Organizers in Redmond and Bend will hold May Day walkout marches May 1, planned as protests against billionaire rule and the Trump Administration’s policies. Protesters are encouraged to skip out on school, work and shopping to create an economic disruption.
Redmond’s event is hosted and organized by Indivisible Redmond, a local chapter of the nationwide movement against authoritarianism, and will take place at the Redmond Public Library from 1:30 to 5pm. May Day in Bend runs from 2 to 5pm and is hosted by the Latino Community Association and Pineros Y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste, as well as a number of other local organizations. It kicks off with an educational event at Pioneer Park Picnic Shelter followed by a march and demonstration at Peace Corner.
“A lot of our people identify as working class and really keep Centra Oregon afloat,” Rowan Jones, immigration and advocacy program manager for LCA told the Source. “It’s a dual immigration and worker’s rights event, and an opportunity for us to connect with our partner organizations in the region and say, ‘we are out here we are doing this work, and we’d like to invite you in.’”
The first portion of May Day Bend will involve speakers from LCA and Central Oregon Peacekeepers touching on the importance of immigrants in the community and their need for access to health care. Other topics include protester rights and responsibilities, protester comportment expectations, and teaching about documenting human rights violations.
“We are getting people skilled up in that to increase the number of folks who are ready to do that in the event it is necessary,” Jones says about documenting human rights violations, also known by LCA as “Migra Watch Training.”
Although the Pioneer Picnic Shelter only holds around 100 people, according to Jones, they hope the march portion of the event will see 500 participants.
A core component of May Day Redmond includes “Norma Rae,” a film about the power of labor unions. A discussion about the importance of solidarity to implement change will follow.
“Just look at the headlines; they are pretty dismal as far as working families getting what they need from this economy and administration,” Jen Laverdure, media spokesperson for Indivisible Redmond, says. “All those things that are making it harder to be a worker, harder to pay bills, harder to retire, need to be clear to the communities that need to fight back to maintain and improve our standard of living.”
Laverdure says last year’s turnout was an estimated 30 observers. A trained safety team will be at the Redmond Library on Friday to ensure the safety of participants.
“Whatever event that LCA hosts, we make sure there is a safety team and make sure there are rapid responders who can connect us to legal rapid response organizations,” Jones says.
According to Jones, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been more present in other areas than Central Oregon. Because of this, they do not anticipate having to use trained community and legal responders who will also be present at the Bend event.
“Because of the communities we are accountable to and the future we are dreaming of, we would love a pathway to citizenship and legal permanent residence for anybody. We would love for an end to ICE and other oppressive agencies and we’re really excited to be in solidarity with immigrant and labor communities,” Jones says.
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