In Lincoln, we saw the first of what will hopefully be weekly actions protesting the fact that children are living in concentration camps at the US border. We are asking Nebraskans to come together in front of places of worship around the state to protest until the practice of putting children and families in concentration camps end. The protest may be holding a sign towards traffic, standing with others in prayer, or holding vigil along the sidewalk.
If you belong to a faith based group, stand outside before the weekly prayers begin and encourage others to join you on the sidewalk and to enter the service 10 minutes late. If you don’t, pick a place of worship nearby and stand on the public sidewalk, welcoming others to join you.
Our government has failed and it’s time for good people to take a stand and tell Congressmen Jeff Fortenberry, Don Bacon, and Adrian Smith to dust off their spines and stand up to the president. It’s time to see real leadership from Senators Ben Sasse and Deb Fischer. Close American concentration camps, reunite families, and abolish ICE.
Doing a protest is simple. Here are a few pointers to ensure it goes smoothly.
- Read “Know Your Rights” from the ACLU and download the Mobile Justice App
- Find at least one buddy to go with you. Make a sign using a marker and whatever you’ve got. You can use cardboard from a package, flip an old political sign inside out, or purchase poster board.
- Arrive 15 minutes before the service starts, and plan to enter the service about 10 minutes late. If you are not going to attend the service, you should plan to leave about that time.
- Park near the place of worship, but only use their parking lot if you are a member of the congregation. Be silent in your protest, prayer, or vigil. If someone engages you in an aggressively oppositional way, either stay silent or have a single thing you repeatedly say like, “no kids in concentration camps” or “you are part of the solution or part of the problem” or “join me in praying for the suffering of children at the border”. Do not engage in a debate.
- Stay on the public sidewalk and do not obstruct passersby.
- If the police question you, be sure you use the ACLU Justice app to record the interaction.
- Afterwards, send SeeingRed photos of your protest, prayer, or vigil for our social media!
- Finally, thank you for bringing awareness offline and into the streets. It’s too important to stay at home.
