1 00:00:06,200 --> 00:00:09,239 Speaker 1: Try and carpool, try and shove into cars as best 2 00:00:09,280 --> 00:00:11,680 Speaker 1: you can, just so that we don't have a mile long. 3 00:00:13,520 --> 00:00:14,440 Speaker 2: Line of cars. 4 00:00:15,480 --> 00:00:19,200 Speaker 3: We have trash bags, we have gloves, we have things 5 00:00:19,200 --> 00:00:22,560 Speaker 3: that we're bringing up there, so what we have cars 6 00:00:22,600 --> 00:00:24,440 Speaker 3: that you can get all of that out of. 7 00:00:26,160 --> 00:00:28,880 Speaker 2: Once we pull over. We're also setting up a couple 8 00:00:28,880 --> 00:00:29,560 Speaker 2: of pop ups. 9 00:00:29,640 --> 00:00:32,760 Speaker 4: Hocumba, California, is a tiny town. You've probably never heard 10 00:00:32,800 --> 00:00:35,440 Speaker 4: of it. It's actually really charming. There's a hot spring 11 00:00:35,760 --> 00:00:39,040 Speaker 4: and a gorgeous hotel, a few stores selling our drinkets, 12 00:00:39,080 --> 00:00:41,320 Speaker 4: that kind of thing. There's a lovely lake fed by 13 00:00:41,320 --> 00:00:43,680 Speaker 4: the spring. And on this Sunday morning, there are about 14 00:00:43,720 --> 00:00:47,240 Speaker 4: fifty people outside an old petrol station, nervously pounding bottles 15 00:00:47,240 --> 00:00:50,080 Speaker 4: of water, applying sunscreen, and getting ready to head out 16 00:00:50,120 --> 00:00:52,320 Speaker 4: of the desert to clear up the ad hoc migrant 17 00:00:52,320 --> 00:00:55,040 Speaker 4: camp that has held as many as fifteen hundred people 18 00:00:55,040 --> 00:00:57,520 Speaker 4: out in the open when Title forty two ended and 19 00:00:57,640 --> 00:01:00,960 Speaker 4: Border patrol made no plans to keep them anywhere. It 20 00:01:01,080 --> 00:01:03,400 Speaker 4: was a diverse bunch of people hidden beneath sun hats. 21 00:01:03,960 --> 00:01:06,119 Speaker 4: There's an Australian film producer who was at a conference 22 00:01:06,120 --> 00:01:08,840 Speaker 4: in Orlando and booked a fly over a grad student painter. 23 00:01:09,319 --> 00:01:11,520 Speaker 4: The folks who were in the Hookumber hotel who organize 24 00:01:11,520 --> 00:01:14,520 Speaker 4: this whole thing, they're friends from the hospitality industry in 25 00:01:14,600 --> 00:01:17,880 Speaker 4: San Diego. There were students and mums and dads and 26 00:01:17,880 --> 00:01:21,440 Speaker 4: about the entire population of this tiny desert town. There 27 00:01:21,440 --> 00:01:23,640 Speaker 4: were also two former International Aid workers who are in 28 00:01:23,680 --> 00:01:25,640 Speaker 4: a tower where you can look at the desert, which 29 00:01:25,640 --> 00:01:27,960 Speaker 4: is actually a much cooler thing than it sounds. And 30 00:01:28,440 --> 00:01:30,240 Speaker 4: there's also a museum of boulders right next to it. 31 00:01:30,280 --> 00:01:32,920 Speaker 4: You should proably check them out during the area. I 32 00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:35,640 Speaker 4: spent the day helping out in Neucumber after the refugees, 33 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:38,560 Speaker 4: some of them in handcuffs, had been taken by private 34 00:01:38,560 --> 00:01:42,720 Speaker 4: contractors to be processed by CBP's Office of Field Operations. 35 00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:45,520 Speaker 4: We met at a petrol station in the middle of town. 36 00:01:45,920 --> 00:01:48,520 Speaker 4: The space where the pumps should be was filled with tons, 37 00:01:48,560 --> 00:01:51,400 Speaker 4: and I do mean tons of bottled water, masks, hand 38 00:01:51,480 --> 00:01:55,440 Speaker 4: sanitized and other necessary supplies. When I'd arrived the night before, 39 00:01:55,520 --> 00:01:59,000 Speaker 4: around ten pm, the eerie green and yellow lights reflecting 40 00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:00,920 Speaker 4: from the roof had lit up palace of water like 41 00:02:00,960 --> 00:02:04,320 Speaker 4: some kind of giant lava lamp, and driving across the desert, 42 00:02:04,480 --> 00:02:08,120 Speaker 4: the town looked like it was glowing. The town certainly 43 00:02:08,120 --> 00:02:09,280 Speaker 4: has had a bit of a glow up in the 44 00:02:09,360 --> 00:02:13,120 Speaker 4: last few years. Three business partners purchased their Cumber hot 45 00:02:13,120 --> 00:02:15,959 Speaker 4: Springs hotel down in the mouth property that had once 46 00:02:16,080 --> 00:02:18,959 Speaker 4: been a glamorous desert resort, and they've been restoring the 47 00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:22,760 Speaker 4: place for nearly two years. Inadvertently, they also purchased a 48 00:02:22,800 --> 00:02:24,920 Speaker 4: lot of land and a few other rundown buildings in 49 00:02:24,919 --> 00:02:26,880 Speaker 4: a town that were sold as a lot with the hotel. 