I was lucky to be with 400 other clergy and lay leaders from around the country as we gathered in San Diego on Monday to mark International Human Rights Day.  Organized by the American Friends Service Committee, this event began a week of protests around the country.  We were there to oppose the U.S. government’s separation of migrant families, the holding of children in cage-like pens, and the firing of tear gas and rubber bullets on Central Americans who have been attempting to make legal claims for asylum at official U.S. Border stations. Moreover, we wanted to show up in solidarity with border residents in the U.S. and Mexico to oppose the militarization of their communities.

Here is a summary of my weekend.  I arrived in San Diego Saturday afternoon, found my Best Western hotel, explored the Hillcrest neighborhood, and had dinner. Sunday morning, I walked a mile to First UU Church, where I talked with its two ministers and three retired ministers who attend there.  After coffee I walked with some UUs to University Christian Church for a long afternoon of training for the next day.  Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray, President of the UUA, arrived pulling her suitcase, having just flown in from Boston.  So did Rev. Mary Katherine Morn, President/CEO of the UU Service Committee.  Many other denominations were represented but not in such numbers as the UUs and not by their top leaders.

We learned the principles and practice of nonviolent protest and learned more about the plight of people on the other side of the border.   Clergy were asked to wear clerical collars, stoles, head covering and other vestments for the protest.  We all were told to wear non-oil-based sunscreen and to remove contact lenses and wear glasses, as tear gas and other chemical weapons could do worse damage otherwise.  Then we separated in to groups for specific volunteer training:  medics, spokespersons, logistics, and “arrestables.”  The last group was the most important, and they learned how to practice civil disobedience near the border fence and how to contact their support people if they got arrested and detained.  We all were told to bring snacks and water but also to use the bathroom before the long walk to the border fence on Monday. The “arrestables” were invited to take an adult diaper in case they got detained for a long time.

As a logistics volunteer, I could be helping folks who might need an arm to support them through the muddy path and on the sandy beach.  I could be distributing protest signs on Monday morning and collecting them later.  I could be carting bottles of water and boxes of granola bars and carrying bags for trash as well as recyclables so we would leave the beach better than we found it.  After the training a few of us went out for Lebanese food and returned in time for an interfaith worship service at the Christian church. It featured several speakers and a lot of group singing and chanting, which would be useful while marching, waiting, and standing the next day.

Monday at 8:00 a.m., we arrived at the local office of the AFSC, next to the Friends Meetinghouse.  We filled five chartered buses and then took carpool rides over to the park near the border.  We walked a mile or two down a somewhat muddy path toward the beach. Helicopters flew overhead constantly.  The many “arrestables” were in front of the rest of us.  A few women ministers in their 60s were prepared to get arrested, but they needed to leave their backpacks behind in case of arrest. Hence, I carried four backpacks, including my own. Fortunately, one woman had left her cane with me, so it helped in hiking on the sand.  We marched while chanting, sometimes pausing then proceeding.  Volunteers and AFSC staff worked hard to keep us in formation and keep us moving.  As we neared the beach and saw the crashing Pacific surf, four different clergypersons anointed arrestables in groups of four. They all read out the names of people who had died in this border area. As each Latin American name was called out, all of us replied, “Presente,” Spanish for “Here”­—present at least in spirit.

As the foursomes turned left and marched toward the fence, the rest of us followed.  A mile down the beach, they approached the “No Trespassing” area with concertina wire to the left and ocean waves lapping the sand on the right.  Behind them, through the high metal fence we could see folks on the Tijuana side of the border who had gathered to look at this protest.  Watching us from our side of that brown metal fence were Border Patrol agents in bulky green uniforms, black helmets with plastic face covers, and semi-automatic rifles in their arms.  Though most of us were a hundred yards back, we were vulnerable to any violence that might come our way. Moreover, our friends and colleagues were even closer to the weaponry.

Fifty faith leaders went to the edge of the restricted area. The front row of four knelt on the sand in the water.  They spoke words of blessing for all concerned.   Agents told them to leave.  Agents then called out a final warning before cuffing them and leading them up a hill. They were made to sit on the pavement for an hour or so.  This happened over and over, totaling 30 folks arrested.  (Not all of those who had been prepared for it would get arrested.)  Each time one was led away in cuffs, those of us assembled behind the protest zone would cheer and applaud them and sing more loudly.  But we didn’t know how long they’d be gone or how they’d be treated.  In the next couple of hours, all of them were given citations for refusing to follow orders of federal agents. They were ordered to show up in a federal district court in San Diego or in their local areas. One arrested UU minister was from Boise, another from Philadelphia.  The newly-appointed executive director of the UU Justice Ministry of California was also arrested.  Of course, Methodists, Muslims, Quakers and other leaders also disobeyed, and got taken away.

Everybody was released within an hour or two—except for one young man.  A friend of mine up near the front saw Border agents rush at a young AFSC organizer in a red tee shirt (Love Knows No Borders, it said).  He had been one of our trainers and leaders on Sunday and had guided us along the beach. He was the only one who was not released. His AFSC colleagues later couldn’t find out where he was being held.  By the next afternoon he still was not free.

During the waves of protests and arrests, eventually on a loud speaker a Border agent declared an unlawful assembly. This meant they could come and arrest the larger group of which I was one, even though we were not near the violation area.  Since none of us had been trained or prepared to be arrested, the leaders had us turn and walk back down the beach through this public place named Friendship Park. Then we walked back down the path to the parking lot, where we connected with others, loaded supplies back on the buses, and went back to the AFSC office.

I was exhausted but very grateful for the leadership and solidarity of so many wonderful and courageous human beings.  Today I went online and initiated a monthly donation to the American Friends Service Committee (1501 Cherry St., Philadelphia 19102) and then made another monthly donation to the UU Service Committee (689 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge AM 02139).  If you want to learn more about migrant justice, click on either organization’s name or contact me.  At UUSS we have both an Immigrant Justice Team and a Refugee Support Team. The first team provides us with hands-on ways to let immigrants detained by ICE know they are not forgotten as they sit in the Yuba County Jail.  The Refugee Support Team provides ways to help our new neighbors make a home here after fleeing zones of war and oppression.

–Roger