Hundreds of Brooklynites March in Support of Trump-Fearing Sunset Park Immigrants

By Kelly Mena/Kings County Politics News Service

SUNSET PARK, BROOKLYN — City Council Member Carlos Menchaca, representing Sunset Park and Red Hook, led hundreds of Brooklynites in a "unity march" through the streets of Sunset Park Sunday, in an effort to show support for local Latino and Chinese immigrants who fear what their lives might look like under President-elect Trump.

“People from all over Brooklyn are here today, celebrating our culture and our diversity — and that’s what’s going to get us through any dark moments that we are anticipating in the future,” Menchaca said at the march.

“We have some very serious issues that we have to take care of in our city," the local politician said, "and we have the power to do that. We’re going to find those opportunities, take them and be fierce about our response."

Supporters began marching at the corner of 5th Avenue and 44th Street and ended their procession at Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Notre dame Hall) on 60th Street, where they continued sharingmessages of hope for the future at a small street festival.

Chants included "The people united can't be defeated," "Immigration is our nation" and "Si, se puede," a classic pro-immigrant slogan meaning "Yes, we can" that's been brought back into the mainstream in recent weeks.

Activists also sang a version of "This Little Light of Mine" that went: "Across Sunset Park, I'm gonna let it shine."

“I think that the best thing we can do right now is that everybody unite regardless of our differences, we need to find our commonalities to stand together, and the best thing we have right now is our community,” said Sunset Park resident Violeta Gomez-Uribe, who came with her family from Mexico over 20 years ago.

Nonprofits such as ATLAS: DIY — which works directly with immigrant youth in the community and provides them with legal services, leadership development and learning opportunities — also attended the event.

“I believe that the United States is a country built on immigration and that’s why we’re strong," said Lauren Burke, Brooklyn resident and executive director of ATLAS: DIY. "And I believe we are all human. It doesn’t matter if we’re black, Muslim or LGBTQ. I’ve been really disappointed seeing our country torn apart in this way and we’re not going to let hate and fear reign.”

The previous Sunday, Council Member Menchaca had sent an open letter to the chancellor of NYC Schools, Carmen Farina, urging city education officials to address racial bullying faced by Sunset Park's immigrant students since Donald Trump became president-elect.

"'They’d better start packing their bags' isn’t something young children should be forced to confront in a school setting," Menchaca wrote. "I request [Department of Education]-sponsored local community outreach meetings in Sunset Park specifically geared toward Arabic, Spanish, and Chinese-speaking parents whose children are experiencing what I’ve described."

A previous version of this article originally appeared on the Kings County Politics news site

Photos by Kelly Mena/Kings County Politics