On November 15, many of the Border Patrol officers who for months terrorized, brutalized, and abducted immigrants in Chicago were transferred to Charlotte to launch operation “Charlotte’s Web.” In just five days, Border Patrol arrested over 370 people, utilizing the same brutal tactics seen in Chicago. Federal officers intimidated immigrant neighborhoods and workers, abducted parents during school pickup, shattered car windows with assault rifles, hauled protesters into FBI custody after detaining them, and even seized teenagers from local stores.
One of those targeted was Miguel Angel Garcia Martinez, a U.S. citizen who was arrested, charged with a felony, and had their car destroyed after being chased for over two miles simply for recording agents. In another incident, masked Border Patrol officers stormed a church and, without asking any questions, detained one person and attempted to apprehend others, forcing attendees to flee through the woods.
In response to this and the spontaneous mass protests that began upon the announcement of the Border Patrol operation, last Thursday, People’s Defense Charlotte (PDClt) organized a demonstration in East Charlotte protesting the ongoing Border Patrol operation in the city. They were joined by a united front of community members, along with numerous local revolutionary and progressive class-conscious organizations. The action was organized as part of the broader national campaign by the People’s Defense Committee to fight State repression against the exploited and oppressed masses by forming Neighborhood Defense Units in every working-class neighborhood and block.
The rally was outside Manolo’s Bakery, a small business located in a majority Latino working-class neighborhood, which was forced to close due to harassment from Border Patrol. Throughout the week, the masses in the neighborhood have been using the bakery as a spontaneous gathering point to protest the operation.
During the action, members of the PDClt, Housing Justice Coalition, and George Jackson Grassroots Collective spoke about mass deportations and the militarization of immigration enforcement alongside community members. A member of PDClt read aloud a message from an activist who had been arrested earlier in the week for documenting Border Patrol. In between speeches, speakers led chants, and after the rally participants and other groups of spontaneous masses took to the streets in a demonstration of mass rebellion.
Building upon efforts it launched earlier in the Fall, at the rally, PDClt called for the establishment of neighborhood defense units in every neighborhood and every block in the city to militantly combat Border Patrol, ICE, and police operations. One speaker highlighted the need for coordinated and systematic mass work in the current period, contrasting it to the individualistic forms of rebellion some activists have approached people’s defense with: “One person waging war against the state is a death wish and a suicide mission. We have no shortage of righteous martyrs. What we do have is a shortage of actual revolutionaries prepared to integrate and build real power within our communities.” Linking the struggles for daily demands among the masses with the question of political Power for the multinational working-class in the US is one of the main tasks for revolutionary mass organizations like the People’s Defense Committee.
In the lead-up to the demonstration, City Councilor Juan Diego Mazuera Arias, along with several career activists and liberal organizations, attempted unsuccessfully to sway the masses from attending the rally. Using the tried-and-true tactic of trying to frame PDClt as outside agitators working to sow chaos and division within the community. Mazuera Arias even released a video condemning the rally for requesting that rally attendees not fly the US flag and wear masks.
This was all part of a coordinated effort on the part of the City Government, NGOs, and certain local reformist organizations to quell any mass militancy. These forces, controlled by the Democratic Party or organized revisionism, put out countless calls telling the masses to be “peaceful” and to document but not confront Border Patrol and local law enforcement. Several organizations that claim to be fighting for immigrant rights went so far as to tout the lie that local law enforcement was “on our side.”
However, like in Los Angeles and Chicago, the masses disregard these blatant attempts to stamp out resistance to the operation. Tuesday morning, Border Patrol officers woke up to find their tires slashed, and throughout the week, the masses repeatedly confronted agents spotted in working-class neighborhoods. Thousands also took to the streets in demonstrations, such as at the one organized by PDClt, refusing to be intimidated and refusing to stand by as the operation unfolded.
Since deploying federal troops to Los Angeles in June, the Trump administration has followed through on its promise to use the armed forces to support ongoing deportation operations. These operations, which have sparked significant mass rebellion across the country, show that the imperialist State is aiming to intensify the militarization of U.S. society and is a step further towards the development of growing fascism in the U.S.
Family and friends of Miguel Angel Garcia Martinez, who was falsely charged with three felonies for recording ICE operations, are collecting donations for his defense, which readers can support here.
