Protests in Oakland defeat Trump’s major ICE operation

Oakland, CA – On October 23, Trump rushed over 100 federal agents, in a long-threatened “surge” operation, to occupy the San Fransico Bay Area. So, the Community Service Organization, the Oakland Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and over 500 Oakland residents mobilized for an emergency “Ice Out of the Bay” rally and march to take the fight directly to ICE and Border Patrol at the U.S. Coast Guard base where they were stationed.

Trump had warned and later recanted the takeover of San Francisco, but no such promise was made to spare Oakland. The Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity was flashbanged, run over by Customs and Border Patrol trucks, and Reverend Jorge Bautistathe was shot in the face with pepper rounds at the bridge connecting Oakland to the Coast Guard base island.

A mile away, in the plaza of the Fruitvale district, home to Oakland’s largest Chicano/Latino community, protesters gathered in the afternoon. Danny Celaya, with the Community Service Organization of Oakland, started the program by welcoming supporters and introducing speakers.

Romaine Charite, who represented the Oakland branch of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, started with a speech calling the president’s assault on the birthplace of the Black Panther Party “An attack on democratic institutions, an attack on the Chicano/Latino movement for legalization, and an attack on the political power of African Americans who are fed up with white supremacy.” Charite also tied the use of federal agents to crush the Black Liberation Movement, such as during the George Floyd Uprisings under Trump’s last term.

Eve Wallace from the Oakland district of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization said, “It is only through our commitment, our bravery to stand up against oppression, and our willingness to build organizations of working-class people to fight back will we ever achieve our shared liberation.”

After the speeches, the people took to the streets, marching half an hour to the military base to the chorus of “Raza si, Migra no!” and “All power to the people. No human is illegal,” with cheers and car honks from neighbors.

The community then came face-to-face with the Coast Guard, who were already lined up and armed along the entrance of the bridge. ICE was suddenly nowhere to be seen. The tense two-hour standoff had protesters screaming at the soldiers who were part of the attacks earlier in the day aiding ICE. Several times, the troops attempted to isolate and push back protesters. They failed, as Oaklanders in their hundreds grew too large and ungovernable. As night fell, the Coast Guard retreated far back into the bridge. The crowd cheered, “We’ll be back.”

The next morning, the city’s mayor, Barbara Lee, confirmed that Trump’s operation was canceled for the entire San Francisco Bay Area.

#OaklandCA #CA #ImmigrantRights #OAARPR #OCSO