Background: For more than three years, the discredited S-Comm deportation program has roiled San Francisco, separating families and creating a chilling effect for witnesses and survivors of crimes who want to work with local law enforcement but fear deportation.
What: Domestic violence survivors, advocates, and their supporters will hold a “Women Against S-Comm” rally and press conference to call for an end to a controversial deportation program which has destroyed trust between local law enforcement and survivors of domestic violence.
Following the event, anti-domestic violence advocates will deliver public comment before the Board of Supervisors as Supervisor John Avalos introduces a new ordinance to repair S-Comm’s continuing, negative impact on public safety San Francisco. The measure, co-sponsored by eight supervisors, will strengthen community confidence in law enforcement, preserve local resources, and uphold the fundamental principle of due process. The text of the legislation will be unveiled at noon on Tuesday.
A recent University of Illinois at Chicago scientific survey of Latinos in four major cities highlights the growing damage caused by entangling local police and sheriffs with broken federal deportation policies. The study found that 70% of undocumented Latino immigrants are less likely to contact law enforcement authorities if they were victims of a crime– as are over a quarter of US-Born Latinos.
Maria Carolina Morales, Programs Co-Director at Community United Against Violence, stated, “We cannot have immigration enforcement procedures be tied to policing practices that already have high rates of error, especially when responding to domestic violence in the LGBT community."
Juanita Flores, Executive Director of Mujeres Unidas y Activas added: “This program creates a separate punishment for immigrant women surviving domestic violence when they call the police and we cannot stand for that.”
Who: Supervisor Malia Cohen, one of the women co-sponsors of the new legislation is hosting the event with the San Francisco Domestic Violence Consortium. Affected domestic violence survivors, anti-domestic violence advocates, city supervisors, and community members will come together to introduce the new Due Process Ordinance, including:
- Sup. Jane Kim
- An immigrant women survivor of domestic violence
- Beverly Upton, Executive Director, SF Domestic Violence Consortium
- Maria Carolina Morales, programs co-director, Community United Against Violence
- Mamacoatl, a local 'artivist', will open the event with a song and prayer
Date: Tuesday, July 23rd
Time: 12:00pm
Location: Steps of City Hall, on Polk St., San Francisco (between Grove St. and McAllister St./Civic Center Bart)
Organized by: The San Francisco Immigrant Rights Defense Committee, Domestic Violence Consortium, Mujeres Unidas y Activas, El/La para TransLatinas, San Francisco Women Against Rape and Community United Against Violence
Join us in giving the community support as we stand up for and move forward local immigration reform to protect our immigrant community, especially women and survivors of violence.
