April 28, 2006

Canta, No Llores

Friday night: The rain pelted the almost-empty streets of San Francisco in torrents. Outside the federal building some twenty people huddled in a circle beneath umbrellas and a makeshift tent created by a tarp and some poles.

Canto, no llores, the crowd sang quietly, steadily. Underneath orange-glowing streetlights, one acoustic guitarist plays while the steady pounding of rain on plastic accompanies the chorus. The song ends, and one woman rises from her plastic seat abruptly. She shouts a song request, and as the rest of the crowd begins to sing the woman pulls one spectator out of her seat, and the two begin to dance. Soon, the cheers and handclaps emanating from underneath the tarp rival the crescendo of the intensifying rain, punctuated by the occasional splash of the automobiles driving by on the slick, empty streets. As the two women dance, others share umbrellas and blankets, blinking raindrops from their eyes and singing softly. A row of teenagers lean against a concrete wall, their faces etched dramatically by shadows cast by floodlights lining the sidewalk.

Behind them the San Francisco Federal Building, now dark, looms ominously beyond the “tent city” comprised of fifteen small nylon domes that flank the large tarp makeshift living room. The tents are lined up single-file alongside the street, cordoned off from the street with wispy plastic tape. One police squad car is parked conspicuously nearby with its headlights on. Its presence, along with the now-silent federal building, are potent reminders of the purpose for this drenched but high-spirited assembly.

Since Tuesday March 21, between twenty and fifty people at a time have been participating in a hunger strike and occupation directly outside the Federal Building. The hunger strike to oppose HR 4437, also known as the Sensenbrenner bill, was called by the Bay Area Immigrant Rights Coalition and Deporte de la Migra and kicked off with a spirited rally led by Dolores Huerta, co-founder and secretary-treasurer of the United Farm Workers. The final day of the seven-day hunger strike was scheduled to coincide with the arrival of thousands of immigrant military resisters who oppose the war in Iraq.  They left from Tijuana and marched 271-miles to San Francisco.

HR 4437 was proposed by Senator Spector (R-PA) and Representative Sensenbrenner (R-WI). It passed by the Senate on March 27th.  The bill criminalizes all undocumented persons in the US, citing “Unlawful presence” as an aggravated felony. Opponents of the bill say that it would create formidable challenges for potential and existing immigrants.  It would also force labor organizers, educators, lawyers and community service providers to report their clients, workers, families, and friends to INS officials.

posted by Inez Sunwoo and Puck Lo

top of page