Outraged Mainers march thru Portland opposing ICE killings

MB and I went to an anti-ICE demonstration in Portland, Maine today attended by over 500 people. As we arrived the Ideal Band was warming up the crowd and then a series of excellent speakers addressed the people about the murder of a young Colombian father Johan Guerrero by a masked ICE operative in front of Johan's three year old daughter in Biddeford, Maine just days ago.

Since this murder Maine has been flooded with major protests up and down the state. (It's important to know that Maine's entire population is only 1.4 million so turnouts like this today are big for our state.) There was a similar large protest in Bangor a couple hours drive north. And there were smaller events held in many towns as well across Maine.

On the very same day as this rally and march happened on the streets of Portland, Democrats in every county of the state were meeting to select delegates to attend a statewide convention in Bangor on July 25 to pick who will be the party candidate against incumbent right-wing Senator Susan Collins who has repeatedly voted to fund ICE in the Congress. 

The very popular Democrat Graham Platner (who won the statewide primary election with 72% of the vote) recently dropped out of the race after rape charges were alleged against him.

Many of the chants, as we marched thru the tourist district of the Old Port of Portland, were opposing the re-election of Republican Susan Collins next November.

Even though the rally and march were held in the rain the largely younger crowd remained steady. Many tourists and local shop workers popped their heads outside waving at us and taking photos as we marched.

In this part of Portland there are many restaurants and bars so I walked along the sidewalk with my sign so I could hold it up to the windows enabling the diners and those inside the bars could see my message. Lots of them waved, clapped and gave peace signs of approval.

The entire event lasted about 2 1/2 hours. On our way back to our car it was fun to see how many local businesses in the city had put 'No Ice' flyers on their doors.

We had so much fun today being there. It's about a 45 minute ride to Portland from our home but well worth it. Even though much of it was in the rain we were so encouraged by the many young activists who organized and participated in this well-run protest event that was sponsored by several key socialist organizations.  

People across Maine are so over Trump and his fascist pirate band of thieves and war mongers. We are tired of the war$ (US-NATO proxy war on Russia, Palestine and Iran) and the regime changes (Venezuela) and the threats to other nations (Cuba and Greenland).

Several speakers in the rally made the important point that this energy must be sustained as we face this expanding fascism. One hit demos won't do the trick. 

We have to build a movement across the nation to take power away from these genocidal Epstein class pedophiles who have long ago lost their souls.

Keep paddling.

Bruce  

~ Photos and video by MB Sullivan