Latest news with #Mass50501
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rally to be held in Boston in response to ICE raids, National Guard deployment in Los Angeles
Demonstrators are expected to gather in Boston on Monday for a rally in response to ICE raids and President Donald Trump's deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles over the weekend. Cross-partisan group Mass 50501 says it 'vigorously condemns the violent actions of ICE and the Trump administration against peaceful protestors in Los Angeles,' and is mobilizing in solidarity with local union leaders in Massachusetts by holding a rally at Boston City Hall Plaza from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Parts of Los Angeles look like a warzone on Monday morning after protests escalated over the weekend. The demonstrations come in response to Trump's immigration crackdown in the city. Authorities and demonstrators have been clashing over recent immigration raids across California. Demonstrations started Friday and quickly turned violent, with cars set on fire and buildings damaged. The protest even spilled over onto the 101 Freeway, where some blocked traffic. Those demonstrations prompted Trump to deploy 2,000 members of the National Guard, marking the first time since 1965 that a president deployed a state's National Guard without a request from the state's governor. Trump cited failures from local officials and the governor to squash the demonstrations. 'You have violent people, and we're not going to let them get away with it,' Trump said. Leaders in California claim this is an abuse of power and only incites more aggression. 'What we're seeing in Los Angeles is chaos that is provoked by the administration. And deploying federalized troops is a dangerous escalation,' Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said. Locally, Mass 50501 says its rally will demand the release of all the protesters in Los Angeles who were arrested over the weekend, including SEIU President David Huerta. 'This is an attack on American liberty. The right to freedom of speech and due process of the law must be protected above all else, and the response by the Trump administration is tantamount to a declaration of war against the American people,' Mass 50501 Council member Kylie Bemi said. 'Make no mistake—we will be peaceful, but we will not be quiet. They will hear us from Los Angeles. They will hear us from Washington, D.C." Mass 50501 is also calling on Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey to safeguard Bay State residents from federal forces, Attorney General Andrea Campbell to prosecute ICE 'abductions' as kidnappings, and the Massachusetts labor unions to strike until these demands are met. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Boston Globe
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
On Memorial Day, rallies seek a different lens on veterans, wars
In each case, organizers and volunteers emphasized its connection to veterans and the impact, or perceived ignorance, to violence wrought by conflict. Advertisement 'We believe veterans are actually the key to kind of turning the tide on this and so we're using veterans holidays to draw attention to the fact that veterans — who tend to be quite conservative — are not okay with this,' Bryan Winter, a 45-year-old software engineer from Methuen and veterans representative for Mass 50501, the group behind the rally focusing on immigrants' constitutional rights. 'What the Trump administration is doing is so lawless and so dangerous that it just needs to be opposed,' said Winter, who said he is a Republican. The demonstration against President Trump moved down Tremont Street and to Liberty Mall, as drivers slammed on their car horns in support of the procession. 'No kings, no tyrants, we will not be silenced,' members of the rally chanted. Advertisement One attendee passed around small 'Know Your Rights' wallet cards in English and Spanish. A hodgepodge of hand-crafted signs dotted the crowd. One read 'Make Fascists Extinct' in black permanent marker, while another read 'Veterans Against Trump.' Mass 50501 has helped organize other rallies in the city, including in April for a 'I feel helpless. I feel like this is a thing I can do that's greater than zero, though it still feels not nearly enough,' said Susanna Brown, a Randolph resident who attended the event. She lamented that Democrats, while controlling the vast majority of elected offices in Massachusetts, have little control in Washington while Republicans hold both Congress and the White House. 'I feel like in Massachusetts, we're lucky to feel part of a majority, even if it feels like a powerless majority,' she said. About 40 people gathered in front of Faneuil Hall for a separate event organized by the group Veterans For Peace, meant to spotlight children's deaths amid Israel's 19-month campaign in Gaza. Some waved Palestinian flags. Others wore keffiyehs, traditional black-and-white Palestinian scarves. Advertisement 'After every war, children are ignored,' said organizer David Rothauser, a 91-year-old Army veteran who served in the Korean War. Several swaddled objects representing dead children lay on a folding table in front of the small crowd outside Faneuil. Pictures of children with the captions 'killed by Israeli air strike in Gaza' sat with them on the table. So did a sign that said: 'Your tax dollars at work $$' 'They're collateral damage,' Rothauser said, raising his voice to be heard over nearby performers dancing to the tune of George Michael's 'Careless Whisper.' Mentions of President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio drew boos, but so did allusions to former President Joe Biden and Governor Maura Healey. Several speakers framed the conflict in Gaza as the latest in a line of wars from which few profit, as the saying goes, but many pay. 