50 00:02:27,480 --> 00:02:30,000 Speaker 4: It was in one of these buildings, the old gas station, 51 00:02:30,720 --> 00:02:33,000 Speaker 4: that they set up a de facto mutual aid hubbo 52 00:02:33,160 --> 00:02:36,360 Speaker 4: almost overnight. The hotel's not finished yet, and they probably 53 00:02:36,360 --> 00:02:38,280 Speaker 4: didn't make much progress on it during the week when 54 00:02:38,280 --> 00:02:40,600 Speaker 4: they were feeding more than a thousand people in the desert. 55 00:02:41,760 --> 00:02:44,320 Speaker 4: The town's lake, fed by a natural spring an old 56 00:02:44,320 --> 00:02:48,079 Speaker 4: bath house used to be attractions. Today the bathhouse's roof 57 00:02:48,120 --> 00:02:49,880 Speaker 4: has fallen off, but it still makes a pretty cool 58 00:02:49,880 --> 00:02:53,680 Speaker 4: concert venue, and the whole town offers commanding views of 59 00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:55,799 Speaker 4: the border wall, which sadly is only a couple of 60 00:02:55,800 --> 00:02:59,200 Speaker 4: one hundred yards from the main street. When I arrived 61 00:02:59,200 --> 00:03:02,360 Speaker 4: in Houcumber, everything was close. The mini Mark was sold out, 62 00:03:02,560 --> 00:03:04,840 Speaker 4: the hotel was still being worked on, and the hotel 63 00:03:04,919 --> 00:03:07,320 Speaker 4: kitchen was churning out food for volunteers at the clean 64 00:03:07,400 --> 00:03:11,000 Speaker 4: up effort. I asked Marissa, one of the volunteers I 65 00:03:11,040 --> 00:03:13,800 Speaker 4: met that day, about her first impressions on arriving at 66 00:03:13,840 --> 00:03:14,440 Speaker 4: a meeting point. 67 00:03:14,919 --> 00:03:18,520 Speaker 1: I was incredibly impressed by what the people of hu 68 00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:23,440 Speaker 1: Kumba and the hotel group of individuals that have organized this, 69 00:03:23,639 --> 00:03:27,560 Speaker 1: Like I couldn't believe seeing their donation depot in that 70 00:03:27,919 --> 00:03:31,240 Speaker 1: old car wash, just to how well organized everything was, 71 00:03:31,320 --> 00:03:34,960 Speaker 1: and that they provided so much for the volunteers, and 72 00:03:35,480 --> 00:03:41,119 Speaker 1: the just the level of love and compassion and was. Yeah, 73 00:03:41,160 --> 00:03:44,160 Speaker 1: it was an amazing opportunity to be part of, very humbling. 74 00:03:44,720 --> 00:03:47,080 Speaker 4: I've been there since late the night before after visiting 75 00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:50,360 Speaker 4: border crossings in California and Arizona, and Jeff, one of 76 00:03:50,400 --> 00:03:52,560 Speaker 4: the co owners a hotel, can you let me put 77 00:03:52,640 --> 00:03:54,520 Speaker 4: up my truck in some desert behind his house. 78 00:03:55,520 --> 00:03:55,640 Speaker 5: Now. 79 00:03:55,680 --> 00:03:57,720 Speaker 4: I'm a person who enjoys sleeping outside, and I do 80 00:03:57,760 --> 00:03:59,640 Speaker 4: it as often as I can. I try and camp 81 00:03:59,640 --> 00:04:03,720 Speaker 4: police a month. But that night I was cold even 82 00:04:03,760 --> 00:04:06,480 Speaker 4: underneath my down blanket, and I couldn't help but think 83 00:04:06,480 --> 00:04:08,720 Speaker 4: of how desperate it must have been to spend nearly 84 00:04:08,720 --> 00:04:10,720 Speaker 4: a week out there with nothing but in my last 85 00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:14,000 Speaker 4: base blanket and some thorny bushes to keep you warm. 86 00:04:14,240 --> 00:04:16,240 Speaker 4: It's certainly not the welcome that one would expect from 87 00:04:16,240 --> 00:04:19,200 Speaker 4: their richest nation on Earth, which had three years to repair. 88 00:04:19,320 --> 00:04:22,000 Speaker 4: For the day, Title forty two ended to get a 89 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:24,080 Speaker 4: bit of background out of town. I spoke to Natalie. 90 00:04:24,440 --> 00:04:28,799 Speaker 3: So the previous owner bought it at an auction, and 91 00:04:29,839 --> 00:04:32,040 Speaker 3: I don't think that the previous owner didn't realize how 92 00:04:32,120 --> 00:04:34,640 Speaker 3: much she was getting, and he kind of just like 93 00:04:34,760 --> 00:04:37,000 Speaker 3: neglected a bunch of it, you know. And then he 94 00:04:37,440 --> 00:04:39,720 Speaker 3: was older, and so he finally sold off the hotel. 