Protesters take part in an action at the Suffolk County corrections facility in Boston on April 24, 2017. (Credit: Cosecha)
Since election night 2016, the streets of the US have rung with resistance. People all over the country have woken up with the conviction that they must do something to fight inequality in all its forms. But many are wondering what it is they can do. In this ongoing “Interviews for Resistance” series, experienced organizers, troublemakers and thinkers share their insights on what works, what doesn’t, what has changed and what is still the same. Today’s interview is the 34th in the series. Click here for the most recent interview before this one.
Today we bring you a conversation with Gloribell Mota, an organizer with Neighbors United for a Better East Boston who is serving as the Boston coordinator for Movimiento Cosecha’s May Day event.
Sarah Jaffe: You had a pretty dramatic action last Monday in Boston. Can you tell us about it?
Gloribell Mota: Yes, on Monday we had an action at the Suffolk County Correctional Facility that is also held as a detention center. The [facility] had about 200 detainees at the time and we have seen a wave of [targeting], but it is just kind of a continuation of detaining immigrants for one reason…. Young activists that are part of organizing in Vermont, and Sully and Alex and Enrique who had been fighting for immigrant rights, were detained. Two have been released, but one is still being detained.
This is part of a larger thing — that we just no longer can settle for more detainees and deportations in this manner at all, and we want permanent protections for all. This action where 20 people got arrested, there were over a hundred folks there over two hours just really wanting to send a message but even more, hoping that we could shut down the detention center and stop deportation and really do permanent protections and immigration reform for all.
(Credit: Cosecha)
Tell us a little bit about how that action came…