'I've been protesting wars since Contra,' said Joe Kebartas, a 76-year-old Vietnam veteran, referring to the Iran-Contra affair, an arms-for-hostages scandal under the Reagan administration. Kebartas, a former Army medic from South Boston, said too few people feel a connection to foreign affairs and the violent conflicts they involve. 'There's too much apathy,' he said. Members of the local ROTC program participates in the City of Quincy's Memorial Day parade on Monday. Brett Phelps for The Boston Globe Organizers scheduled the rallies on a day typically dominated by parades and more traditional events intended to honor fallen U.S. military members. Governor Maura Healey, for example, appeared in Agawam for a wreath-laying ceremony at the Massachusetts Veterans Memorial Cemetery. Mayor Michelle Wu spoke in West Roxbury at The Gardens Cemetery 57th annual event. In Quincy, a parade weaved through the city Monday, ending at Mount Wollaston Cemetery as part of a tribute to 'the men and women who have served and sacrificed so much,' according to city officials. Advertisement 'On Memorial Day, and every day, may we never take for granted the sacrifices made to secure our freedom,' Healey wrote in a Several people from this cohort of veterans who attended the Veterans For Peace rally in Boston said they're frustrated to see what they view as the same problems cycling over and over. The through-lines stretch between Desert Storm, Iraq, and Afghanistan, all conflicts that involved American troops, and the war in Gaza, which they see as only possible because of U.S. support and foreign aid. 'It's particularly painful for us to see in the last years of our lives,' said Doug Stuart, an 80-year-old Vietnam vet from Auburndale. What the U.S. needs, he said, is to 'learn how to be at peace.' Matt Stout can be reached at
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hundreds in Worcester unite for peaceful protest on Mother's Day following recent ICE arrest
On Sunday afternoon, hundreds of people showed up to Worcester Common on Mother's Day for a peaceful protest that was organized by Mass 50501, part of a nationwide, grassroots movement. 'I'm out here because a mother was taken in front of her child,' said Shannon Harris, who is a mother. Many people in Sunday's crowd were mothers or they attended the demonstration with their moms. Mass 50501 volunteers said protests like these have been happening everyday since last Thursday's incident caught on cell phone video. It shows ICE agents detain and separate a Brazilian mother from her family in a Worcester neighborhood. The Department of Homeland Security told Fox News the woman was in the country illegally and arrested by police for multiple counts of assault and battery. The scene became more chaotic when neighbors and community leaders rushed to there. Worcester police officers made two arrests, including a Worcester School Committee Candidate accused of pushing officers. 'Regardless of somebody's status as a documented person or not, there's a due process, and there's a way to treat people with human rights,' explained Laura who attended the protest but didn't want her last name published. 'What I can do is show support for people on the street that may be affected by these issues that are too scared to speak and may not feel that solidarity otherwise.' Worcester police are still reviewing evidence from last Thursday's incident, and they said more charges are possible. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Eureka Street 'emergency protest' rally set for 2 p.m. May 11 on Worcester Common
WORCESTER — A rally will be held at 2 p.m. on May 11 on Worcester Common to protest the immigration raid by federal agents and subsequent arrests by Worcester Police on Eureka Street. 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
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Protesters fill Worcester Common in reaction to ICE raid and arrests by Worcester PD
WORCESTER — With placards in hand and while chanting in unison, protesters filled the Worcester Common May 11 in reaction to the recent immigration raid by federal agents and arrests by Worcester Police on Eureka Street three days before. Chants like "No ICE" and "No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here," punctuated the commentary by activists and representatives of organizations as they took turns peaking on a microphone outside the rear City Hall entrance. Nonprofit organization Mass 50501, which was formed earlier this year as part of a national movement protesting actions of the current federal administration, organized the protest. "These agents of chaos do not come in with a warrant," Alcor Hilliard of nonprofit Mass50501 said. "They do not explain themselves. They do not respect the law and they do not respect us, their people, who they are sworn to protect. "You or your mother or your child could be taken away by armed people in plain clothes, put in an unmarked vehicle and our police will come at their beck and call." The observation of Mother's Day was incorporated in the theme of the May 11 protest, taking inspiration