Parishioners came pouring out of St. John the Evangelist Church in Riverhead Sunday evening after the weekly Spanish-language mass. The sanctuary was packed — as it is every Sunday evening — with a standing room-only crowd.
Those who exited by the front doors plucked a rose from the floral arch that graced the walkway there, and greeted friends and neighbors, as usual. Then, they did something very unusual. They picked up signs they’d placed alongside the rectory building before mass and assembled on St. John’s Place for a walk and rally to support immigrants. Outside the church, they were joined by other community members in solidarity with the cause.
Carrying signs and small American flags, a crowd of about 275 people lined up behind two women carrying a very large American flag. Jessica Ruiz, director of St. John’s social parish ministry and food pantry, led the crowd in a popular chant as the march stepped off: “El pueblo unido jamás será vencido… El pueblo unido jamás será vencido…” (“The people, united, will never be defeated.”)
The marchers continued chanting as they walked around the large downtown block between St. John’s Place and Northville, in a loop around the Riverhead Fire Department headquarters. They included people of all ages— from at least one tiny infant in her mother’s arms to elderly people walking with canes or riding in wheelchairs. They were joined on the walk by the Rev. William Brisotti and St. John’s pastor, the Rev. Larry Duncklee. An audio cart near the rear of the line played John Lennon’s “Imagine,” as the walkers made their way back to the church.
The messages on the signs they carried were clear and simple, expressed on numerous handmade paper signs, nearly all in English: Stop the raids. Stop the deportations. Hardworking immigrants make America great. Families belong together. Families matter. We love immigrant community. Stop ICE abuse. I’m walking for my Dad. Hate won’t make us great. Hope is stronger than fear.
When the walk ended, many of the walkers assembled for a rally outside St. John’s school on Fifth Street.
“These are the people of God, walking peacefully, fighting for their rights — the rights of every family,” said Hector Mendez, a eucharistic minister at St. John’s.
“We come here legally to work. We come illegally, but we come to work. No one here is a criminal. There are no criminals here. We are not defending criminals — we are defending the right to life, the right for our children to grow up, and just like we’ve done, we are teaching them to learn how to work hard too,” Mendez said.
The people work hard to earn their wages and live with dignity, Mendez said.
“Today we… say thanks to God, thanks to this town. We are a peaceful community, full of love, who represent Christ here on Earth,” he said.
“We participate in this community, we grow, we pay our taxes, we do things in an orderly way. We are here fighting for that right,” Mendez said. He called for the laws to be changed to allow the people here to become documented residents. “If we are given papers, if we are helped to move forward, we will be a strong community supporting the growth of the United States, as our parents did,” he said.
“ Long live Christ!” Mendez called out, and the crowd responded in kind: “Long Live!” He continued: “Long live the Hispanic community! Long live our children! Long live our families! Long live the USA! Long live the people of God! Long live! Long live the migrants!” Each time the crowd roared back: “Long live!”
Brisotti was next to the microphone. “Glory to God,” the priest said. “We are here supporting our brothers and sisters who are in danger. This affects us deeply. What we’re doing is very important. It may seem small, but each person contributes to the transformation of the world that we talk about in the Mass. The transformation of the justice system, the immigration system — all of it — to respect the dignity of every human being,” Brisotti said.
“There is no human being who is illegal anywhere. When the government lies, it’s always lies — accusing all immigrants, painting them all as criminals,” he said.
“ In this country we are all mixed, this is a country built by immigrants like my grandparents. And we all participate — we are immigrants, we are pilgrims in this world. We don’t own the land — the land belongs to God. God created it for everyone. It is important that we always remember this. That is what matters,” Brisotti said. “Glory to God, and thank you for joining us tonight. May we leave here inspired to stay aware of what’s happening, to learn and to support our brothers and sisters, and not allow them to be victimized by lies.”
“Where is the Body of Christ?” he asked. “It is here. We are here, doing what the Eucharist does — uniting people, creating community, respect — respect for every human being, made in the image of God.”
Pilar Moya, representing Latinos United of Long Island spoke of the current situation across Long Island, where, she said, “our families, our brothers and sisters, whether born here or not, are being racially profiled. This means we’re all being targeted, regardless of where we were born. And we cannot allow this.”
”ICE agents show up at our homes without any judicial warrant, and are stopping our brothers and sisters in the streets. They’re demanding immigration information from people who have done nothing wrong. We cannot accept that,” Moya said.
“What’s happening is not just about immigration. It’s about the civil rights of every one of us, regardless of immigration status. Civil rights protected under the U.S. Constitution,” Moya said. “ This is about basic human dignity. We are here to say enough is enough! No more civil rights violations — our rights are protected by the Constitution, regardless of our skin color, place of birth, or accent. That’s why we say: Please, listen. Listen to our plea. Hear our message,” she said, passion rising in her voice.
“Our civil rights are being violated regardless of status. Our children and families suffer because ICE agents, or people pretending to be ICE, show up masked at our homes, not identifying themselves — and we don’t know who they are. That’s abuse, and we will not allow it — because the people, united, will never be defeated!”
The crowd responded: “The people, united, will never be defeated!”
Moya asked all elected officials, at every level of government, to protect the local immigrant community. “In the name of our community’s integrity, our rights must be protected.
“We all pay taxes, so we all have the right to ask our elected officials to put their hand on their hearts and stop the abuse — stop the separation of our families. Because separation doesn’t only hurt in the moment — it damages the family for life and the next generation,” Moya said. “I ask all of you to speak with our elected officials and say: No more. No more abuse of our rights. No more damage to our families.”
Ruiz concluded the rally with words of thanks to the participants and to Riverhead Police for their presence.
“Every step we took was an act of love, faith, and resistance. And today we walked for justice, for our families, and for those who cannot walk,” Ruiz said.
The chant rose up in the crowd again. “El pueblo unido jamás será vencido…The people, united, will never be defeated…”
“We leave in peace, but not in silence,” Ruiz said. “We remain firm, with hope, and united.”
RiverheadLOCAL photos by Denise Civiletti
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