(East Haven) Due to numerous complaints of harassment against people of color by the East Haven Police Department, over 130 Connecticut residents gathered together Saturday afternoon on Main Street to demand justice and an end to racial profiling and border patrols*. Organized by members of Unidad Latina en Accion, participants marched peacefully in 90 degree heat, one mile down Main Street to the center of town. Along the way, black, brown & white marchers from across CT united together and chanted, “no justice, no peace” and “hey hey, ho-ho, these racist cops have got to go” to the beat of make-shift drums. As the march approached the center of town, the group was met by several members of the Massachusetts based white supremacist group, New England White Pride. The police barely provided a buffer between the two groups and tensions were rising. A shouting match ensued and soon escalated into a fight between one of the marchers, and a white supremacist from New Haven. Both parties were arrested by police after the brief scuffle, and the march continued to the town green where several speakers spoke about the need to stand together against injustice wherever it shows.
In addition to the neo-nazis, 40 or so town residents also organized a counter-protest across the street from the town green in support of the East Haven police. Some of the residents tried to distance themselves from the racists by telling reporters that “this isn’t about racism”, but at the same time were screaming “go back to where you came from” at the marchers. And one visibly angered counter-protester even told a women carrying a Puerto Rican flag to “shove it where the sun don’t shine”. Several marchers still angered by the presence of the white supremacists, continued to shout back and forth to the chagrin of the “peace marshals” charged with keeping things from getting confrontational. Around 2pm, the protesters walked back past the white supremacists without incident, the one mile to hear a final speech by Emma Jones, the mother of Malik Jones who was needlessly gunned down by East Haven police in 1997 and has been fighting for racial justice ever since. Emma thanked the marchers for keeping the memory of her son alive by continuing to speak out against police violence. She also spoke about how “all oppressions are linked” and told the crowd that “we have to make a firm commitment, that we are united” in the face of those that would try to divide us. And finally, after raising about $450, several friends and family of the marcher that was arrested earlier, headed to the police station in a show of jail solidarity.
*Several residents have expressed concern that when crossing over the border between New Haven and East Haven, they are stopped by police. Because while New Haven police are not allowed to inquire about immigration status, East Haven police do not have that restriction.
To get involved or for more info, contact: Unidad Latina at 203-606-3484 or via Email: ulaccion@gmail.com or ulaccion@yahoo.com
This was an action about racial profiling as well as police collaboration with ICE. People have been pulled over because of their appearance, handed over to ICE and had deportation proceedings initiated.
Great rally all around. One really encouraging and interesting thing was the presence of a representative form the Dept. of Justice. He marched to the town hall and back with on the sidewalk as an observer. I can’t help to wonder what the treatment from the police (which was generally helpful) would have been otherwise.
There’s another good report back at the NH Independent with some videos (http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/2009/08/new_haveners_cr.php#comments)
(From an email I sent out the other day)
Several hundred people of diverse backgrounds marched down Main St. in East Haven to protest racial profiling and police collaboration with ICE. Toward the end of the march, a fight broke out between a young Puerto Rican mother pushing a stroller and a 17-year old white woman, demonstrating with about a dozen members of New England White Pride, who were masked, dressed in black, flying black flags with “White Pride Worldwide” inscribed in white with the iron cross. Both were arrested and charged with several misdermeanors including third degree assault and interfering with a police officer, and were released on a Promiste to Appear agreement. The police created vritually no line between the two groups, and the protest marshals were unable to prevent the clash. As it occured, the marshals were mainly concerned with preventing a melee by keeping our side away.
As the protest went to leave en masse, the police refused to force the fascists back, and the marshals were forced to fill in the very large gaps that the police left open between the two groups by creating a line of marshals holding hands. We managed to leave without incident.
In the future we need to be prepared for physical confrontation. Either marshals need to be able to protect protest participants, or we need to be much better organized as affinity groups within the crowd to spring into action when these confrontations occur. If we had several affinity groups of at least a half-dozen each we could have easily pre-empted the fascists and driven them from the area with minimal risk of injury or arrest, long before the march ever reached the area.
STAMP OUT FASCISM