Around noon on March 7, about 50 activists congregated at the newly expanded PedWest pedestrian crossing station in San Diego—a building that, in form and function, typifies the cold, inhuman character of border enforcement being protested that day.
Numerous Brown Beret chapters from all over California, as well as several branches of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, sent representatives to the event. Speakers came forward from many of the groups and gave speeches at the U.S. side of the crossing, decrying the excesses of the U.S. Border Patrol and encouraging community members to participate in the ongoing boycott against Driscoll’s Berries.
After the rally, the activists took a pedestrian bridge over the section of freeway that fed into the auto portion of the point of entry. Their signs and chanting were met with honks and waves of support from many of the cars below. A small cadre of activists also went to the other side of the bridge to confront several of the border agents as they left their shift. The confrontation was militant, but did not escalate to violence.
The event was an excellent example of the militant, revolutionary ideas that are beginning to bloom in the current climate.
