Our Unjust Immigration System: Why My Arrest Was Too Easy
Guest Post by Melanie Van Orden, Manhattan leader & Faith Over Fear Civil Disobedience participant I was arrested on Thursday, March 16th during a protest in New York City regarding our unjust immigration system as part of the Faith Over Fear Week of Action & Resistance. The arrest was expected. I had signed up for it. Faith in New York coordinated the protest and asked 4th Universalist members, among many other congregations, to stand with them. Nine of us attended the protest and three volunteered to be a part of the planned arrests. Faith in New York provided extensive training on what to expect when being arrested, as well as directly communicating and coordinating with the police, lining up free legal support (shout out to Legal Aid Society and National Lawyers Guild!), a post-jail support team to welcome us immediately upon release from the precinct, and giving us assurances of a quick release. I was prepped so well that I went into the civil disobedience unafraid of any consequences, but what I experienced went so much deeper than a fun way to protest. We were arrested for blocking traffic in front of 201 Varick Street, which is an unmarked immigration detention center here in New York. There were 28 people arrested in all, with hundreds of our fellow protesters watching from the sidewalks. The jail support team from Faith in New York...
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