Sin Fronteras keeps pressure on Houston Processing Center

The protest was nearly scuttled by rain, but ended coming off well with a dozen protestors, a loud soundsytem and video coverage from Telemundo, Metro Video Services and bloggin' from :: XicanoPwr.

The Security precautions were much higher than previous protests we have attended there. There was a small armada of HPD cars, HPD horses, and ICE officers ammased in the alley between the Houston Processing Center and the warehouses to the west on Greens Road. They also had a Homeland Security van blocking the entry gate, which ended up being a problem when an ICE van wanted to enter the facility.

They were certainly tipped off by our aquisition of a sound permit as well as whatever moinitoring they do of activist email lists and websites. We ended up useing our sound permid to set up a very fancy wireless mic system we used to broadcast chants and speeches, hopefully loud enough for those detained there to hear us. Chants included; "No Justice No Peace, Detainees must be Released" / "CCA -Shut it Down! ICE - Shut it Down! HPD - Shut it down! etc" / "En Las Luchas Obreras, no hay Fronteras". Some were made up and modified and the volume we had made the whole thing enjoyable.

We also had 2 press conferences one, without press, which was directed towards our small rally as well as the law enforcement videotaping us. And one later when the media joined us (our press release apparently directed people to the wrong side of the building), where RoB, Ray, Ben and Gloria spoke.

While the turnout was small, we enjoyed ourselves and obviously are greatly agitating the employees and management of this tyranical system which makes a profit off of detaining refugees of the global enonomy. Thanks to everyone who came out!

Mark your calandar for the next rally, September 3rd!! See you there!

Houston Sin Fronteras Defense Committee

Short Info on Houston Sin Fronteras

Houston Sin Fronteras is the name of a cluster of folks who shut down the Houston Processing Center, an imigrant detention facility in North Houston, run by the Corrections Corporation of America. Ben and Ashley were arrested following more than 2 hours of shutting down the facility. They are being charged with Criminal Tresspass (a misdemeanor) and Manufacture of a Criminal Device (a felony). (from :: MySpace)

On July 3, 2007, a Harris County grand jury no-billed Ashley and Ben for the charge of Manufacture of a Criminal Device. Grand jury members tend to be retired citizens with conservative values, but this one still found no probable cause to uphold the District Attorney's charge that the activists altered the U-locks they used to lock their necks to the privately run detention center's entrance and exit gates. The Sin Fronteras defense committee expected the fight against the felony charges to last as long as six months, and the early dismissal likely means they won't pursue a civil rights case for malicious prosecution. (from :: Houston Indymedia)

Article by Houston Sin Fronteras Defense Committee (houstonsinfronteras (at) riseup.net), published first on 04. Aug 2007 @ :: Houston Indymedia