No Borders March

For A World Without Borders

On Sunday, November 11, participants of the NO Border camp held the final march, to the Calexico/Mexicali border crossing. After a meeting most people crossed over to the Mexican side. We had a spirited march, even if it was a bit small. We chanted in Spanish and occasionally in English. In English we chanted, "No border, No nation, Stop deportations," and in Spanish, "Climb, Climb, Climb, Whoever isn't climbing is immigration." Many people stopped to paint slogans on the fence itself.

When we got close to the crossing we stopped and gathered with the people on the US side. We all waved puppets, flags and banners. Many people began to pound on the fence with rocks and make a great musical effect. On our side people would sit in the road and block traffic. As we didn't really want to stop people from going to the US I was at first confused but then people explained that it was only symbolic and they got up after a few minutes. The cars then moved forward to the traffic jam to cross. Some Mexican police came on our side but did not interfere or even speak to us. On the US side one could see dozens of border patrol agents and only about 30 activists. Slowly people made two small holes in the fence's grating between the steel bars. The border patrol moved in to inspect them and shoved people out of the way. People resisted and suddenly the border patrol grabbed people and threw them to the ground, shot them with pepper spray bullets and hit people with batons. On the Mexican side we could do very little but scream and pound on the fence. The border patrol made two arrests and chased the others off then surrounded them. At this point a Mexican kid threw a small rock over and a few things followed but then a guy with a megaphone asked people not to throw thing.

We then marched closer to the crossing but people didn't want to go near the wall of border patrol that formed at the actual line. So, we went to a park to meet and plan jail solidarity and media responses.