By VASHTI HARRIS
Staff Writer
SOUTH RIVER — Armed with colorful signs, whistles, flags and their voices, protesters gathered in front of South River police headquarters to form a peaceful march in response to the nationwide “A Day Without Immigrants” movement.
Comprised of local workers, their children and business owners, the protesters were accompanied by police officers as they marched up three streets on Feb. 16, ultimately ending their harmonious march back in front of police headquarters at 61 Main St.
“A Day Without Immigrants” was a nationwide boycott where protesters rallied together in direct response to President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda and to highlight the contributions immigrants bring to their local communities.
“Today is called ‘A Day Without Immigrants’ so we are here because we have a voice too and we count. We want all families to be kept together and every kid matters, so that is a really big thing for everybody here. Most of the businesses in South River are closed today so this is good [to see support from] everybody,” protest organizer Erina Da Silva said.
The movement not only consisted of protests, but many businesses remained closed, and parents took their children out of school for the day as a form of boycotting and a way to show their solidarity with the movement.
“We are very proud today, and I want to thank everyone who came out today to help make this protest possible. [About] 80 percent of the businesses on Main Street shut down today and we are happy. We are not going to let government or President Trump scare us,” protest organizer Alejandro Cruz said.
Before the protesters began their march, drivers passing by honked their honks to show their support. During the march, protesters held signs that read: “We are workers not criminals,” “Latinos make America great” and “Kids matter.”
Throughout the march, protesters consistently blew on whistles and yelled out a chant in Spanish.
“More than a 100 kids are off today [in response to the movement] and we are very happy because the [Spanish-speaking] people now are saying that we are here and our voices count,” Da Silva said.
On Feb. 15, protest organizers had attended the police department’s first Coffee with a Cop event, where they informed the police that they would be forming a peaceful protest in front of police headquarters the following day.
After learning about the intended protest, police informed residents through a Nixle alert about the march, warning drivers and residents that the protest would be starting at 3 p.m.
“We attended the Coffee with a Cop event, and we [informed] police what we were planning on doing today and how to [go about] making everything possible, so we followed the rules and they said they would help us as much as possible. I want to thank the police department so much for helping us make this protest possible today,” Cruz said.
The South River Police Department said the protest was peaceful and controlled.
“We are free. We are not afraid today to talk and walk because we have the police who are supporting us,” Cruz said.
Contact Vashti Harris at vharris@gmnews.com.
