#standwithimmigrants

"Every aspect of the American economy has profited from the contributions of immigrants." -JFK. 

WE MAKE AMERICA GREAT ✊🏽✊🏽 

Why did you decide to create art to speak about the issues facing you and other undocumented people?

I grew up in Boyle Heights, constantly surrounded by art that depicted culture, history, and pride through color. These murals have meaning based on history and personal experience; they constantly inspire their community because they represent the community. This is what I grew up seeing and this is how I knew that I wanted to create my personalized adaptation of this inspiration. Given the history of colonization, migration and cultures have continuously merged both forcibly or willingly, yet communities have thrived despite adversity. To acknowledge this history and its impact through generations, I challenge the notion and misconceptions of a binary Latinx experience through portraits, drawings, and poetry. Language and art are other forms of expression that when combined, they amplify meaning.

What inspires the art that you make?

Drawing from poets and writers like Nayyirah Waheed, Rupi Kaur, Ijeoma Umebinyuo, Gloria Anzaldua, Sandra Cisneros, Toni Morrison,  and Junot Diaz, I explore the daily life of immigrants and the spaces in which these physical borders exist. I am inspired by Toni Morrison’s challenge on the white gaze, particularly the white male gaze and her idea of moving away from the margins, centering the experience of black women in her literature and being unapologetic. I convey my immigrant experience and challenge that there is a dominant narrative that tokenizes minorities based on assimilation; instead there is individual experiences. I am particularly drawn to ideas of femininity as softness and how being soft can be powerful. As poor womxn of color, so much is put on our shoulders to deal and manage; the “strong black woman” trope, or “strong immigrant woman” is one too common in poor communities of color that enforce this emotional labor on womxn to be strong despite adversity. This has been my experience in spaces where my tears and emotional exhaustion has been dismissed. I am inspired by artist who do not glamorize how much labor (emotional and physical) goes into surviving systematic attacks by the state. It is okay to fall apart, to be vulnerable, to heal through emotions and softness. This softness is my personal revolution and resistance to oppression.

How can art bring communities together? How can art heal?

Art is a universal language. We have seen people mobilize at the sight of phrases like #BLACKLIVESMATTER and #SAYHERNAME that encompassed the communities feelings and frustrations with these systemic attacks through police and institutional violence. Art does the same, it encompasses those feelings, those frustrations, those fears and anxieties, those hopes and love for community. I have healed through creating art and have been inspired to create by seeing social media post by various artist of color who finally expressed and addressed the issues and feelings I was hoping to express. Art is a movement within itself that is subjective and speaks to people on personal levels. Anything you create is your own, it is a product of your struggle for survival, it is your personal revolution. To survive is the most powerful revolution.

XOCHIPILLI VISIONS 

This remarkable creation is by Rah Azul, a danzante and self-taught artist born in East LA. @RahAzul's parents hail from Zapotlanejo in Jalisco, Mexico which helps shape his artistic work & purpose to give voice to culture, poetry, heritage, music and dance. We are happy to present their work as part of Latinx Heritage Month ✊🏾 

“My heritage is everything in my art.  Its fueled my purpose as an artist.  Its given me the desire to share my cultures history through my paintings.  Realizing that all my years as a student I never learned about my heritage or mexican culture made me the artist i am now.  It has become my purpose to rebuild my identity and share the beauty of indigenous roots with other people like me trying to make sense of their identities.

"I am telling the stories of our Indigenous ancestors using my art as a tool of enlightenment. It goes back to 1492. Almost all of our books and culture were burned and destroyed. Colonizers attempted to wipe out our way of life so I am helping people remember where they come from. My art starts dialogue. The colors and vibrations are an invitation to the realms of Indigenous ways. Our ancestors were one with nature & all their surroundings. They respected the land and soil. Now we're consuming and destroying our lands because we have lost our ways and culture. We are facing not only a physical genocide but a cultural, spiritual and moral destruction of our character and pride. I want to do my part and show the beauty of our peoples.

“So this painting represents to indigenous civilizations coming together and sharing resources and knowledge.  On the right side is a character as Quetzalcoatl, representing Mexico and the Mexica (Aztec) culture and on the left is a Mayan king or Shaman representing Central America (Guatemala, El Salvador, Belize)It's going beyond borders.  Since the European invasion borders have separated us.  We're the same.  We're brown and fighting the same battle but we're also divided which makes us weak.  So I wanted to show unity between two separate worlds.  The Aztec character is offering a pot of corn to the Mayan character.  A peace treaty.  At the bottom of the paintin you see a tree that has been cut but the roots are still strong and alive. ‘Our roots run deep’ at the top of the painting there is a female character representing Mother Earth.  She who keeps everything in balance.  Our heritage is not not Hispanic or Latino.  It's Indigenous.  Our people were one with nature and the most important thing was to be in harmony with our Earth.”

DOWNTOWN, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Two protests in downtown Los Angeles on Friday and Saturday were overall peaceful before the night fell, and smaller groups of demonstrators faced off with law enforcement.

Thousands of people showed up for the "ICE Out" protest on Friday. Then on Saturday, hundreds of people gathered for an anti-ICE protest outside of L.A. City Hall.

