Emergency solidarity march and rally for threatened immigrant workers at Tom Cat Bakery fighting ICE
Long Island City, N.Y. — Workers, elected officials and community supporters rallied outside Tom Cat Bakery Wednesday to protest the threatened mass firing of dozens of immigrant workers following a Department of Homeland Security investigation. As members of a non-profit organization called Brandworkers, the workers decided to stand united and call for resistance from around the country.
Last weekend, there was an emergency meeting in Long Island City, Queens. Members of Brandworkers who are employees at Tom Cat Bakery have been told by owners that ICE has given them a certain timeline to provide their employees worker status or be fired. It is uncertain if the owners have made this up in order to fire organized workers (who have won 3 disputes with them), if owners themselves called ICE, or if this is a new tactic by the administration.
Last weekend, there was an emergency meeting in Long Island City, Queens. Members of Brandworkers who are employees at Tom Cat Bakery have been told by owners that ICE has given them a certain timeline to provide their employees worker status or be fired. It is uncertain if the owners have made this up in order to fire organized workers (who have won 3 disputes with them), if owners themselves called ICE, or if this is a new tactic by the administration.
Workers here have deep roots in Queens, mostly over 10 years, with children who are born here. Legal support may have exhausted all legal avenues other than arranging custody of children with consulates and have decided to call on allies to make sure this is a flashpoint - much like JFK protests - that may ripple into change nationally.
The Trump administration has made it a corner-stone of its fascistic platform to harasses, deport, and incarcerate immigrants at an unprecedented rate. DHS and ICE have been raiding homes and workplaces at an increasing pace. One such workplace in NYC is under attack. However, rather than accept their fate and allow their friends and families to be torn apart by these policies, these people have chosen to fight back.
The workers are asking for all those who support their struggle to stand with them as they assert their collective power and refuse to cooperate with the bigoted edicts of the United States government.
Quotes from the organizers:
"This country stands at a cross-roads between fascism and total liberation. Only through our uncompromising will to fight can we relegate fascism to the trash can of history, and move forward to building a new world in which everyone can live with dignity. We call on all pro-immigrant, anti-ICE, anti-fascist militants and activists of all stripes to come together to support this action."
"What we know is that one of these raids will become a national flashpoint, much like JFK protests and the airport protests that followed. Those actions started in Queens NYC, the most diverse place on earth, home to immigrants. And we can think of no other place to begin the next national flashpoint around raids and employer collusion in sanctuary cities."
#Activism #DeportICE #ErikMcGregor #HereToStay #humanrights #ICEfreeNY #ImmigrantNY #immigration #LoveTrumpsHate #MuslimBan #MuslimRights #NewYork #Ni1Mas #NoBan #NoHumanIsIlegal #Not1More #NotMyPresident #NoWall #NYC #PeacefulProtest #PeacefulResistance #RefugeesWelcome #refusefascism #RejectPresidentElect #resist #ResistHere #ResistTrump #revolution #RiseAndResist #SanctuaryCity #Solidarity #StopDeportations #StopICEraids #StopTheHate #TomCatBakery #Trump #WorkerRights #WorkingFamiliesParty
© Erik McGregor - erikrivas@hotmail.com - 917-225-8963
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