Santa Fe activists in the hundreds gathered at the Roundhouse on Labor Day, September 1, to demonstrate their support for workers over billionaires.
The Rally for Collective Action, organized by Indivisible Santa Fe along with a consortium of other grassroots groups,* was part of a nationwide May Day Strong protest that saw over a thousand towns and cities across America standing up to protect the rights of labor and immigrants.
Crowds joined in singing resistance anthems like “We Shall Not Be Moved” and “This Little Light of Mine” near the entry to the state capitol as speakers outlined a strategy for throwing sand into the gears of ICE.
Participants were asked to canvass local businesses–the places where they shop, get their car repaired, restaurants they frequent and so forth–and ask the proprietors to post signs on their door or front window declaring that Everyone Is Welcome Except ICE. (If you missed out on getting materials to canvass with, go here to download a printable sign and brochures and to get a handout on what to do with them.)
Indivisible Santa Fe Ambassadors wearing blue shirts (like me) circulated through the attendees explaining the purpose. Businesses that display a sign stipulate that areas where employees work (break rooms, storage units, kitchens, offices, etc.) are off limits to law enforcement. ICE cannot legally enter these spaces without a judicial warrant signed by a state or federal judge. When stores begin to display these signs all around Santa Fe it will offer practical, legal protection for at-risk workers who might otherwise be scooped up by ICE in their random and indiscriminate dragnets. And when the signs start to pop up all around the Santa Fe Plaza, on Canyon Road, and in local hotels, it will be a visible demonstration of the entire community rallying around our most vulnerable neighbors and saying a collective “No” to Trump’s cruel war on immigrants.
So this rally was different from earlier demonstrations like Hands-Off in April or No Kings in June. In those events, Indivisible wanted to turn out massive numbers of people into the streets to express their vocal opposition to the current regime’s assault on the rule of law. Our Labor Day Rally asked attendees to take their anger a step further, to begin recruiting local business owners to join the effort to defend democracy.
The rally, which began promptly at 10 am, ended right on time ninety minutes later. But it wasn’t really an end, just the beginning of broadening and strengthening our base. As Santa Fe businesses join this campaign for Signs of Solidarity, we will give them a public shout out and encourage you to patronize their establishments. Stay engaged and stay tuned!
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
*Thanks to co-sponsors of the Labor Day Rally including GET Indivisible, Indivisible SOS, NOW Santa Fe Chapter, Veterans for Peace Santa Fe Chapter, Third Act New Mexico, DSA Santa Fe, Santa Fe Better Together, and the Democratic Party of Santa Fe County.
