Marchers call for Dignity and Respect for all Immigrants
On late Tuesday afternoon, people started to gather at the Calder Plaza in Grand Rapids for another action promoting immigrant justice.
The action today was on the heels of a February 16 march that began on 28th Street near division and even though today’s turnout wasn’t as big, the energy level was high.
Before the march began there were several speakers with stories about family members being deported and a DACA student’s inspiring message. Organizer Gema Lowe, with the Workers Center in Grand Rapids, also led people in chants, talked about upcoming actions and made it clear to those present that this was a movement that was growing.
The march departed from Calder Plaza and made it’s way north on Ottawa towards Michigan. There were several large banners used by the marchers, along with signs and the use of a megaphone to lead everyone in chants.
What was interesting about the march was that it was not only targeting the traffic on Michigan Avenue, it also made it difficult for those attempting to access the highway at Ionia during rush-hour. The marcher walked in a big square along Michigan, crossing at Ottawa and Ionia, making several rounds before the police told them that the next time they prevented cars from moving people would be arrested. This video gives you a better idea of how traffic was backed up on Michigan.
Police presence began at the Calder Plaza and then moved over to Michigan Avenue. The marchers were not confronted by police for the first 30 minutes, but more cops showed up and eventually threatened people with arrest if they didn’t stop making it difficult to move about.
Marchers did make it very clear that they would stop disrupting the lives of motorists when the government and law enforcement agencies would stop disrupting the lives of immigrants by detaining, arresting and deporting members of their families. People in their cars were delayed by several minutes, while immigrant families are having families members taken from them and often deported thousands of miles from loved ones. The organizers of the march wanted to make this clear to people that they will not stop with these kinds of actions until the US government stopped terrorizing the immigrant community.
Grand Rapids Acton Institute on Trump Administration’s Immigration Policies: Promoting Hate Against Immigrants
The Grand Rapids-based Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty has historically promoted Neo-Liberal Capitalist economic policies and practices, by using Christianity as its main justification.
Over the years as the Grand Rapids organization has evolved, they have expanded their scope by taking on both US foreign and domestic policy. Along with their expansion of issues, they have added more staff and more researchers to fill the expansion of their scope.
One of those added staff is Paul Bonicelli. According to the bio provided on the Acton Institute website, Bonicelli worked in the George W. Bush administration with the US Agency for International Development (USAID), often working collaboratively with the National Security Council and the State Department. Bonicelli also appears on numerous media outlets and serves as a Senior advisor to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). CSIS is a DC-based think tank board of advisors is made up of former Republican and Democratic administration cabinet members, such as Richard Armitage, William Cohen, Henry Kissinger, Leon Panetta and Brent Scowcroft, all of which have been committed to furthering US world dominance through economic and military means.
As the Director of Programs and Education for the Acton Institute, Paul Bonicelli was recently on Fox News, talking about the most recent Trump Administration Executive Orders regarding immigration. Here is the clip from Fox News. Pay attention to the language used and the calmness to which the guests and the Fox News pundit refer to immigrants as illegal and criminal.
This video commentary is indicative of the current political climate around seeing undocumented immigrants as criminal and in violation of the law. There is no discussion on why people are coming to the US and what are the factors in determining their departure from their countries of origin.
The news clip only includes two white male “experts,” which means that immigrant voices are excluded from the conversation and irrelevant when it comes to most major news outlets.
Just another example of why the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty is a dangerous organization that promotes hate and White Supremacist values. Those who live in West Michigan need to pay attention to how they influence regional and national policy debates.
New Michigan House bill would punish undocumented immigrant workers
On January 31st, House Bill 4130 was introduced, a piece of legislation that is seen by the immigrant community as another attack against those who are most vulnerable.
HB 4130, “would require public employers to verify the legal residency of employees to determine eligibility for employment through “E-Verify”. Currently, the E-Verify program is a largely voluntary program that allows employers to verify employment eligibility with the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration. This bill would make it a felony in Michigan to make a false statement about one’s work authorization, punishable by imprisonment for up to fifteen years.”
This is according to an recent campaign to defeat the legislation, a campaign that includes a simple mechanism for people to contact their state legislators.
The person who took the lead on introducing this bill, is Rep. Jim Runestad, who represents the 44th District in Michigan. Runestad has also recently come out against refugee resettlement in Michigan, thus demonstrating his opposition to immigrants and refugees, much like the current administration.
Runestad is primarily a self-financed candidate, but he also has received funds from various Political Action Committees like the Michigan Association of Realtors and Auto Dealers of Michigan.
Joining Runestad in this most recent legislative proposal to punish immigrant workers are Representatives Hank Vaupel, Tim Kelly and Peter Lucido. By clicking on their names you can get campaign finance information.
It is interesting to note that Hank Vaupel received $8,250 from the Michigan Farm Bureau PAC, which represents the agribusiness sector, a sector that relies heavily on migrant farmworkers. The question to ask them is, “who is going to do the pick crops in Michigan, under awful conditions and for little pay, if the politicians want to punish those who are undocumented?”
Again, the link to the online campaign to voice your opposition to this bill is here. However, much more will be needed to stand in solidarity with immigrant workers.
Grand Rapids Stands in Solidarity with the Water Protectors
Yesterday, about 100 people gathered at the Calder Plaza in downtown Grand Rapids to offer songs, prayers and stand in solidarity with the Water Protectors at Standing Rock.
February 22nd was the day that the Water Protectors had to leave the OCETI SAKOWIN encampment. We now know that there were several arrests of Water Protectors at the encampment. For up to date analysis and reporting on what is happening at Standing Rock, check out the reporting from Unicorn Riot, both narrative and video. 
The Grand Rapids Water is Life action began with songs and prayers being offered by members of the local Native community. Jonathan Rinehart welcomed those in attendance and provided some context for the action and what it means to the Native community. Here is a video of the open song.
After the welcoming, several Native speakers addressed the crowd, with most of them having spend a fair amount of time at Standing Rock, including Nancy Gallardo, Holly Lin Wood-Jones and Regis & Amos Ferland.
Each of these speakers had very moving stories to tell about their time at Standing Rock and why they believe that the resistance will continue and that they will win. Other Native speakers made the point that because of the resistance at Standing Rock, indigenous issues have been part of the public discourse in ways that has not happened for several decades. Words like sovereignty and treaty rights have now entered a larger part of the consciousness of Americans because Standing Rock has brought those issues to the forefront.
There were also some Native speakers who addressed environmental issues around renewable energy and how we treat the water and land. One Native speaker implored the crowd to vote with their dollars by making sure that how people spend their money or where they have their money doesn’t support oppression and exploitation. This point was emphasized, since the No DAPL campaign has been targeting the banks and other financial institutions that have provided the funds for the Dakota Access Pipeline to be built.
After the speakers were finished at the Calder Plaza, people were invited to march through downtown and to cross the river and gather again at Ah Nab Awen Park. During the march people chanted and sometimes marched in the streets. Here are a few videos of the march:
Once people reached the Ah Nab Awen Park they were invited to take some tobacco and offer up their own prayers. The tobacco was then put in the water as an offering in solidarity with those at the OCETI SAKOWIN encampment facing eviction.
Another Native speaker talked about the importance of water in Native culture and spirituality.
Once this part of the action was over, people marched back to other side of the river and ended up in front of the Chase Bank building, since JP Morgan Chase is one of the financial backers of the Dakota Access Pipeline.
The Grand Rapids Police were present throughout the entire action, but were particularly present when people gathered in front of the bank, since they anticipated that people might try to go in. This same action was attempted back in late December on the anniversary of the US Army massacre at Wounded Knee in 1890.
Grand Rapids Econ Club hosted the President of the American Enterprise Institute: The most influential Right Wing Think Tank in DC today
The President of one of the most influential right wing think tanks, the American Enterprise Institute, spoke to a crowded room at the JW Marriott in downtown Grand Rapids today.
