Statement of Two People Recently Subpoenaed in Relation to a Grand Jury Investigation

The two of us publishing this were subpoenaed in April to be witnesses for a grand jury focused on an action to stop ICE from abducting community members. Part of the insidious nature of grand juries is that there is almost no information given to those subpoenaed, so in the following statement we speak only for ourselves. Our goal in sharing this is to respond to the concerns about this completely fucked state repression.

We have and will continue to maximize our resistance every step of the way, even if and when that comes at costs beyond what we have already sacrificed or state harassment beyond what we have already experienced. We are so thankful to have legal representation from lawyers who are trained in grand jury resistance and who are aware of how important non-compliance is to both us and our community. Due to these lawyers’ incredible work, one subpoena has already been dropped after a successful legal fight. Both we and our lawyers know we have a duty to act in a way that will create as much safety as possible for both individuals impacted and the community, and we take that extremely seriously. Living our value of being in solidarity means keeping each other safe. We will not do law enforcement’s job for them. We will not widely broadcast information that they want to use to criminalize people defending immigrant communities.

At local events we have heard fears that people among us are capitulating to grand juries. We can’t speak for others, but we are writing to say that we are not. We want to welcome others to do the same and also to inform concerned community members that people are standing strong. Secrecy is the state’s weapon & solidarity is ours! A main motive for this legal persecution in the first place—beyond creating a distraction for our movement work—is an attempt to paint any community defense against ICE as a criminal undertaking, so the true way to fight this is to fight for and with your community. Get out & get on the side of unhoused community members who are being swept by the city of Oakland, immigrant community members who are being abducted, and youth & adults who are struggling to get gender affirming care (let alone any healthcare at all).

There are plenty of reasons to be scared, and we see time & time again throughout history that we all need to learn to navigate that fear in a way that doesn’t involve coming for our friends and neighbors. We hope going forward, the broader community will move in solidarity so we can all increase our strength, interconnectedness, and trust, and we encourage everyone to support each other in moving forward in this way.

Last but not least, we are so grateful to our friends & loved ones who have supported us thus far, our badass lawyers (may everyone have a lawyer who “has a policy of not representing snitches”) who go hard for grand jury resistance, and everyone who continues to work towards liberation for all. We are so grateful to be continuing to work together to support each other, to keep ICE out of the Bay, and to move in solidarity with comrades around the country facing similar repression. Don’t forget who the real enemy is, abolish ICE, and US out of North America!