Little Village group distributes 30,000 whistles to warn of ICE activity
Little Village activists warn to stay alert for ICE agents
Activists in Little Village are urging the public to stay alert for ICE enforcement. They staged a call to action on 26th Street.
CHICAGO - The Little Village Community Council has given out 30,000 whistles as part of their effort to keep their community safe from immigration agents.
The group gathered Wednesday under the Little Village Arch for its public service campaign.
The backstory:
ICE agents are not operating as openly as they did last October, but Little Village residents say they have seen federal agents targeting immigrants in the neighborhood.
The Little Village Community Council is reminding residents to look out for one another, especially during the summer.
"Summertime is definitely vulnerable because a lot of people are out enjoying the weather, enjoying the neighborhoods, the food, the music. They're not thinking about ICE. That's why they're vulnerable. When the Midway Blitz was announced, we saw them. We lived it, and they were constantly here," said Enriquez Baltazar of the Little Village Community Council.
The weekly demonstration under the Little Village Arch has brought people together to share their concerns and celebrate Mexican heritage.
Lola the Cow is a character from the Mexican children's song "La Vaca Lola."
What they're saying:
Activists are retraining volunteers with new strategies to help them avoid violent confrontations like those that occurred in October, when pepper spray and tear gas were used.
"They're going after grandmothers, street vendors, landscapers and roofers. That's why we're out here passing out whistles, alerting the community and letting people know that as soon as they hear the whistles, they should get to safety. Why? Because these are terrorists. These are not police officers or law enforcement," Baltazar said.
The sound of whistles has become a rallying cry for opponents of immigration enforcement and the Trump administration.
"People standing up for other people means going up against repression. You want to put an end to what's happening to people more than you're afraid of what may happen to you for standing up for them. That kind of courage, that kind of self-sacrificing stance, is absolutely what's needed right now," said Leo Pargo of RevCom Corps Chicago.
The Source: The information in this article was reported by FOX Chicago's Joanie Lum.