Within an hour, people started gathering at the scene where Wilber Garces Perez was shot in the back through his car door by ICE. All could see Austin PD and State Troopers stand side by side, putting themselves between the ICE agents involved in Wilber’s attempted murder and the crowd that wanted them charged and sent to jail for their assault on Wilber, protecting their brothers in arms. You could feel the rage in the air grow as people started filling the sidewalk opposite of where the attempted murderers were waiting to be safely escorted out. The pigs in riot gear were lined up facing off against the crowd, eager to brutalize the people demanding justice for Wilber as they laughed and taunted the crowd calling for justice as they felt protected behind their badge.
The people were angry but hesitant on what to do, mostly staying on the sidewalk while a brave few took the lead and closed one lane on the frontage road as the pigs continued to line up. We must counter this hesitancy in standing off against the pigs and build a culture of rebellion in all areas of life if we expect any real change to happen against the American nightmare. If we are emboldened to take up the struggle against ICE, we should take it as our responsibility to face off against those doing the dirty work of doing traffic stops for them like DPS or helping them clean up their actions like APD as well, treat them as the enemies they continue showing they are.
This hesitancy turned into action the moment ICE came out from behind their human shields. When these thugs walked up and started pushing a reporter back that was getting footage of their cowardice, the crowd stepped forward across the street and faced the agents head on. We recognized these agents as the same people who took Ever Velazquez, the man who drove away after he, his pregnant wife, and 6-year-old daughter were pepper sprayed in their car on 7/19. Engaging in their favorite activity of brutalizing women and children, one ICE agent pepper sprayed a 14-year-old boy’s face while Austin PD shot pepperballs at the crowd’s feet. The pigs demonstrated their true purpose, choosing to brutalize a child than arrest the agent who tried to kill Wilber. The energy was heightened and the crowd was steeled. Although a man was shot in the back and a 14-year-old was just pepper sprayed in the face, a few people were begging the crowd the calm their rage and stay on the sidewalk, firmly taking the side of the police. The people have a right to be enraged and rebel against an oppressive and unjust system. For any Leftists that want to peace-police the people who have the most to win, get the fuck out of the way, and make way for the defiant ones.
ICE finished what they were doing and left with APD and DPS assisting them in their escape and holding a line until they were out of sight. As they started to concede ground, the crowd pushed forward facing off against pepper balls with water bottles and rocks until they left the intersection into their staging area. The crowd righteously unleashed their rage on the pigs and their vehicles until every single one of them ran away. The intersection was ours. People pulled up with their modified trucks, cars, and motorcycles in street-takeover style throughout the night. We rallied the crowd, exposing the countless lies and crimes committed by APD, DPS, and ICE, speaking on what it will take to end this constant pattern of ICE and police murder; Revolution. After hours of holding the street, a state trooper decided to try and drive by the protest. People made it clear he was not welcome, showing pride in their nationality and not being afraid to confront them, eventually leading to them speeding away and calling for his buddies to come in.
The only arrests came after the crowd had already dispersed. These police were too cowardly to face down with the crowd and instead waited until everyone was gone to start brutalize the people lingering behind. They showed up over 20 vehicles deep and tens of agents sweeping the area, demonstrating their cowardice in confronting the righteous anger of the people. We are reaching out the arrestees and will support them in their fight to drop the bullshit charges.
There are over 8,000 lives stolen by the police since 2020 and millions more stolen lives overseas due to U.S. imperialism. If we are serious about standing with and liberating the most oppressed people in this world, we must urgently create a revolutionary people to carry out the tasks at hand. Wilber Rafael Garces deserves justice for his attempted murder. He got transferred out of the hospital into ICE custody with a bullet still lodged in his back, just like Carlos Mendoza in California, and spent the night at the South Texas Processing Center in Pearsall, Tx without a bed. His story is another case of the same pattern of brutalization faced among the most oppressed people in this country. We will not stop until we get justice for Wilber and all lives stolen by this fucked up system.
