Chinga La Migra
From Slave Patrols to ICE Officers in LA
Police Offers Originated from Slave Patrols
Whenever there is a conversation about systemically changing policing, others and myself have been quick to remind that policing originated from slave patrols to track down and subjugate Black people again to the endless torment which was the institution of slavery. We still see police literally hunting down Black people murdering them in cold blood or the overcriminalization of Black people in the broken criminal justice system perpetuating modern slavery for those incarcerated.
Today, we also see ICE acting extrajudicially to “correctly” or “incorrectly” detain documented and undocumented people alike. I put those in quotes, because it is a horrendous contradiction to assert that one can be illegal on stolen land. If there is a group of people who is here illegally: it would be those who colonized this land, it would be those who committed mass genocide on indigenous populations while systematically enslaving and oppressing Black people.
These ICE officers are wearing masks to hide their identities, so that they can freely kidnap, black bag, and deport anyone who they believe is a criminal — not white or not conforming to their ideals of white supremacy. The system of policing is corrupt, and ICE is too.
1. The Strategy is the Same
We have been here many times before. It is not lost upon me that peaceful protests turn violent primarily because of the presence of police officers. What is lost on many of us, however, is that this situation should never have been possible. The United States is supposed to uphold free speech, the right to protest, but we know this is a lie. The United States as a governmental entity, and especially with Trump leading it, only allows for freedom in the imaginary state. The United States has criminalized the freedom of belief since its inception. Those that fought against slavery prior to the Civil War were brutally beat, murdered or imprisoned. Those that fought for Black liberation afterwards were brutally beat, murdered or imprisoned. Those that fought for Queer liberation were brutally beat, murdered, or imprisoned. Those who fought against Israel or protested deportation have been imprisoned, abducted, and/or murdered. The facade is that you are free to raise your voice, but if your voice threatens the ruling class, you are then considered an enemy of the state (MLK, Claudia Jones, Fred Hampton, Angela Davis, Cesar Chavez, Mahmoud Khalil, Rumeysa Ozturk). The last couple of days, we have seen the people of LA become the enemy of the state, as they have collectively came out to the streets in protest of the abductions by ICE, US support of the genocide in Palestine, and/or protesting Trump. Why are they an enemy of the state? Because they are fighting back against Trump and the ruling class’ attempt to superimpose fascist governmental control even more. It is about control. It is about power. It is about the suppression of speech. They want us scared and divided. As a society, we need to stand strong and united.
As a society, we have been lied to so that we believe “all of that” is over, and that we could never digress to a state of absolute fascism. But when has the United States ever actually been free for those that speak out against state violence? Never. When has there not been fascist rule on at least some of the US population? Never.
2. Community Can Win
We should take pride in the community members in LA and across the country who have been using their bodies, their cameras, and their voices to interfere with ICE and deportation raids. The law does not equate to what is right. Most often, the laws in these United States have been antithetical to what is right and moral. Therefore, in our communities, we need to celebrate and remember civil disobedience.
Trump wants to spend $88 billion per year on mass abductions, where they attack and separate families sleeping at night or parents watching their kids graduate from kindergarten. It is inhumane, and it is unethical. Reactive politics is often a failure. And this is a failure. Deportation is a reactive policy position that will never change the status quo. If we want to see undocumented people in the US not be here “illegally”, then let’s create the system that allows for that. Let’s freeze deportation generally and assign US resources to better the process for those who have been here for decades paying taxes every year while receiving nothing. Let’s use our resources not to abduct and deport, yet rather using those resources to strengthen community, building programs (healthcare, education, housing, food) to increase social mobility, and offer documentation so undocumented people no longer live in fear. The government exists to serve the people in this country. It is disgusting that those in power would rather seek political power to win the next election, than actively seek the individual freedom for everyone to safely exist and thrive in this country.
4. Support your community
If you’re asking yourself, what can I do? The answer is do. Volunteer for your local organizations. Educate yourself on the injustices in this country. Put your money where your mouth is and donate to those local organizations. Critically listen and critique those in power, and then demand they give us what we deserve. Challenge your friends, partners, co-workers when they perpetuate discriminatory beliefs. We cannot be passive or an easily led society.
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Why “Black Menaces”?
Every person who changed societal thinking, every person who has fought against state sponsored terrorism, any person we consider to be revolutionary was hated, called a terrorist, was a ‘Menace to Society’. We are the Black Menaces, because we seek to create uncomfortable and hard conversations, so we can liberate our minds and our bodies.
Be A Menace.
Sebastian Stewart-Johnson