Hosted by the Econ Club of Grand Rapids, Arthur C. Brooks, spoke to a room full of business people and other members of the power structure today about an idea they all love, which was entrepreneurship. Nothing that Brooks had to say was terribly interesting, rather it was just a 30 minute cheerleading session about how great starting businesses are.
However, the American Enterprise Institute is something worth talking about and something that everyone who cares about social justice and collective liberation ought to pay attention to.
Here are just some of the positions that the American Enterprise Institute has taken in recent decades:
- Opposes minimum wage laws and living wage campaigns
- Opposes any regulation of Wall Street
- Questions Climate Change and promotes the use of fossil fuels
- Promotes and endorses US foreign policy that perpetuates imperialism
- Was a big proponent of the US invasion/occupation of Iraq
- Endorses the privatization of public education and was a big cheerleader for Betsy DeVos
- Promotes corporate trade policies
- Opposes government welfare programs
- Opposes and makes fun of the Water Protectors at Standing Rock
Check out the information that the American Enterprise Institute has at their own site, as well as the resources available from SourceWatch to get more information on what this right wing think tank is all about.
Protecting Betsy DeVos: On the Nature and Function of Power
It has been reported in many news sources that the new Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, now is receiving protection from the US Marshal Service.
This news comes just days after Betsy DeVos was confronted by protestors who preventer her from entering a public school in Washington, DC, as can be seen in this video.
The decision to provide US Marshals to accompany Betsy DeVos, should come as no surprise to those who are familiar with the nature and function of power in US politics.
Those who have power over others, those with political and economic power, will always be the beneficiaries of protection from state agents, like the US Marshal Service. The nature and function of power in the US is such that those who have power will be protected at all costs and anyone who threatens that power will suffer the consequences.
Whether you are protestors trying to non-violently prevent a government official from entering a public school, water protectors trying to stop an oil pipeline from entering the land you care for or fast food workers fighting for a living wage, you are threatening power. When power is threatened, it will engage in various forms of repression to suppress those engaged in whatever form of resistance they chose to employ.
- When was the last time you saw cops defend people from corporate greed?
- When was the last time you saw ICE officials defend immigrants who are fleeing political or economic repression?
- When was the last time you saw an FBI agent defend those fighting against Islamophobia and hate crimes?
- When was the last time you saw a member of the Grand Rapids Police Department defend a black person from other law enforcement agents who wanted to do them harm?
The fact that Betsy DeVos is now receiving protection from federal law enforcement agents, is based upon how power functions in this society. She represents power and any threat to that power will not be tolerated.
Here we can turn to the great abolitionist Frederick Douglass, who has some very astute things to say about power, from an 1857 speech:
“This struggle may be a moral one, or it may be a physical one, and it may be both moral and physical, but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress. In the light of these ideas, Negroes will be hunted at the North and held and flogged at the South so long as they submit to those devilish outrages and make no resistance, either moral or physical. Men may not get all they pay for in this world, but they must certainly pay for all they get. If we ever get free from the oppressions and wrongs heaped upon us, we must pay for their removal. We must do this by labor, by suffering, by sacrifice, and if needs be, by our lives and the lives of others.”
Yesterday, over 1,000 people marched in Grand Rapids for immigrant rights and to send a clear message to people in power, Aqui Estamos y no, nos vamos – We are here and we are not leaving!
People gathered near a store owned by Latinos on Division, just a few blocks north of 28th street. There were a few people who spoke, which energized the crowd and then the march began at about 5:20.
There were no permits obtained, people just simply went out into the street and took up the 2 south-bound lanes on Division and the middle turn lane. People march we great enthusiasm, using horns, drums and chanting all throughout the march. One chant said, Grand Rapids, escucha, estamos en la Lucha! – Grand Rapids, Listen Up, We are in the Struggle!
There were also lots of flags being carried or waved, some American flags, but mostly Mexican and Guatemala flags. I asked a few people about why they were carry their home country flags. One person said it was because they wanted to demonstrate the pride they have in their country of origin. Another person said they were angry at the US government for wanting to build a wall along the US and Mexican border and because of the recent ICE raids being conducted in the country, even in West Michigan.
