Metairie, Louisiana: Last night at 6:00pm, protestors gathered at the corner of David Dr. and W. Metairie Ave. to demand an end to ICE, CBP and police terror on immigrant communities. Protestors also called for the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office to release the footage of an incident that took place on Friday, December 5, at the intersection of Massachusetts and Veterans in Metairie, in which eye witness reports claim a pedestrian was fatally hit by a car possibly linked to an immigration enforcement operation. The Jefferson Parish Police Department has denied these credible eyewitness reports and issued a statement targeting a leading immigrant rights activist – yet they have provided no evidence to the contrary.
Devorah Levy-Pearlman, local immigrant rights organizer who spoke at last night’s rally:
“As soon as people in the movement said they were alarmed by what they saw and demanded more information on this incident, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office released an online statement targeting a prominent leader and organization in the immigrant rights movement. We cannot take what the Jefferson Parish police or any law enforcement agency says at face value because we know that they work with ICE and CBP. That’s why we are conducting a people’s investigation because we believe the people have the right to know the truth and demand justice.”
Cecilia Paz, a New Orleans resident and community organizer who spoke at last night’s rally:
“We don’t want millions of taxpayer dollars spent on a racist federal crackdown and ICE and CBP terror. We want that money to be spent on housing, healthcare and the basic needs of working people. Jeff Landry is threatening that the National Guard will come to New Orleans and stay until Mardi Gras. This operation would terrorize our working-class communities and cost nearly $100 million dollars. That’s enough money to end homelessness in New Orleans! We know this operation is not about law and order, it’s an attempt to keep us from fighting back, but we refuse to let this stop our movement.”
