Have you ever protested over 200 priests?

Change begins at the end of your comfort zone. - Roy T. Bennett

These photos popped up recently on my Facebook memory page¹, and I thought I would share with you my experience of protesting almost 200 Catholic priests. 

Laurie, why would you protest over 200 priests?

In 2018 and 2019, as an activist, I saw the horrors of what the Trump administration and DeSantis were doing in Florida. Children were stolen from their families and were being detained at Homestead Air Force Base.²³ ⁴ Every week as I visited ICE Miramar, I saw how horrible the guards treated people doing their immigration check in's-they were forced to stand 8-10 hours in the hot Florida sun with no access to food, water, or bathrooms-then told they would need to return some other day.⁵ At Krome detention center, I saw the sick and aged immigrants being detained and deported to a country they no longer knew as they had left over 20+ years ago.⁶

Something that disturbed me at that time in my community was how my Catholic church was quiet and invisible when it came to the issue of treating asylum seekers and refugees with respect and dignity. Day after day, I witnessed other faith leaders showing up - Rabbis, Imams, preachers, and others- but no one from the Catholic Church. How could this be? The Archdiocese of Miami has over 100 churches in its borders, and no one was showing up for immigrants. 

During Holy Week, all the priests come to the main cathedral for a service and to gather their christening oil for the year. It was the perfect time to catch their attention. Unfortunately, my friend backed out at the last minute, so I decided to go alone.

I am not going to lie. I was scared. This was my church, my faith, and my community. But I also believed in my heart that I was holding a sign for the right reason, and I needed to look into the eyes of every single priest as they passed by.

Over 200 priests passed by me that day looking at me and my sign “Jesus was a refugee. ICE Miramar is harming refugees.” I got some thumbs up, and some looked away.

I am sharing this with you because I know how hard it is to speak out, but we are in troubling times, and we need our courage.

The shadow of a possible second Trump presidency demands that good people speak up for our rights, freedoms, and democracy. 

Will you join us in taking a few quick and easy actions to push for Freedom over Fascism?

• Please like, share, and comment on this post

• The vote is happening on Saturday. Please call your member of Congress at (202) 224-3121 and tell them to stand with the people of Ukraine, Gaza, Israel, and Taiwan. We need support and aid passed immediately, this is a national security issue for America.

• Click here to Tell Lawmakers: Do not turn your back on our allies

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There is no power like that of the people, and People Power United stands ready to protect our communities against any and all injustices. Thanks for taking action!

People Power United Updates

Our group is growing by leaps and bounds! Folks understand that with love in our hearts and hard work, we will reclaim our nation from cruelty, chaos, and confusion. We are having fun making impactful changes in our community! In case you missed it, this past week was busy:

• People Power United endorsed a major bill to create SCOTUS ethics

• People Power United sends a letter to support robust funding for Anti-Trust enforcers

• People Power United urged Chairs and Ranking Members of the House and Senate Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations (CJS) Subcommittees provide the Census Bureau with $2 billion in FY 2025

• People Power United sent a letter to Congressional leaders to denounce the use of dehumanizing and demagogic rhetoric about immigrants

• People Power United sends a letter to President Biden to release HUD’s final “Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing” (AFFH) rule immediately

• People Power United's issued a statement on efforts to impeach Secretary Mayorkas

• Updates can be found here.

Sidenote: My post yesterday was based upon MARTIN NIEMÖLLER: "FIRST THEY CAME FOR... statement" who I failed to acknowledge. I have updated the acknowledgement and apologize for the inconvenience.

Everyone deserves to vote and thrive,

Laurie Woodward Garcia (paid with hugs and ,kisses, not bought by special interests)

People Power United | In this community, we will always speak out against racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, antisemitism, homophobia, misogyny, sexism, ageism, ableism, sizeism, elitism, and bigotry! Check out our 2023 recap post to see how impactful our scrappy People Power United group is!​

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People Power United is a group of community members that champions progressive values and power for the people. The 2024 election depends on us, and we are attempting to persuade people to vote for Freedom over Fascism. If you wish to support our efforts, please consider becoming a paid subscriber.

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1. https://www.facebook.com/lauriewg/posts/pfbid02uE4nN8mLzFupYquFCak3D5CjfKWR9dAJm9XauYYt5rcqzDLvZ1kvJe6NFGdQvpsel

2. https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=5964679880234058&set=a.5964697826898930

3. https://www.facebook.com/lauriewg/videos/2214082948627122

4. https://www.facebook.com/lauriewg/posts/pfbid0315AQYBaTjitgsELDJf5iXdU1B4qNW2HUuLudNkiwMqwFj3k8J1GnAzUn4ha8azrul

5. https://www.facebook.com/lauriewg/posts/pfbid0trfKNQ6acy6E26oE8H62w96481FRBhbfUA7E241J6weTcHSSYvMB9EtTNeszzVMWl

6. https://www.facebook.com/lauriewg/posts/pfbid0iov8ACUGgU8DnFK6eJPee6NAaqqkY4x7uRPZZWY5jRDfv7Ku89RBQWrKNsp4w17yl