rapids to become another Minneapolis. Immigrants in this community are being arrested, detained and deported and have been since 2003, when ICE was created.

Yes there were some white allies who showed up to the May Day march organized by Cosecha, but it was a paultry number compared to the No Kings event. So where were the white allies who were mad about what ICE was doing in Minneapolis earlier this year? Where are all of the white allies who were so outraged over the ICE shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti? Where were the white allies who started holding marches in downtown Grand Rapids in February calling for ICE out of this city? Where were the white liberal groups, the Indivisible groups, the politicians and political candidates who claimed to oppose ICE?

This is the only big annual event that Cosecha organizes so where the hell were the white allies? You can’t claim to be opposed to ICE, to want ICE to be out of Grand Rapids or to abolish ICE if you don’t showed up for those who are the  primary target of ICE. I am so over white liberals and their bullshit excuses. If you what to practice immigrant solidarity you need to show up for immigrants and follow their lead!