Last Wednesday, GLIDE joined over a thousand Californians gathered at the state’s capitol to support the passage of SB 54, “The California Values Act.” The bill was introduced by State Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León in December, and if passed, the law would extend “Sanctuary City”-style protections to the entire state, prohibiting local law enforcement agencies from sharing information with federal immigration officials.

Chanting “One People, One Fight,” those at the rally lent their voices to the call for the bill to pass without further amendments.
Ben Lintschinger, from GLIDE’s Center for Social Justice and part of the busload of GLIDE staff and volunteers who had made the journey from San Francisco, said the bill echoes GLIDE’s emphasis on radical inclusion.

“The children and families living and working in our state and county should be treated as the community members that they have always been. We are all immigrants and we all deserve to be with our families, to have our contributions honored and to live free from fear.”

The rally, which came with lots of networking, high spirits and the singing of resistance songs in English and Spanish, was spearheaded by the multidenominational, multicultural, and nonpartisan group PICO. Marchers allied themselves with two other bills making their way through the Senate process: SB 31, “The California Religious Freedom Act,” which would prevent local officials from disclosing personal religious information to federal  government agents or compiling a database of individuals’ based on religious belief; and SB 6, which supports funding for legal services for immigrants.
Senator de León, who spoke at the rally, has stated that the Executive Order on Interior Immigration “confirms some of our worst fears” and “will be a dragnet for thousands if not millions of hard-working immigrants.”

It’s crucial we continue to stand up for one another and resist this heartless and destructive threat to our communities. March 15 was an important day. But we have many more such days ahead, in which to come together in solidarity and peaceful resistance to oppression, so that we can realize a better future for us all.
Call your state representative and ask their support! http://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov

Find out how else to get involved and take action for social justice at glide.org/action

GLIDE Advocacy Manager Ben Lintschinger and congregant Curtis Bradford demonstrating in Sacramento on March 15.