On Jan. 30, an estimated 900 people gathered at the Riverside Historic Courthouse before marching to the Cheech Marin Center in downtown Riverside to engage in the nationwide “No business as usual” general strike.
Student groups at the University of Minnesota, including the Somali, Black, Liberian and Ethiopian Student Associations, issued the initial call for a strike following an increased presence of Department of Homeland Security law enforcement, particularly U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in the city. The action came in the wake of the fatal shootings of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, among others.
A statement published on nationalshutdown, a website created and endorsed by organizing associations to aid in the coordination of the strikes, stated, “The people of the Twin Cities have shown the way … ICE, Border Patrol, and other enforcers of Trump’s racist agenda are going into our communities … It is time for us to all stand up together in a nationwide shutdown and say enough is enough!”
To participate, organizers urged citizens to not work, go to school or shop but instead protest in their communities.
The demonstration in Riverside was organized by the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) Inland Empire, a local branch of the PSL, which advocates for developing the socialist movement in the U.S.
On Jan. 29, PSL and other organizations, such as the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice (IC4IJ) and United Auto Workers Local 4811 (UAW 4811), with the endorsement of Riverside city councilwoman Clarissa Cervantes, hosted a press conference with eight speakers to call for locals to contribute.
The protest officially began at 3 p.m. with majority PSL organizers and teenagers who had been participating in a walk out. More people filled in over time, many carrying signs, musical instruments such as drums and tambourines, flags and wearing political attire to express their reasons for attending.
Jeremy Subriar, a local and citizen with Tejon Indigenous roots, brought a Native American movement flag and a bundle of burning white sage to “soothe the mood.”
He explained how, as an Indigenous man, he feels his community is threatened by ICE. “We have a very diverse tribe, but a lot of them look like somebody ICE could target … I think ICE is the Gestapo, I mean, they’re not killing people yet, in mass numbers I should say, but they are lawless … They are very dangerous.”
Also in attendance were Breanna Ramirez and her two elementary-aged daughters. Ramirez shared that as a mother and wife of an immigrant, she felt it was important to take a personal stance. “I just know that it will come to their schools eventually, and I am standing up here, exercising our First Amendment right, teaching my kids,” she stated.
Others, such as a local teacher who wished to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, shared that she decided to attend with her drum because of the effects she has seen that ICE’s presence has had on her school. “My students every day are terrified of ICE,” she said. “They talk to me, we have families in our community deported, and you know I see their fear, so I’m out here today to show solidarity, participate, make some noise.”
The crowd began its march towards the Cheech Marin Center at 4:22 p.m. As they marched, passing cars honked their horns while others stationed by the crowd passed out water bottles.
Shepherding participants along, PSL organizer Juan Mereles explained how his longtime residency in the city gave him insight into how he perceived the turnout as particularly impactful. “I grew up in this area, and for so much of my life growing up, we were always told if you want political action, if you want to protest, you go to LA because the Inland Empire doesn’t protest … to see hundreds of, honestly, maybe damn near 1000 people here today has been incredibly inspiring,” he said.
Through the entirety of the event, organizers led the crowds in a series of chants aimed at denouncing ICE and uplifting citizens, such as “up with the people, down with ICE,” “Who’s streets, our streets,” “no hatred, no fear, immigrants are welcome here” and “¡El pueblo unido jamás será vencido! the people united will never be defeated,” among others.
The protest disbanded soon after 5 p.m. and throughout the event, Riverside Police officers were stationed around the crowd.
Neither the police department nor the city released any statements regarding the demonstration. The police department posted an announcement on their Instagram account stating that they closed their station early at 1:30 p.m. Some commenters speculated that it may have been related to the protest, but it was not confirmed.
