Another one of our banners has been cut down again. This time it is our “No Human Is Illegal” sign. It was taken late at night on Saturday evening before worship on Sunday. We have them on camera, but they parked around the corner so as not to be identified.
We have already ordered another one. If you’d like to sponsor the replacement of this banner, it is $350. We’ll keep replacing them as long as we have to.
The removal of this banner is consistent with the harassment shift we’ve seen in the alt-right spaces. They have been targeting immigrant aid organizations like No More Deaths and the UU Congregation of Tucson which sponsor them. They have been terrorizing their aid camps and their leaders, similarly to how they were harassing LGBTQ+ leaders last Spring and mask and vaccine proponents in 2021.
We are stronger. We are more resilient. We are more creative and we are filled with more love. These are minor inconveniences in comparison to the people who are trying to survive as they cross the desert in fear for their lives. These banners are literally the LEAST we can do to support our values in the world. While the harassers’ goal is to instill fear, we will not let them win and we will treat it just like it is: an annoyance by cowards who wish to deter us.
In solidarity with our migrant and refugee families, we pray for migrants and refugees, borrowing and adapting words from the Conference of Catholic Bishops: