By Mike Kinney
On Labor Day Monday, the Indigenous lowrider community organized a unique local protest against what they describe as illegal operations by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The demonstration, orchestrated by the grassroots organization El Pueblo, featured a caravan of customized lowrider cars and trucks cruising along San Pablo Dam Road. Organizer Diego Garcia called aggression immigration enforcement under the Trump Administration “illegal kidnapping,” as well as “racist and fascist.”
“We are here to express our gratitude to those who fought for us and the privileges we enjoy today,” said Garcia, a Richmond resident and owner of Leftside Printing. “The United States Constitution was not written for us, the indigenous Latino community.”
The protest was part of a broader national movement known as “Workers Over Billionaires,” organized by the 50501 coalition, which stands for “50 protests, 50 states, one day.” The movement aims to highlight the struggles of workers and marginalized communities and oppose Trump Administration policies. Labor Day saw over 1,000 such demonstrations across the U.S.
The protest also highlighted concerns over the deployment of state National Guard units to assist ICE operations in sanctuary cities. Richmond and San Pablo are both recognized as sanctuary cities that aim to protect undocumented residents from federal deportation.
“We are here to express our First Amendment rights. We are here to address our concerns that the indigenous Latin community continues to face daily with being bullied and with unfair treatment,” San Pablo Mayor Arturo Cruz said. “We know our indigenous Latino community continues to face injustice and unfair treatment across the country.”
