“We invite you to join this call for the community to come together to help build the movement to defend our neighbors.”
Community Organizations Call on California Legislators and Governor Jerry Brown to Make California a Sanctuary State
In light of Trump’s very real threats against immigrants, many people are calling for cities that have sanctuary resolutions or ordinances in place (that prevent local officials from reporting undocumented residents to ICE) to recommit to those policies (and, of course, for cities that don’t have such a resolution to pass one).
At its meeting on November 29th, the Oakland City Council reaffirmed that Oakland is a sanctuary city. The Council also committed to work toward California standing up to Trump’s threats to cut federal funding by declaring itself a sanctuary state. This is crucial because a lot of the potential cuts to federal funding could fall most heavily on the working people of Oakland and California’s other large cities.
In the face of deportations, harassment, and growing threats of violence, the immigrant, Muslim, Latino and other targeted communities, including all People of Color, LGBTQ, women and people with disabilities are experiencing stress and fear not seen since the 
days of Jim Crow. Children are having difficulty in school as parents seek to reassure them.
California is in a unique position in its ability to honor its diversity and protect its residents from the harm that may come under the new regime which seeks to disempower whole categories of people. A statewide resolve to not give in to the pressure on sanctuary cities would have a much better likelihood of preventing the threatened cuts and protecting Oaklanders and all California residents.
For more information and to get involved, please contact Jose Dorado of the Latino Task Force,joseadorado48@gmail.com, 510-326-4810, Sharon Rose, Co-chair, Block by Block Organizing Network (info@bbbon.net) or Pamela Drake, pamelaadrake@gmail.com, 510-593-3721.
Supporters* as of December 4, 2016 (partial list):
| Jesse Arreguín Mayor elect, Berkeley
Jose Artiga Exec. Dir., SHARE Foundation Rev. Debra Avery First Presbyterian Church of Oakland Joe Brooks Brotherhood of Elders Josie Camacho Exec. Sec.-Treas., Alameda Labor Council Keith Carson Alameda County Supervisor Jose Cartagena Nat’l Network of Salvadorans in the Exterior Oscar Chacon Exec. Dir., Alianza de las Americas Paul R. Chavez Exec. Dir., Centro Legal de la Raza Carroll Fife, Oakland Justice Coalition Rabbi David Cooper Kehilla Synagogue Andreas Cluver Building Trades Union Jose Dorado Latino Task Force Pamela Drake and Jack Kurzweil Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club Shanthi Gonzales Director, OUSD Board Katherine Grije Genesis rst Cong. Church Oakland |
Rashidah Grinage Coal. for Police Accountability
George Holland Chair Oakland NAACP Deborah Lee Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity Mirna Medina Somos Familia Gus Newport former Mayor, Berkeley Rabbi Jaqueline Mates-Muchin Temple Sinai Fred Pecker Sec. Treas. ILWU local 6 Jean Quan former Mayor, Oakland Sharon Rose Block by Block Organizing Network Tulio Serrano Committee of Central American Refugees Angela Sambrano La Red Mexicana Pastor J. Alfred Smith Jr. Allen Temple Baptist Church Deacon Reginald Lyles Jr, Allen Temple Tony Thurmond Assemblymember Rosie Torres Director, OUSD Board Gus Newport, former Mayor of Berkeley Malia Vella Alameda City Councilmember elect BWOPA, Black Women Organized for Political Action |
Let’s just make California “North Mexico”. You can leave the States and have Mexico govern you. The rest of the United States do not share your beliefs. We can build a wall around your border. Then the rest of us will be happy.
Hi Kay,
I’m curious about your answer since 1) the majority of Americans when polled are in favor of a woman’s right to chose, equal rights for LGBTQ folks, gun control, protection of Medicare, among others, and 2) voted for Hillary Clinton by a good sized percentage.
It is true that a strong strain of racism towards people of color and blaming immigrants rather than corporations runs through communities including California. But some Californians would like to secede. I presumed that most Americans would not let the most populous state with the most successful economy, 6th largest in the world, leave without a fight but I was told that many folks don’t know that. We pay more than we get back in federal taxes along with most of the other Blue states. What makes you so anxious to see us go?