Pictures from the rally

WALLS

Throughout our history, walls have been symbols of embarrassment, symbols that bring shame, disgrace and division among communities and entire countries. We can not go to the east making war, killing thousands of people proclaiming that we do it in the name of justice; we can not go invading other countries promoting human liberty and world peace, when we build walls in our own back yard, walls that promote structural and physical violence, and mental anguish. Home Land Security said that the wall will stop illegal immigration, and terrorists coming to our country, but let’s face it, migration to the North is based on economic needs, and if instead of spending hundreds of billions in building a wall, we put our heads together to work with the Mexican government to find ways to create decent jobs, I can assure you, immigration will drop significantly. Terrorists don't cross the border illegally, terrorists are sophisticated, have passports, terrorists have money to buy visas, terrorists are well educated people with the financial means to get the US government to issue them passports.

The wall is therefore nothing more than a racist barrier, not to stop terrorism, not to stop immigration, it is a wall to demonstrate to the world that in the US, the most powerful country in the world, the leaders of this country have not succeed at providing a comprehensive immigration law, and so they build a wall. A wall that brings shame to us all, a wall that will promote more violence among communities, a wall that will destroy wild life and eco systems , a wall that will take away land from the ranchers, a wall that will send a message to the rest of the world of how racist we really are. This wall will make us believe that we are not a county that promotes justice and freedom, because we build walls that kill the freedom of all mankind, I can not help but wonder, what happened to that beautiful poem, inscribed in the Statue of Liberty, give me your poor, give me homeless….seems we have forgotten that fundamental value of being a welcoming country. In 1987, President Regan, gave a great speech while visiting the Soviet Union, in his speech he said "Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall" Today, 20 years later, we ask the leaders of our country, and we say to the President, "Mr Bush do not build this wall"!...
As part of Christian Peacemakers Team, I have worked with the Arizona project, in which horrible walls divide the border; I had seen the fence in El Paso, TX. I have experienced the iron wall that separates Palestinians from the rest of the county. I have seen the devastating effects walls produce, not only to our communities, but to entire societies and most of all I have experience what walls do to the human spirit. I certainly do not want a wall build in our backyards.