Once the march got to 28th street, those marching turned right and began going west on 28th street towards US 131. Again both west-bound lanes were taken up by marchers and the middle turn lane. Despite blocking traffic, lots of people were honking their horns in support of the march, with people waving and taking pictures with their cell phones.
Just as we crossed US 131, the march made a big u-turn and then went east-bound on 28th street, back towards division, as can be seen in the video below.
The police response to this was surprisingly slow, since the first cop cars did not appear until the march was headed back towards Division on 28th street. The police tried to block the center turn lane and get people to stay in the right two lanes, but lots of people didn’t comply, especially since we were turning left back onto Division to the place where the march began. You can see in the video below people turning onto Division and how long the march was, backed up to 28th street.
The march was the culmination of actions taken throughout the day. People were encouraged not to shop or spend money, not to go to work and to not attend classes or send their children to classes. We have as yet to know what impact the Say Without Immigrants action had economically, but we know for sure that so many students that make up the Grand Rapids Public Schools didn’t show up, forcing the GRPS administration to declare a “snow day.”
Lastly, it should be noted, that unlike the marches held out at the Kent County Airport in recent weeks, the number of allies at this march was significantly smaller.
Grand Rapids Right Wing Think Tank President Praises Betsy DeVos after Confirmation as Secretary of Education
The Acton Institute President Robert Sirico said last week on a blog post, that Betsy DeVos was the best choice for Secretary of Education. 
The blog post does acknowledge early on that the Betsy and other members of the DeVos Family have played an intricate role in supporting the work of the Acton Institute over the years.
Betsy DeVos is a former board member of the Acton Institute. She and her family also have been loyal philanthropists for the Grand Rapids, Mich., area of which Acton faithfully belongs. That written, it must be added that Acton’s relationship with the DeVos family and Betsy specifically and personally shows the passion and intellect that she brings to bear on those issues upon which she has been focused for decades. Among those issues is school choice so direly needed for students forced to suffer the failures rampant in our public schools.
However, Fr. Sirico fails to mention the vast amounts of money (over a million dollars) the DeVos family has contributed to the right wing think tanks since its founding, nor does he mention that other members of the DeVos family have served on the Acton Board or that Betsy’s mother, Elsa Prince Broekhuizen, currently serves on the Acton Board.
The founder of the Acton Institute then goes on to say:
The hue and cry from Betsy DeVos’ detractors has been, frankly, disingenuous. She has shown time and again her mastery of intricate details of the many problems facing our country, and now has an opportunity to reverse the unfortunate circumstances facing many of our nation’s public schools.
I’m not sure of her mastery of intricate details, but I do agree with Fr. Sirico that Betsy DeVos intends to reverse the circumstances of the nation’s public schools.
For a significantly different take on what Betsy DeVos’ confirmation as Secretary of Education means check out this interview by Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting that was posted last week.
Another announced land grab by GVSU means more surface parking lots
Yesterday, in an article on MLive, it was announced that Grand Valley State University would be leasing (but ultimately purchasing) 3.5 acres of land currently owned by the Louis Padnos Iron and Metal Company for $3.38 million.
The MLive article stated that GVSU would have a new surface parking lot ready for us by the 2017 Fall semester. In this arial view, it is the land/property outlined in red that will be used for parking. This decision was made by the GVSU Board of Trustees, which makes complete sense since the trustees represent monied interests throughout the state.
This is just the latest development in GVSU’s history, when it comes to their expansion through land grabs.
Ever since GVSU has had a presence on the westside, they have continued to gobble up land. This first began when the Eberhard Center was opened in 1988 in downtown Grand Rapids, along the Grand River and has continued through this most recent acquisition of land south of the downtown campus.
Other examples have been the purchase of land on Michigan Avenue for the Cook/DeVos building on the corner of Michigan and Lafayette. This process of land acquisition began when Butterworth Hospital (now Spectrum) began buying land that impacted the Belknap Neighborhood back in the 1990s.
