On May 1st, thousands are expected to strike, close businesses, take kids from school, and march in Waukesha, Wisconsin
Over 100 businesses are expected to close (partial list here)
Who: Voces de la Frontera, Youth Empowered in the Struggle, thousands of immigrant workers & business owners, students, families, religious leaders, elected officials and candidates, community supporters
What: Day without Latinxs & Immigrants general strike and statewide march in Waukesha, Wisconsin to Stop 287g
When: Tuesday, May 1st, 10AM CST – 12PM CST
Where: Marchers gather at Cutler Park in Waukesha, Wisconsin starting at 10am and march to the Waukesha County Courthouse (515 W Moreland Blvd in Waukesha). There will be programs at the park and at the courthouse.
Pre-march coverage opportunies: Students will rally at 7:15am at Riverside University High School in Milwaukee (1615 E Locust St, Milwaukee, WI 53211) before boarding buses to Waukesha.
Community members will gather and board buses at the following locations and times throughout Wisconsin:
Milwaukee— Depart at 9am from 1027 S 5th St.
Milwaukee Riverwest neighborhood— Depart at 9am, Public House, 815 E Locust St.
Madison— Depart at 8:30am from 810 W Badger Rd.
Abbotsford— Depart at 6am, 112 Spruce St
Appleton— Depart at 6:30am, 621 Lawrence St
Green Bay— Depart at 7:30am, 1221 Bellevue St
Hartford— Depart at 8:30am, 28 E Jackson St
Lake Geneva— Depart at 9am, Piggly Wiggly, 100 E Geneva Square
Racine— Depart at 8:30am, 2100 Layard Ave
Sheboygan— Depart at 7:30am, La Conquistadora, 1218 Indiana Ave
Manitowoc— Depart at 7:45am, Park and Ride at corner of Frontage Rd and S 44th St
Wausau— Depart at 6am, 406 Grant St
West Bend– Depart at 8am, Park and Ride on Park Drive behind Menards
WAUKESHA, WISCONSIN – May 1st is a national day of action for immigrant rights, and dozens of cities are expected to hold marches to protest the Trump Administration’s cruel crackdown on immigrant communities. In Wisconsin, immigrant community members are organizing a Day without Latinxs & Immigrants general strike and statewide march in Waukesha to demand Waukesha County Sheriff Eric Severson to not turn his deputies into ICE agents through the 287g program.
Over 100 businesses are expected to close in solidarity (partial list here), students at over a dozen schools will leave class, and buses will come from dozens of cities (gathering times and locations here) to join the Waukesha march, which starts at 10am from Cutler Park and will end with a rally in front of the Waukesha County Courthouse starting at 11:15. Elected officials and candidates including Randy Bryce are expected to march as well.
Sheriff Severson signed the 287g agreement with ICE in February of this year. On Wednesday, April 25th, Severson announced that his deputies will receive 287g ICE training from June 13 through July 18, 2018. The Trump Administration has massively expanded the number of local sheriff’s and police departments with 287g agreements nationwide from 29 in 2016 to 76 today, as part of an unprecedented effort to turn local law enforcement into an arm of Trump’s campaign of terror against immigrant families. Click here to see video of a press conference held by organizers on Thursday at the Waukesha County Courthouse.
Since 2016, statewide “Day without Latinxs & Immigrants” strike actions in Wisconsin have defeated 287g in Milwaukee County and stopped proposed anti-sanctuary bills in the state legislature.
Co-sponsors of the day’s actions include Casa de Esperanza, SOPHIA, Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association (MTEA), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, American Federation of Teachers Local 212, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, 9 to 5, Hmong American Women’s Association, Citizen Action Wisconsin, Manitowoc Human Rights Coalition, Progressive Moms of Milwaukee, and the Wisconsin Working Families Party.
Voces de la Frontera is a membership-based community organization led by low-wage workers, immigrants and students, whose mission is to protect and expand civil rights and workers’ rights through leadership development and community organizing. Voces’ student arm is Youth Empowered in the Struggle (YES). To learn more visit vdlf.org