READ MORE

AIR7 was overhead on Friday as a group of protesters began targeting federal agents guarding the loading dock of the federal detention center. The crowd threw trash and debris toward the shielded agent, video shows. The agents fired back with pepper balls and irritant sprays.

In total, eight people were arrested during the chaos, according to LAPD.

One person was taken into custody for assault with a deadly weapon on an officer, one was arrested for a curfew violation, and six people were arrested for failure to disperse.

Again on Saturday, dispersal orders were issued, and an unlawful assembly was declared near the Federal Building.

AIR7 video shows fireworks going off near the intersection of Alameda Street and Temple Street.

Federal agents deployed tear gas after agitators in the crowd outside began throwing fireworks, rocks and bottles at them, according to police.

It appeared several people were lined up along a wall in handcuffs, likely being taken into custody.

Key Headlines

3 hours and 25 minutes ago LAPD arrests demonstrators for failure to disperse in DTLA 3 hours and 53 minutes ago LAPD issues citywide tactical alert as group remains in DTLA after dispersal order 11:34 AM +06 Dispersal order issued for small group of protesters in DTLA, police say 7:06 AM +06 Hundreds gather for anti-ICE protest in downtown LA 6:59 AM +06 8 arrested during chaos after protest in downtown LA on Friday, LAPD says Here's how the news is developing.

LAPD arrests demonstrators for failure to disperse in DTLA

According to Los Angeles police, officers were making arrests of people who failed to disperse when the first dispersal order was issued in the area.

AIR7 video shows several people with their hands behind their backs in handcuffs, lined up along Alameda Street, north of Temple Street.

LAPD issues citywide tactical alert as group remains in DTLA after dispersal order

Federal agents deployed tear gas after agitators in the crowd outside the Federal Building began throwing fireworks, rocks and bottles at them in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, according to police.

The city of Los Angeles is now on a citywide tactical alert, which means all officers must stay on duty and can not go home at the end of their shift.

AIR7 video from above the scene shows fireworks going off near the intersection of Alameda Street and Temple Street. Several streets in the area remain closed.

After Friday night's unrest, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli requested more federal officers, saying they're authorized to arrest anyone engaged in violence on the spot.

President Donald Trump also doubled down, saying he has instructed ICE and Border Patrol agents to be forceful in their protection of federal government property.

A dispersal order has been issued, and unlawful assembly has been declared in downtown Los Angeles in the area of Commercial Street and Alameda Street.

According to Los Angeles police, demonstrators began throwing bottles, rocks and industrial-sized fireworks at federal agents in the area, and tear gas was deployed into the crowd.

Police warned that anyone who does not leave the area will be subject to arrest.

Eyewitness News crews on the ground said the peaceful anti-ICE protest earlier in the day ended, and the crowd left before a smaller group of demonstrators began to face off with law enforcement.

AIR7 flew over the scene and saw a handful of protesters in the street in the area shortly before 9:30 p.m. Fireworks were seen going off.

Hundreds gather for anti-ICE protest in downtown LA

Hundreds of people gathered for another anti-ICE protest in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday.

Tensions escalated on Friday night after the "ICE Out" protest also in downtown L.A.. Los Angeles police said eight people were arrested after demonstrators began to clash with officers and dispersal orders were issued.

Demonstrators hit the streets again on Saturday in protest of the Trump administration's immigrant actions. People are demanding federal agents to leave their neighborhoods.

This comes in the aftermath of the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota, which sparked national outrage.

An estimated 500 people gathered for Saturday's protest outside of City Hall. The protest was organized with a message to be peaceful, and was in accordance with the "ICE Out of Everywhere" national day of action.

The 50501 Women's March and Common Defense joined forces to organize Saturday's protest, with participants demanding Congress block funding to the Department of Human Services until federal ICE agents and Customs and Broder Patrol are removed from local communities. They say they hope the rally magnifies their voices for those who have lost their life in custody, as well as American citizens who have been killed while protesting.

"We're in the middle of something that has happened for years. This is a cycle that has happened. It happened with the Indian Removal Act and the Trail of Tears, this happened with Nazi Germany, this happened with the transatlantic slave trade. We are repeating history, and we have the power to stop the cycle and do something about it," said high school junior Ava Pributsky.

8 arrested during chaos after protest in downtown LA on Friday, LAPD says

Tensions escalated when protesters started clashing with officers outside the federal detention center following the "ICE Out" protest in downtown Los Angeles on Friday.

Demonstrators were seen throwing trash and debris at federal officers at the loading dock of the building.

Los Angeles police officers were called in to push the angry crowd back and restore order in the area.

In total, eight people were arrested during the chaos, according to LAPD.

One person was taken into custody for assault with a deadly weapon on an officer, one was arrested for a curfew violation, and six people were arrested for failure to disperse.

Hundreds of anti-ICE protesters rally in downtown Riverside

Hundreds of anti-ICE protesters rallied in downtown Riverside on Friday, one of many such demonstrations across Southern California and nationwide.

The peaceful protest was held on the steps of downtown's historic courthouse, with demonstrators holding signs that said "Solidarity is the only way we win" and "Only we can save us! We must resist!"