(BCN) – More than a dozen political and community leaders gathered at Oakland City Hall Thursday to criticize the arrival of federal agents and urge people to remain calm in the face of what they described as President Donald Trump’s latest provocation.
During a press conference led by Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, a real-life figure from East Bay leadership responded to the arrival of federal agents on Coast Guard Island at the mouth of the Oakland River. She told me she held the gathering as a show of regional unity in the face of the federal government’s “escalating rhetoric and enforcement stance” in the Bay Area.
“These federal actions are not about public safety,” Lee said. “These are political ploys aimed at division and intimidation. Auckland will not take the bait. We will remain calm, focused and united,” he added.
She added: “We will not allow foreigners to cause chaos.”
She told me that despite the fact that Trump has apparently canceled a National Guard “surge” planned for this weekend in San Francisco, she doesn’t know what his plans are for Oakland and nearby communities.
“There is no information we can give you today to inform you of the plans we have in place, but we are moving forward with our plans and we are ready,” said Lee, who described the situation as “very fluid.”
Alameda County District Attorney Ursula Jones-Dixon and Oakland Assistant Police Chief James Bear said they want to make sure people know their departments do not assist federal immigration agencies and do not collect information about people’s immigration status.
They also said local law enforcement is unable to prevent federal agents from operating in the community, although Perry said his officers will always wear distinctive uniforms and present their police credentials to members of the public.
“If anyone attempts to enter your home or detain you and is not wearing uniform or presenting official credentials, please call 911 immediately,” he said.
OUSD is a sanctuary district, within a sanctuary city within a sanctuary state, said Dennis Sadler, superintendent of the Oakland Unified School District.
“We proudly stand with our students, families and neighbors no matter where they come from or what language they speak,” Sadler said. “We do not need outside forces or agents coming into our city to intimidate, bully or break up our families.”
In a letter to district families on Wednesday, OUSD officials said district employees are prohibited from sharing information about anyone’s immigration status and that immigration agents are not allowed on school campuses unless they have a warrant signed by a judge that has been reviewed by OUSD’s legal team.
Alameda County Supervisor Nikki Fortunato Bass, who was there with Supervisor Elissa Marquez, said she and Marquez are daughters of immigrants, and noted that about a third of the county’s population are immigrants or refugees.
“My parents came from the Philippines looking for economic opportunity, and my grandparents came to escape a dictator in the Philippines, a dictator who was overthrown by the People Power Movement, and part of my message today is that an organized society is a safe society,” Fortunato Bass said.
This year, she said, the county allocated $7 million to enhance services for immigrants and refugees while increasing enforcement of federal immigration laws, including funding for the Alameda County Immigration Legal and Education Partnership to expand the county’s rapid response hotline to seven days a week.
“We have witnessed our neighborhoods become unstable, our families separated, and we have seen the cruelty of the federal government become a reality for our communities,” said Lourdes Martinez of the legal aid organization Centro Legal de la Raza.
She urged people to remain proud of their heritage and remain united in the face of increased federal law enforcement activity that encourages agents to racially profile people based on their skin color, language and occupation.
“Our culture and heritage are not political,” Martinez said. “They are who we are. They are our heritage. They are our families and ancestors. They are our identities and that is what makes us strong and we must continue to remain proud and united in who we are.”
She also said people should know their rights, including the right to remain silent and keep their doors closed to any law enforcement agent without a signed warrant from a judge. Pastor Michael McBride of The Way Christian Center in East Oakland addressed the president directly.
“We are not in an emergency, you are an emergency,” McBride said. “We are not a city of chaos and anarchy. Donald Trump, you are the agent of chaos. You are the wrecking ball that has been unleashed in our city, in this state and this country.”
“Unlike the East Wing of the White House, the walls of Oakland will not collapse easily,” he said.
People who have seen, interacted with, or been detained by immigration officials can call the Alameda County Immigration Legal Education Partnership hotline at (510) 241-4011.
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