On February 7, community members gathered on a bridge located at Sunny Lane and Height Street over Highway 178 to protest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This protest is being held in a series of other demonstrations, the next being scheduled for Februrary 8 in front of Bakersfield’s Mesa Verde Detention Center.
The protest, titled “The Bridge Brigade,” was coordinated by the Democratic Women of Kern and the Bakersfield50501 group. The event was attended by several community members hoping to spread the message that ICE is not welcome in their community.
“Concentration camps belong in history books, not in my country. Everything America stands for is being violated at this time. This red city of Bakersfield has got to turn purple,” said John Good, a community member and attendee of the Bridge Brigade.
Vicki Gilly, the event coordinator, shared her concerns about history repeating itself, the need to protect future generations, and the importance of getting involved in similar events.
“We’re looking toward protecting them — our children, our grandchildren — because of all the atrocities happening today. We want to make sure our kids’ generations have that safety and the rights that are given to them,” said Gilly.
With the current administration’s agenda underway, targeting immigrant communities, healthcare resources, food assistance, and educational programs, many are left in disarray, attempting to exhaust any funding and resources still available.
Last year, President Trump signed an executive order that ended birthright citizenship and terminated the protected areas policy.
Gilly emphasized that despite these actions and ongoing efforts to instill fear in communities, there is strength in numbers, urging people to come together and show up.
Approximately twenty protesters were in attendance, carrying signs signifying their dismay toward ICE during peak traffic hours. Cars traveling through the overpass honked their horns in support of the message being spread.
Steven Hurk, a Bakersfield resident, attended the event to demonstrate his support for the American people and express his frustration with the current state of democracy.
“This country is turning into an autocracy that is being led by a tyrant who is doing nothing but enriching himself. It’s a different America than I grew up in. He’s abusing human beings of color who are part of our culture,” said Hurk.
Former professor at Bakersfield College (BC) and California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB), John Harte, has become a pillar at community events. Attending protests across Bakersfield to photograph demonstrations, he hopes to donate his work to the History Department at Bakersfield College.
“I taught at BC for twenty-seven years, and when Trump ran for the first time in 2016, it was all anti-immigrant, anti-Hispanic, anti-Obama, in a big way. I come to all of these things. I’ve been to every single one. I do the videos and still photos, and my plan is to donate everything I’ve done, thousands and thousands of clips, to the BC History Department,” said Harte.
Over the next few weeks, Bakersfield50501 and the Democratic Women of Kern will continue coordinating the Bridge Brigade protests in Bakersfield. Everyone is welcome to attend and is encouraged to bring signs, flags, friends, and water bottles to demonstrate solidarity with communities currently being targeted.
They will take place on the following dates and locations:
February 28th at Bell Terrace over Fwy 99.
February 14th at Belle Terrace over Fwy 99
February 21st over at Sunny Ln and Height St.
February 22nd at the Mesa Verde ICE Facility.
