We were trying to arrive well before what we had heard would be two busloads of “Trumpers” coming to exercise their first amendment rights but hopefully not their second amendment rights. I knew that any action was unlikely to come close to the bar set by recent highly publicized protests such as Baltimore, Women’s March or March for Our Lives, but your mind can’t help but wander to the extreme cases. My resolve was bolstered when we arrived, and thirty-five out of the forty people there were in opposition of the agenda item. We collected our pins, mingled with the crowd, and crammed into the lobby which led directly into the council chambers. While we waited for the session to begin, our side chanted “No Hate. No Fear. Immigrants are welcome here!” utterly drowning whatever the opposition was yelling.
Finally, we were allowed to enter. When the council reached the agenda item which we had come to oppose, our long line of speakers inspired me with their compelling and thoughtful arguments. They cited studies, law, and economics. They explained that our country is stronger with immigrants, that firms bring these workers in to work for almost nothing and then kick them to the curb, that these workers do the jobs that no American is willing to do. They described the horrific conditions that these immigrants face in their home countries, that these immigrants had come to the United States with the same aspirations as the families of nearly every member of the city council. I felt that they provided plenty of evidence for our case and for a brief moment they made me believe, that we might convince enough council members to sway the vote in our favor. After our side, which had almost entirely dominated the first half of the public comment concluded, the speaker’s list was reset and the council chamber was emptied.
My optimism was quickly squashed by the seemingly endless number of anti-immigrant activists which filled the room during the second half of the public comment. I was saddened by the thought that a community which I had grown to be a part of could produce such hatred. Although many of the anti-immigrant activists that spoke that day at city hall were residents of Aliso Viejo and the surrounding area, many people had made the long trip from Arizona and other cities in Orange County to spew the kind of hatred and anger we saw on that day.
Finally, the public comment came to a close, and the city council was able to ask questions of the city attorney and city manager. Although several members wavered in their resolve, they did ultimately affirm the position of the County of Orange. With the exception of our esteemed democratic councilmen, the city council decided to proceed with a lesser version of the proposed motion, which meant that they would simply sign on to the County’s amicus brief. Although we were unable to sway the position of the city council in this issue, I would not have traded the experience of speaking on behalf of those who could not speak for themselves. The fact that these city council members wavered in their position, questioned their actions, and ultimately scaled down the impact and cost of the motion shows me that there is great value in organizing political activity and that it is our responsibility to let our elected officials know what we think.