Santa Ana, CA – On Saturday, August 29, approximately 80 people gathered at El Centro Cultural de Mexico to commemorate the 56th Chicano Moratorium. As the event kicked off, the crowd chanted, “Chicano power!”

Griselda Ruiz, a member of Community Service Organization Orange County (CSO OC) started, “This event is held every year to commemorate the Chicano Moratorium of the 1970s in East LA. On August 29, 1970, over 20,000 Chicanos and Chicanas marched peacefully to protest the Vietnam War and the large number of Chicanos dying in it. The protest turned violent when sheriff's deputies attacked, causing chaos, several injuries, and three deaths, including journalist Ruben Salazar, who was killed by a tear gas canister fired by police. So, we are united here and throughout the Southwest to honor all the past Chicanos and Chicanas who have fought for our rights.”

Diana Terreros from CSO OC’s immigration committee stated that since Trump took office, “Undocumented immigrants are living with the daily fear of raids, deportation, family separation, and even death at the hands of an ICE agent. Immigrants that have some sort of legal status such as TPS or DACA face that status either being terminated or delayed, both throwing people into uncertainty and financial instability.”

Terreros added, “Along with the attacks from the federal government, here in Santa Ana we have seen that corporations are taking advantage of the fear that immigrants are facing.” She was referencing Kingsley Management, a multi-million dollar corporation based in Utah, that is harassing and stealing homes from mobile home residents.

Abe Quintana, a member of CSO OC’s police accountability committee, spoke on the families impacted by police violence that they work with. “What we want to say about these cases is that racist police killings and brutality against Chicanos are features of national oppression. They are based on the oppression of the Chicano nation Aztlan.” Quintana added, “The objectives of our campaigns are designed to put more power into the hands of those directly impacted by police misconduct and violence.”

Francis Co. and the Lusitanos then performed some songs “from Santa Ana, for Santa Ana.” His songs included lyrics like “Show me the warrant, show me your badge, I want my lawyer. And ICE can kiss my ass!” and “They don’t take the farmer, just the workers on the farm. And what do we tell their children when their parents can’t be found?”

During the event, attendees visited tables from different organizations, enjoyed Oaxacan food, and enjoyed activities set out for children.

This was followed by a speech by Rain Mendoza of Freedom Road Socialist Organization. After speaking about Chicanos facing police and ICE killings all while living under poverty, she stated, “None of this is by accident. The oppression we face here is the national oppression of Chicanos. We are a nation carved from the theft of Mexican territory and the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.”

Mendoza ended with a solution: “As a communist I understand that the horrors we are up against cannot be reformed or voted out. To achieve change and liberation for our people we must overthrow the ruling class and fight for socialism.”

A member of the International League of People’s Struggle told the crowd, “Today we see the same vicious war machine intensifying, waging war and aggression on countries who stood against U.S. political control and plunder of their resources – war on Iran, murdering thousands of people, aggression against Venezuela and Cuba, and genocide in Palestine.”

This was followed by a statement by Vinny Mansoor of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network being read, “It means asking, every time we are told that another war is necessary: necessary for whom? Paid for by whom? And who gets buried when it’s over? Palestinians know this intimately. We know what it means when somebody else’s geopolitical ambition is paid for with our blood.”

The crowd then marched to the Ronald Reagan Federal Building. The protesters filled the streets with chants of “Raza si! Migra no!” “Jail killer cops!” “No boots on the ground, no bombs in the air! U.S. out of everywhere!” and more.

When they arrived at the federal building, Terreros stated, “This is where our sister Nadia Topete, a Chicana immigrant rights organizer, was summoned for a grand jury just last month. The feds targeted her for being an activist in our sister CSO chapter in Boyle Heights and she bravely resisted this grand jury as CSO members and community members rallied for her outside where we are standing here today.” The crowd then chanted “Hands off Nadia Topete!” and “Fuck Trump!” while flipping off the building.

The event was organized by CSO OC and included endorsers such as MEChA from Cal State Fullerton, United Domestic Workers, and more.

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