(photo courtesy Jay Johnson-Castro)This past Sunday marked the one-year anniversary of the first vigil outside Hutto.
View KVUE's video coverage or News 8 out of Austin. Also, KXAN has footage, though Mac users may have a hard time viewing it.
Anyone with links to Univision's coverage or other media, please let me know.
Read Greg Moses' full article in CounterPunch.
In an act of civil disobedience on Sunday marking the first anniversary of protests against the imprisonment of children at the T. Don Hutto immigrant prison in Taylor, Texas, 100 people carried holiday toys and wrapping paper into the prison lobby. The action at sundown was the first time this year that protesters carried their message onto prison property.and from David King of the Taylor Daily Press:
Jaime Martinez, National Treasurer of the League of United Latin American Citizens called for the toy march shortly after 5:30 p.m. Carrying a bullhorn, Martinez informed the protesters that prison officials had made a promise to come out and get the toys at 5 p.m.
When Martinez called for people to take the toys to the children, the crowd pressed forward across a yellow line painted on the driveway marking official prison property and walked up to the lobby of the prison. Accompanying the protesters was LULAC National President Rosa Rosales.
"Bring the toys!" called Martinez from the prison door as volunteers grabbed boxes and bags of toys along with rolls of wrapping paper and rushed to the prison door.
One of the volunteers, Georgetown resident Peter Dana, later described carrying a box of toys through a metal detector. He said he thought about his experience years ago helping to engineer a metal detector.
More description of the vigil and Hutto at Texas Prison Bid'ness.
Singing Christmas carols and chanting, “Free the children!” hundreds of activists from Del Rio, San Antonio, Taylor and elsewhere passed the previous line of demarcation and crammed into the foyer. Employees of Corrections Corporation of America, which owns and operates the Taylor facility for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, opened the doors for the oncoming protesters then quickly made themselves scarce behind closed doors and dimmed lights.
For 20 minutes, the crowd cheered and sang while they delivered hundreds of toys to the children residing at T. Don Hutto.
Thanks to all who came out to the vigil. This is is only the beginning..