from the fact that the woman detained by the federal agents on Eureka Street, according to reports, was the mother of a 16-year-old; the teenager was one of two people who Worcester Police arrested and charged after a chaotic scene May 8. Coined "Hands Off Worcester Mothers," the protest kicked off at 2 p.m. and continued until about 3:30 p.m., with speakers taking turns at an amplified microphone. A drum rhythmically followed the chants. "They chased down a child, they pushed her face into the ground and they dragged her away," Hilliard said. "We wouldn't do that to a dog, let alone a human being." The name Ferreira de Oliveira was given by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as identification for the federal agents' person of interest May 8. The statement said the woman had entered the country illegally in August 2022 and that 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. A spokesperson for the police department said May 11 "there was an arrest months ago," adding, "we generally don't comment on criminal histories of people or speak about arrests post arraignment." De Oliveira's name does not come up in the federal cases' database. "People may do illegal things, but people are not illegal in this country," Rebecca Winter of Mass50501 said through a microphone. "We have kidnappings happening in these people are being taken without knowing how they committed a crime. "I'm going to urge you today to please remain nonviolent and that's because it shows the difference between these people kidnapping off of the street and the true American patriots, which you are here today." Makeshift signs drew parallels between the Trump administration and Nazi Germany, with a sign depicting President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Elon Musk with brush mustaches. Others stated, "Kidnapping mothers is a crime," and "(expletive) ICE," among the many that could be seen rising above the heads of those in the crowd. Holding up a sign that stated, "ICE GTFO" on one side, Laurie Prim of Deerfield said the protest was worth the drive to show up in support of the demonstrators who gathered at Worcester Common, despite it being Mother's Day. Prim, 55, added that after hearing about the situation on Eureka Street May 8, she "felt sick. "Local police should be more supportive of community members, not a federal agency coming to kidnap people with no warrants, no due process," Prim said. "People aren't going to tolerate that and we're going to fight back. And that we are in the forefront here, we should stay there and it's up to us to spread that message. "It's only a matter of time until it happens in my community." During the protest, Lynn Fanale, 42, set up an easel to paint a photo she had seen online that had captured the moment one of the two people were arrested by police officers on Eureka Street. She said she wanted to keep her hands busy to "not get too caught up in the emotion of everything. "The way (officers) navigated the situations is unjust," Fanale said. "There are other ways to treat people and there are ways to go about doing the right thing in the right way." Following the scene that unfolded on Eureka Street, criticism about the police department coming to the aid of ICE has also colored the conversation, with many citing statements made by police and city leadership in January about the department not assisting with ICE civil detainments. The evening of May 9, more than 100 people congregated outside City Hall, then marched up Main Street to Worcester Police Department headquarters in protest. That same day, the patrol officers' union New England Police Benevolent Association Local 911 defended the police officers' actions, saying that officers arriving on scene May 8 were called for federal agents "needing assistance due to a hostile and uncooperative crowd surrounding them." The statement added that the officers had continued to call for more officers as the situation had escalated, adding that the officers had tried to "deescalate the situation and prevent injury to all present. "These types of calls for assistance can be extremely dangerous and place officers at a high risk of injury due to the high emotions people feel at the time," the statement says. "Our officers always strive to be as compassionate as we can daily." The statement alleges that Worcester police officers and federal agents were "threatened, abused and even assaulted on scene," which they give as a reason for the two arrests. Ashley R. Spring, a School Committee candidate, was also arrested at the scene on Eureka Street with police alleging that she pushed police officers while they were arresting the teenager and that she threw a liquid at officers. The union's statement also called for an ethics investigation by the city against District 5 Councilor Etel Haxhija after alleging that she "incited aggression towards the police during the incident." Haxhiaj for a time acted as a shield between authorities and the woman who was sought by ICE, according to video of the confrontation. "This councilor participated in the conduct of the unruly crowd and eventually assaulted both Worcester police and federal law enforcement officers on scene," says the statement. "Her behavior also emboldened others to act in this manner. "The conduct of this anti-police activist councilor is deplorable and unacceptable." This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Protesters fill Common in reaction to recent ICE raid, arrests by PD