After the mid-1990s, when over 70 homes were bull-dozed on the westside between Lake Dr. and Bridge St, it paved the way for GVSU to eventually build the larger Pew Campus and all the accompanying parking lots/structures that came with it.
More recently there is the example of the GVSU purchase of land north of 196 in the Belknap Neighborhood. This project displaced dozens of families and resulted in the demolition of numerous homes. You can see in this map, the amount of land GVSU purchased in that particular land grab.
We also took pictures last fall of the demolition, which is posted here.
So you can see that GVSU has a long history of land grabs and that the announced new surface parking lot is just the most recent. No doubt it will not be the last.
In addition, it is also important to recognize that all of the new construction that GVSU is engaging in in the downtown area and surrounding neighborhoods also makes it attractive for other investors to want to cash in on new developments in the area, including upscale apartments, more breweries and restaurants. This process creates a snow ball effect that adds to gentrification and the displacement of working class individuals and families that can no longer afford to live in the spaces that GVSU controls.
ICE Raids and the Targeting of the Immigrant Community in West Michigan
Reports are now coming in about new ICE raids taking place in some parts of the US. The Trump administration’s Executive Order around immigration, the border and deportation will likely come to many communities, like West Michigan. 
So what will we do in response? What do we need to do to be prepared? Plans in are in the works right now, but one thing we can all do is learn from what other communities have been doing, looking at best practices, strategies and tactics that we can use to mobilize people quickly to prevent harm being done to immigrant community, particularly those that are undocumented.
There are several useful toolkits being used across the country. One Rapid Response toolkit being used in New York City provides lots of great resources and uses popular media and graphics to communicate what people can do, what your rights are and how to mobilize people when needed, in both English and Spanish.
Then there are these great documents that help people understand the deportation process and who is at risk of such repression from the government. Deportation 101: A Community Resource on Anti-Deportation Education and Organizing provides solid resources, ideas and action plans, that again are both in English and Spanish.
The Immigrant Defense Project provides great ideas on what we can be working on at the local level, while we fight the federal policy. Here are a list of suggestions, resources and places that are already do good work in defense of immigrants:
• Fight for local policies to protect immigrants from deportation, including limiting ICE collaboration with law enforcement. See Local Options for Protecting Immigrants: A Collection of City & County Policies to Protect Immigrants from Discrimination and Deportation, a resource from the Immigrant Legal Resource Center. For detailed examples from NYC, see also NYC detainer & probation policy.
• Advocate for state or local funding to ensure public defenders are able to provide proper immigration advice so that immigrant clients do not suffer the harsh consequences that can stem from a criminal case, such as New York’s Regional Immigration Assistance Centers.
• Advocate for state or local funding to ensure representation in immigration court, such as the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project. See also Blazing a Trail: The Right to Counsel in Detention and Beyond, a resource from the National Immigration Law Center.
• Support campaigns against discriminatory surveillance, special registration, and data sharing. See Desis Rising Up and Moving (DRUM) and Stop LAPD Spying.
• Stand with calls for police departments to refrain from handing over immigrants with administrative warrants to ICE, such as in the initiative as part of the campaign for the IDNYC, New York’s municipal ID.
• Fight for policies to prevent ICE arrests in courthouses, such as in Kings County, Washington and Santa Clara, California.
• Stand up for policies welcoming refugees locally and nationally. See Refugee Council USA’s Post-Election Toolkit.
• Engage in efforts to establish “safe school zones”. See the National Education Association’s resources.
There is also this four page document that lays out an excellent plan for how to mobilize people quickly when an ICE raid happens or when people are questioned, detained or arrested. Again, a coalition of folks are working on something like this right now in Grand Rapids.
There is another useful toolkit prepared by the Immigrant Defense Project, called Defend Against ICE Raids and Community Arrests.
Lastly, a simple handout is being developed with a hotline for people who come in contact with ICE. What you see below is a sample of what this handout will look like, although we will have a local number for people to contact. Once people call the hotline, we will be able to mobilize the community quickly in order to resist the violence being done to individuals and families within the immigrant community. Stay tuned, as plans will be rolled out soon.
Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy 