Santa Ana says, ‘No cops at Pride!
Santa Ana, CA – On Saturday June 27, Community Service Organization, Orange County (CSO OC) held a rally on Main and 4th for Santa Ana Pride. Despite the hot temperatures, the energy was still high with chants of “No cops at Pride!” starting things off.
CSO OC Police Accountability Committee member Matthew Compton kicked the rally off stating, “On June 28, 1969, the New York Police Department raided the Stonewall Inn, which led to the Stonewall Riots.” Compton continued, “Outside Stonewall, the people fought back. Yelling and protesting police for arresting those inside the Inn. They threw bottles and debris at them as they pushed the Stonewall attendees into police vans. LGTBQ people do not go down quietly.”
Khue Bui from CSO OC’S Immigration Committee stated “There are nearly 300,000 queer and trans undocumented immigrants, who face additional oppression within the immigration system. On average, trans immigrants are kept in detention twice as long, where they are misgendered and often kept in isolation.” Bui continued with, “Queer immigrants are 97 times more likely to be sexually assaulted in detention centers. While trans detainees face constant transphobic harassment, assault and mistreatment from ICE officers.”
Throughout the day, two Santa Ana Police Department officers kept circling the rally. Compton highlighted over the megaphone that the SAPD recently killed a 15-year-old Chicano named Jaden Michaca while he was having a mental health crisis. He stated that cops are not welcome at Pride due to their killing of Chicanos. Protesters followed with chants of “Fuck SAPD!” and calling them murderers. One officer stated over his intercom “Thank you for those kind words.”
After the fiery speeches and confrontation with police, chanting became even louder. Protesters screamed, “Hell no we won’t be quiet! Stonewall was a riot!” and “Transphobe cops! Off our streets!” as many onlookers joined in on the chants as they were passing by.
Pearl Arzola, the older sister of Albert Arzola, whose life was taken by Anaheim PD, stated “Pride is about more than celebrations and parades. It is about acceptance, respect, and the freedom to live and be yourself. It reminds us that everyone deserves to feel safe, valued and included, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.”
Rachel Pozos from AlianzaTransLatinx stated,“We are living in a moment when many of our communities are living in fear.” She continued. “But I want to make something clear. We are not going to disappear, we are not going to hide, and we will not be silent. Because every time an immigrant is attacked, they are attacking an entire family. Every time they attack a trans woman, they are attacking our dignity. Every time they try to sow fear, we sow hope and resistance!”
Emma Gottfried of Freedom Road Socialist Organization told the crowd, “We've all seen how the Trump administration has escalated their anti-trans and other anti-LGBTQ executive orders and reactionary legislation.”
Gottfried continued, “These heightened attacks by the Trump administration are a part of the accelerating decline of the U.S. empire as a means to oppress us and prevent real change, revolutionary change. Oppression, bigotry and inequality are not a natural constant in our world, it’s a product of a system and that system is monopoly capitalism.”
Despite taunting by the SAPD, the rally did not stop. With loud chanting continuing and insults being hurled at the two SAPD officers each time they passed by. Chants of “Pride was a riot!” and “No ICE at Pride!” echoed throughout downtown Santa Ana.