Eureka Street 'emergency protest' rally set for 2 p.m. May 11 on Worcester Common
The "emergency protest" is being put on by the recently formed nonprofit organization Mass 50501.
Rebecca Winter, media representative for Mass 50501, said it is appropriate that the rally is being held on Mother's Day. Mass50501 is calling the event "Hands Off Worcester Mothers" as it is in response to "ICE's abduction of a Worcester mother."
After ICE agents detained a woman on Eureka Street on May 8, Worcester Police officers arrested two people as tensions escalated at the scene. One, according to reports, was the 16-year-old daughter of the woman taken away by federal agents.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security released a statement on the evening of May 9 identifying the woman detained by ICE as Ferreira de Oliveira. The statement said she had been arrested by local police on charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery on a pregnant victim.
The statement said de Oliveira had entered the country illegally in August 2022 and denounced "the previous administration's open border policies."
Winter said that organizers are expecting about 200 people to attend the rally, but the figure could be more as the announcement of the protest "has really been taking off on social media."
The protest is "impromptu" because the May 8 incident happened so recently. "We're directly responding." Organizers are committed to having a nonviolent event, Winter said.
Mass 50501 was formed earlier this year as part of a national movement protesting actions of the current federal administration but is an autonomous organization. 50501 stands for '50 Protests, 50 States, 1 Movement." The 50501 national movement was one of the four main organizers of the recent national "Hands Off!" protests that have included rallies locally. "We are a cross-partisan group," Winter said.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Eureka Street protest rally on Worcester Common set for 2 p.m. May 11
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