“We’re at a point where staying quiet is equivalent to being complicit in the system,” community member Jason Hagler said.
Dozens gathered outside the Hillsdale Shopping Center in San Mateo on Saturday, Feb. 7, to honor the 41 individuals who have died while in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody. These individuals have passed due to a variety of causes, including medical neglect, untreatable conditions, and gunshot wounds.
Members of Indivisible San Mateo, an organization dedicated to local political activism and that stands in opposition to the Trump administration, distributed signs to protesters. Each sign included the name of a person who died in ICE custody.
“The people will defeat the fascists. We need to save our democracy, and this is how we do it—by showing up on the street,” Indivisible San Mateo founder Mary Bevins said. Bevins started the organization in 2024, following President Donald Trump’s election. “I reached out to the 97 people who had been active in my neighborhood to help win in the 2024 campaign [for former Vice President Kamala Harris], and I asked them who would want to start an Indivisible San Mateo with me,” she said. “Two people responded, and I was ecstatic, because now we had a group. Over time, our numbers grew exponentially to the extent that today, we have 700 members.”
During the protest, the names of all 41 deceased individuals were read aloud, and the crowd chanted “Rest in Peace” after each name was read. “We want to highlight the history of injustice that has been under ICE. This has been their deadliest decade,” community member Jennifer Waldman said.
The Freedom Strummers, a local group of musicians, performed songs like “Talking ’Bout a Revolution,” “We are Building a New Way,” and “This Little Light of Mine,” changing the lyrics to include contemporary political messages, like “Minneapolis, we hear your voice.”
During the protest, Bevins delivered a speech, denouncing the actions of ICE agents led by Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and urging Americans to mobilize in defense of democracy.
Displays like this have become prevalent nationwide in response to ICE’s actions. “In order for the sh*t going on right now to continue going on, they need you quiet, which is why people need to be speaking up for their communities, for their environment, for their country,” Hagler said.
This is one of many local demonstrations by Indivisible San Mateo. Their next demonstration, “Love more powerful than Hate: ICE Out,” will be in Redwood City on Saturday, Feb. 14.
