Wednesday night, August 14, a guard at a for-profit ICE Detention Center in Central Falls, Rhode Island drove a truck into a group of peaceful protesters from an organization called Never Again Action. Then a squad of prison guards came out and pepper sprayed them. Five people were hospitalized, including one person with a fractured leg. Those protesting were mostly Jewish community members demonstrating against the for-profit prison's contract with ICE and the inhumane and immoral immigration policies. Click here to read the NPR report and watch the disturbing video.

Never Again Action emphasizes that these assaults are just a small example of the horrifying violence that ICE uses against our immigrant neighbors every day.

To show support and solidarity, please read and consider signing this petition from Never Again Action calling for the closure of the Wyatt Detention Center and the immediate release of all ICE detainees.

August 20, 2019 "talking points" from Never Again Action organizers:

• We are grateful that the five injured protesters have all been released from the hospital, but our thoughts are also with the people locked inside The Wyatt in horrible conditions without access to medical care. The violence that #JewsAgainstICE protesters experienced was a small example of the violence that ICE uses against our immigrant neighbors every day.
• We appreciate the decision by Wyatt Detention Facility to place Captain Woodworth on leave, and by the state to open an investigation, but we also call for the governor and attorney general of Rhode Island to open a broader investigation into the unsafe and inhumane conditions at Wyatt Detention, where over 100 asylum seekers are currently being detained.
• Violence at the hands of law enforcement is an all-too-common reality for many people of color in the U.S., and rarely do the perpetrators face swift consequences like Captain Woodworth did in this case.

Lights for Liberty: A Vigil to End Human Concentration Camps
Friday, July 12, 6:30-7:30pm*
Lytton Plaza, Corner of Emerson St. and University Ave., Palo Alto

Be part of a worldwide movement to protect the sacred principle that ALL HUMAN BEINGS HAVE A RIGHT TO LIFE, LIBERTY AND DIGNITY, and to protest the inhumane and immoral conditions faced by refugees and immigrants.

Our gathering will include prayers from diverse faith traditions, singing, and a quiet vigil holding signs of solidarity as part of the Lights for Liberty: A Vigil to End Human Concentration Camps movement across the nation and around the globe. Some signs will be provided and you are welcome to bring your own. You may also bring your own congregational banner, to indicate the support of your faith community.

*We begin and end the program early to include our Jewish members' observance of Shabbat, which starts at 8:12pm. 

Give me your tired, your poor,
your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
the wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift up my lamp beside the golden door.
--Emma Lazarus, as inscribed on the Statue of Liberty

Please visit our Facebook event page, tell us you are coming, and SHARE WIDELY!!!

If your congregation, organization or community would like to be listed as a co-sponsor, please contact us at info@multifaithpeace.org.

Monday, June 3, 7:30pm
Congregation Etz Chayim
4161 Alma St., Palo Alto

Rabbi Shelly Lewis, artist Kim Howard, and graphic designer Rashida Basrai have collaborated on three books in a continuing series about respecting and celebrating the other. The newest collection of adventures set in Jerusalem, Even More Mini Adventures in Jerusalem, follows Mini Adventures in Jerusalam, and More Mini Adventures in Jerusalem. The tales describe how Ahmed and Mati (pictured above by artist Howard), two miniature young heroes, sometimes find themselves in tight places as they learn about each other.

The panel of three will speak about their experiences working together based on shared values. While selections from the book will be read, this is an adult event. 

We at Multifaith Voices for Peace and Justice are deeply concerned about the proposal that the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors roll back the “Civil Detainer” Policy, a pro-immigrant policy that residents of our county have been deeply proud of since its passage in 2011, assuring that our local law enforcement officers would not collaborate with ICE in its treatment of immigrants. This policy has accorded with our commitment to a society with equal opportunity for all, free of discrimination and hatred for marginalized populations.

The policy is being reconsidered in response to the tragic murder of Bambi Larson in San Jose on February 28th. Because the alleged perpetrator is an undocumented immigrant, anti-immigrant forces are using this moment to rush through a roll-back of a policy that has been a model throughout the country, effectively punishing the entire immigrant community for the crime that one immigrant is alleged to have committed.

MVPJ has joined with a wide range of community organizations working to defend the current policy, or at least to slow down the rush to judgment so that a thoughtful decision can be made, not in the immediate aftermath of tragedy.

We urge all of our partners to encourage their community members to do two things:

(1) Call members of the Board of Supervisors to express your view that immigrants are a vital part of our community, entitled to all protections due to them by American law.  (Click here for all the needed information for calling.)

(2) If at all possible, come to the Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, April 9th. The meeting begins at 9am, and this topic is scheduled for approximately 10:30am. A large turnout of citizens with moral objections to a change in the policy will speak volumes to the supervisors.

Multifaith Voices for Peace & Justice invites you to join us and people of faith across the nation in expressing strong support for the NO BAN Act (National Origin-Based Antidiscrimination for Nonimmigrants Act). The NO BAN Act is meant to repeal the Muslim Bans and the asylum ban, restrict the President's ability to enact future bans, and outlaw discrimination in the entry of immigrants or nonimmigrants based on religion. Congress will likely be introducing the bill in the coming weeks, and we need a national groundswell of support for this!

"We are called by our sacred texts and faith principles to love our neighbor, accompany the vulnerable, and welcome the sojourner. In keeping with these principles, as well as with the highest ideals of the nation we call home, we urge our members of Congress to support the No Ban Act. This Act will lead the way for more inclusive and just immigration policies that will benefit both not only those seeking refuge in a time of dire need, but also will benefit our nation and the world as a whole, as we model inclusion, justice, and freedom for all."

You can support this effort by adding your name and/or the name of your congregation to a petition (open for anyone to sign), an interfaith letter from faith leaders, and/or an interfaith letter from faith organizations. Please sign by Monday, April 8th!

The petition and letters are initiated by Shoulder-to-Shoulder, an organization that stands with American Muslims and works with people of all faiths to address anti-Muslim discrimination and violence. 

On Monday, Dec. 10 – Human Rights Day – more than 200 faith leaders will take part in a nonviolent direct action at the border in San Diego, California. Between then and December 18, International Migrants Day, communities from across the country will host solidarity events to stand with the migrant caravans and all who seek refuge.

LOVE KNOWS NO BOUNDS is the name of the week of action planned.

Visit this American Friends Service Committee webpage to find an event near you or learn how to organize one yourself.  Click here to access their social media graphics and posters page so you can build awareness and advocate for justice and compassion wherever you are. Share these posters with your community of faith, in your neighborhoods, on your social media postings.

Join Faith in Public Life and people of faith and conscience across the nation in signing the PLEDGE TO STAND IN SOLIDARITY WITH PEOPLE SEEKING ASYLUM.

As politicians try to divide us against one another according to race, ethnicity, and  or nationality, we remain united and steadfast in our conviction that all people deserve dignity, respect, and equity, and that together we can make such a world possible. We are people of faith and conscience, coming from a long tradition of welcoming the sojourner and loving our neighbor and, following the example of our sacred texts, pledge our commitment to be good neighbors to those seeking refuge in our community, and to build a community where all are welcome.

Click here to read full statement and sign it.