Why We Protest: From Minneapolis to Huntington Beach

By Tory D. Johnson, special to the Orange Juice Blog

   Huntington Beach is not separate from what’s happening across the country. What happens in Minneapolis, at the border, or in federal immigration enforcement does not stay there. These systems travel and so do their consequences.

   That is why Black Lives Matter Huntington Beach is organizing an anti-ICE protest this Saturday at the Huntington Beach Pier.

   In recent weeks, Minneapolis has once again become a national flashpoint. Two people, Renée Good and Alex Jeffrey Pretti were killed in separate encounters involving federal immigration enforcement, only miles from where George Floyd was murdered. While officials debate justifications, communities are left with a familiar reality: deadly force, limited transparency, and delayed accountability.

   These deaths matter here because ICE does not operate in isolation. Federal agencies rely on political cover and public tolerance. When cities normalize cruelty toward immigrants or dismiss concerns about excessive force, they help create the conditions that allow these tragedies to repeat.

   Huntington Beach has increasingly embraced a political culture that celebrates “law and order” while showing hostility toward immigrants, protesters, and anyone who challenges the MAGA aligned status quo. That culture does not create safety, it creates permission.

   Saturday’s protest is not about disruption for its own sake. It is about drawing a clear moral line. No federal agency should wield lethal power without meaningful oversight. No family should live in fear of raids, detention, or disappearance. Human dignity is not optional.

   Protest has always been how people force change when institutions stop listening. Civil rights, labor protections, voting rights, and marriage equality were all won in the streets long before they were recognized in law. Progress has never come from silence or patience alone.

   Those who criticize protest often benefit from the systems being challenged. Those who urge calm rarely bear the cost of injustice themselves.

    Black Lives Matter Huntington Beach stands in solidarity with immigrant communities because justice is indivisible. You cannot honor George Floyd’s memory while ignoring the lessons his murder and what followed made painfully clear.

   From Minneapolis to Huntington Beach, the message is simple: Black lives matter. Immigrant lives matter. Accountability matters.

    Black Lives Matter Huntington Beach invites the community to join us this Saturday, January 31, at 1:30 p.m. at the Huntington Beach Pier.

Show up. Stand together. Because democracy will not survive on silence.

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MORE PROTESTS THIS WEEK/Weekend

Friday at Santa Ana’s Old Courthouse

Remembering Alex Pretti

Friday Jan 30, 6-8 pm
Old Orange County Courthouse
211 W. Santa Ana Blvd, Santa Ana

“Please join us in light; white coats and scrubs encouraged.” Facebook event link.

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And from “50501oc”

Thursday Jan. 29

Irvine

• 3:00–5:00 PM – Weekly: Abolish ICE & End the Occupation Banner Drop
   Almond Tree Ln & Michelson Dr
   Hosted by: OC Banner Drop for Pali
   Focus: Banner drop for Palestine; abolish ICE. Masks strongly recommended for safety & health

Lake Forest

• 4:00–6:00PM – Weekly “Stand Up for Our Rights” Rally
   El Toro Rd & Trabuco Rd
   Hosted by: Indivisible Lake Forest
   Focus: Immigrant justice & civil rights

La Habra

• 5:00–6:30 PM – Weekly “Save Democracy” Protest
   Imperial Hwy & S. Beach Blvd
   Hosted by: Indivisible La Habra
   Focus: Protect voting rights in Orange County

Friday Jan. 30

Villa Park

• 8:00–9:30 AM – [Weekly] No Hate, No Fear! Immigrants Are Welcome Here
   Villa Park Rd x N Wanda Rd
   Hosted by: Voices of Villa Park
   Message: Immigrant rights & advocacy

San Juan Capistrano

• 2:30–4:00 PM – Ice Out for Good
   Del Obispo & Camino Capistrano
   Hosted by: Democratic Women of South OC
   Message: Join us in the streets for a peaceful protest to demand an end to deportation terror. Stand with your neighbors. Protect immigrant families.

Ladera Ranch

• 5:00–6:30 PM – Stand in Solidarity with MN
   Antonio Pkwy & Crown Valley Pkwy
   Hosted by: OC Indivisible Coalition
   Message: Stand up for our fellow Americans in Minnesota; demand ICE out for good!

Sat. Jan. 31

Newport Beach

• 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM – Weekly “Defend Democracy” Protest
   PCH & Jamboree
   Hosted by: Newport Indivisible
   Focus: Immigrant rights, voting rights & democracy

Santa Ana

• 10:30 – 12:30 PM – Weekly Protest Rally
   Bristol St and MacArthur Blvd
   Hosted by: Defenders of Democracy

Aliso Viejo

• 11:00 AM–12:30 PM – Weekly “Defend Democracy” Protest
   26501 Aliso Creek Rd (at Enterprise)
   Hosted by: Aliso Viejo Resistance
   Focus: Fight oligarchy & corporate power, boycott Tesla
   Mutual Aid: Yes, bring nonperishable food and essential household basics to contribute towards community aid efforts

Huntington Beach

• 2:30 – 4:30 PM – No MAGA. No ICE. No FASCISM. Peaceful Community Protest
   HB Pier
   Hosted by: Black Lives Matter Huntington Beach

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 1

Fullerton

• 12:00–2:00 PM – Weekly: Abolish ICE & End the Occupation Banner Drop
   Over the 57 Freeway (Deerpark Dr. & Yorba Linda Blvd)
   Hosted by: OC Banner Drop for Pali
   Focus: Banner drop for Palestine; abolish ICE. Masks strongly recommended for safety & health

Huntington Beach

• 1:00–2:30 PM – Weekly Protest Against #47
   Huntington Beach City Hall
   Hosted by: HB 4 Democracy
   Focus: Immigrant rights, voting rights & democracy
   Mutual Aid: Yes, bring nonperishable food and essential household basics to contribute towards community aid efforts

Costa Mesa

• 2:00–4:00 PM – Weekly Rally for Democracy (location varies)
   2300 Harbor (park at old “At Home” lot across the street)
   Hosted by: 50501oc & OC Indivisible
   Focus: End executive overreach. Uphold the Constitution.
   Mutual Aid: Yes, bring nonperishable food and essential household basics to contribute towards community aid efforts

Costa Mesa

• Every 1st Sunday 3:00–5:00 PM – Free Community Meal Share
   Lions Park (between library & community center)
   Hosted by: Food Not Bombs Costa Mesa
   Focus: Mutual aid and community connection. Arrive at 2pm if you’d like to volunteer.
   Mutual Aid: Yes, bring food to share. You may also bring gently used clothing for the community clothing rack (please take home anything left at the end)