It was ideal weather last Sunday afternoon outside Glendora City Hall, and at all the corners of the intersection of Foothill and Glendora Avenue, as local community members came together for an “ICE OUT” protest to demonstrate solidarity with the citizens of Minneapolis and all impacted community members. It was a perfect day for gathering outside, and boy did they. 

Nobody was expecting a turnout in the hundreds for Sunday's protest in the heart of traditionally conservative Glendora, California, but locals showed up in droves over the course of the two hour demonstration. Attendees ranged from families with elementary aged children, all the way through local teens, young adults, and up, including a good number of older, long-time community members. 

It was, in many cases, a family affair. A young woman who graduated from Glendora High School last year came with her mother. She said, "I was encouraged to see older people advocating for a new generation." 

Another local mom and life-long Glendoran, Mrs. Solange Pew, also attended with her own local mother, Mrs. Elsie Magaña. 

Mrs. Pew shared “it was so beautiful to see so many different ages united with one voice,” and “to see white people [attend] in a city that is predominantly conservative was really touching. It was uplifting and soothing during these hard times.” 

Mrs. Magaña, a Glendora home owner since 1999, shared the personal importance of this event to her as someone who fled the dangers of Nicaragua in the 1980s to become an American with her own mother. 

Mrs. Magaña said of Sunday’s event:

“for me [it] was really touching to see, especially the white community supporting the immigrants with signs like, ‘no human is illegal.’ It makes me feel hope and that we are not alone and left behind. I feel grateful.” 

She continued to explain her personal investment in the cause:

“for many years I was living undocumented, always taking good care [that] any action taken was the best decision possible, not doing anything against the law, because my biggest dream was to become a USA citizen. And [I would do] anything for this amazing country. I’ll be, always, loyal to this country.” Mrs. Magaña hopes for the same success and opportunities for families like hers.

Not all present on Sunday were supporters. One young man came to discuss and make his opposing views known and found a receptive audience of three other young adults. The group stayed well after the larger portion of protesters said their goodbyes and left. 

While the opposing protester declined further comment as he left, one of the young men who he spoke with shared that he came to support the event all the way from La Puente. He said he makes an effort to support any ICE Protest events in the San Gabriel Valley that he hears of, but he was surprised by the predominantly white demographic of the protesters from Glendora, a notable contrast to others he has attended. 

Also in attendance was Pastor Karen Davis of the First Christian Church of Glendora. When asked about concerns some community members expressed over her presence at so overtly political a gathering, she said she attended in her role as a faith leader, supporting the needs of her community: 

“I felt as a Christian and pastor that it was important for me to be there, because I believe it to not be a political issue but a human issue. As a Christian, I believe it to be important to demonstrate compassion and empathy, and to demonstrate love for my neighbor.” 

When asked how she would describe Sunday's ICE Out protest, she called it “a grassroots movement of Glendora residents [who] came together to demonstrate their solidarity with and support for the immigrant community, and specifically the people of Minnesota.” 

She continued, “With the recent shootings involving Renee Good and Alex Pretti, people are feeling a heightened desire to want to speak up, and demonstrate concern for human rights.” 

“It was very inspiring to see such a cross section of the community - young and old, families, people from a variety of backgrounds wanting to exercise their voice. While there may have been a few people from neighboring communities, it was predominantly Glendora residents (around 250) that wanted to demonstrate their care and concern, and patriotism for the Constitution and health of democracy.” 

After the crowd dispersed, a young woman in a white dress stayed behind on the corner, still holding her sign. Far behind her, a young man stood resolutely holding up a large American flag on the now empty walkway near the Glendora Military Memorial outside City Hall. While 250 people is less than 1% of a town with a population near 50,000, it appears that the protesters who came out on February 1 (incidentally, National Freedom Day commemorating Abolition of Slavery) don't mind showing up to be seen, even as a significant minority.