As I write, a second bystander has been murdered in plain sight by unidentified federal agents in Minneapolis. We don’t know if we in western Massachusetts will face similar circumstances, but we urge you to take the following simple step in order to be prepared. If you have a smart phone, go to your contacts list and enter the hotline number for LUCE: 617-370-5023.
LUCE is a nonprofit immigrant support organization which responds rapidly to any sighting of ICE agents. They can quickly mobilize volunteers from a large network across the state. If you see ICE, call the hotline and tell them what you see. If you just think you are seeing ICE, call them. They will send “verifiers” to the scene to help determine what is happening, and to witness and record ICE activity. You can also record what you see while trying to stay safe.
LUCE has volunteers and staff who can now answer the phone in six different languages: English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, French, and Mandarin. They are available from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day. If you would like to support this work, go to lucemass.org and donate.
As Michele Norris said recently, we don’t know if we might become an “accidental witness” to ICE cruelty and lawlessness as we go about our daily lives. Please carry the LUCE Hotline number with you everywhere you go, so you will know how to be helpful if the moment comes upon you.
To learn about more ways to make a difference, visit fccpr.us. All are welcome to take the next step, or your very first one. It’s going to take all of us to bring our country back.
Susanae Glovacki, Immigrant Rights Task Force, FCCPR
Greenfield