Bear witness, mourn, and organize for Justice for Johan, Lorenzo, & everyone
We grieve the recent ICE killings of Johan Sebastián Guerrero and Lorenzo Salgado Araujo. We bear witness to their families, loved ones, and all who are carrying fear, anger, and heartbreak in the wake of this violence.
On the same day that ICE shot and killed Johan in Maine last week, over a hundred faith leaders gathered at Delaney Hall immigrant detention center in New Jersey demanding the closure of the facility run by The GEO Group.
Amidst the egregious violence and massive surge in ICE abductions, this is what we do: we show up publicly with our values to stop systems of incarceration and punishment and to build a future where every person is held in care, dignity, and safety.
This kind of sustained, faithful, and strategic organizing works: last week, as the De-ICE Citizens Bank campaign shared, “Citizens Bank announced that it will exit its credit agreements with private prison giants CoreCivic and The GEO Group. This is an incredible win for everyone who refused to let a major bank finance the human suffering caused by ICE detention.”
We invite you to join the opportunities below to bear witness, take action, and help build the beloved community that our faith calls us to create.
Attend or Hold a vigil on or around Saturday, July 25 –Justice for Lorenzo. Justice for Johan. Justice for All. ICE Out Day of Action. These vigils will honor their lives, tell the truth, and press leaders to act.
Toolkit from organizing at Delaney Hall: Hear Their Cries!
Faith leaders, congregations, and organizations can sign on to this letter from the Interfaith Immigration Coalition, and use their toolkit for more actions.
Love and care,
UUSI
The UU Solidarity Initiative is a nationally coordinated effort of UU and UU-adjacent organizations to provide resources and opportunities to build strong communities of solidarity with immigrant communities who are under attack. Our core members currently are BorderLinks, Unitarian Universalist Association, UUA Side With Love, UUMA, UURISE, UUSC, UUSJ, and the UU State Action Networks. Learn more and sign up for updates here.