95 00:04:39,839 --> 00:04:41,440 Speaker 3: He thought he was just buying the hotel, but he 96 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:44,280 Speaker 3: buying all the land as well. So they when they 97 00:04:44,279 --> 00:04:46,920 Speaker 3: bought the hotel, they acquired all their land. And they're 98 00:04:46,960 --> 00:04:49,159 Speaker 3: actually putting money into it and fixing and everything up, 99 00:04:49,200 --> 00:04:50,520 Speaker 3: which is really wonderful. 100 00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:53,160 Speaker 4: The hotel in Lake and hot Spring really are wonderful. 101 00:04:53,160 --> 00:04:54,640 Speaker 4: But the scene that had played out there on the 102 00:04:54,640 --> 00:04:57,480 Speaker 4: eleventh of May with anything but within a short period 103 00:04:57,520 --> 00:04:59,800 Speaker 4: of time, more than a thousand people of all ages 104 00:04:59,839 --> 00:05:02,640 Speaker 4: and nationalities will be held in the open desert and 105 00:05:02,720 --> 00:05:05,720 Speaker 4: left defend large for themselves. I let Natalie describe the 106 00:05:05,760 --> 00:05:06,440 Speaker 4: space there in. 107 00:05:07,320 --> 00:05:11,920 Speaker 3: There's lots of cactuses everywhere, so there's environmental like a 108 00:05:12,040 --> 00:05:16,400 Speaker 3: watch out where you're walking that it's hot. It's hot 109 00:05:16,400 --> 00:05:18,480 Speaker 3: in mid day and really cold at night. Because it's 110 00:05:18,520 --> 00:05:22,240 Speaker 3: the high desert, there can be gusts of wind that 111 00:05:22,279 --> 00:05:27,200 Speaker 3: can just take over, get dust in your eyes, your hair, 112 00:05:27,360 --> 00:05:30,640 Speaker 3: everything's just you're just filthy and lack of food. 113 00:05:30,680 --> 00:05:33,000 Speaker 2: I mean, there's no resources. You're in the middle of nowhere. 114 00:05:33,680 --> 00:05:35,320 Speaker 4: I talked to a lot of the volunteers, many of 115 00:05:35,320 --> 00:05:36,960 Speaker 4: whom have been in the desert for me yet week. 116 00:05:37,640 --> 00:05:40,200 Speaker 4: It'd first been made aware of the impending humanitarian crisis 117 00:05:40,279 --> 00:05:42,799 Speaker 4: late on Thursday night, but one of the people working 118 00:05:42,800 --> 00:05:44,600 Speaker 4: on the renovation of the Hot Springs Hotel got a 119 00:05:44,680 --> 00:05:47,440 Speaker 4: call about it. Within a few hours, the hotel, zwners 120 00:05:47,440 --> 00:05:49,840 Speaker 4: and all this stuff were running what became very nearly 121 00:05:49,880 --> 00:05:52,160 Speaker 4: the only source of food, shelter, and water for more 122 00:05:52,160 --> 00:05:54,920 Speaker 4: than a thousand people trapped and held in the desert 123 00:05:55,279 --> 00:05:59,920 Speaker 4: by CBP. I spoke to Sam, another volunteer, to get 124 00:06:00,120 --> 00:06:03,880 Speaker 4: sensor response. Now, Sam is a kind of guy who 125 00:06:03,960 --> 00:06:06,080 Speaker 4: just looks like he's a home in the desert. His 126 00:06:06,160 --> 00:06:08,680 Speaker 4: Wi brim hat, boots, and long cleeved shirt and pants 127 00:06:08,720 --> 00:06:10,880 Speaker 4: told me he spent plenty of days under the baking 128 00:06:10,960 --> 00:06:14,159 Speaker 4: sign out here. And his redness with an isoproble alcohol 129 00:06:14,240 --> 00:06:17,200 Speaker 4: spray disinfect people's boots after walking in an area that 130 00:06:17,320 --> 00:06:20,000 Speaker 4: was likely covered in human shit told me he'd been 131 00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:22,400 Speaker 4: around one or two situations like this in the past. 132 00:06:22,880 --> 00:06:25,120 Speaker 6: I spent a great deal of my life as his 133 00:06:25,160 --> 00:06:29,839 Speaker 6: second career, working for in developmental relief logistics in Southeast Asia, 134 00:06:29,920 --> 00:06:35,160 Speaker 6: mainly working with large age organizations for example World Food Program, 135 00:06:35,320 --> 00:06:39,920 Speaker 6: Doctors without Borders, shild units, many many differrom that place things. 136 00:06:40,120 --> 00:06:42,000 Speaker 4: In the context of that kind of experience. It's easy 137 00:06:42,000 --> 00:06:45,000 Speaker 4: to understand why people come to the United States, but 138 00:06:45,360 --> 00:06:48,320 Speaker 4: I asked Sam to put the situation here into perspective 139 00:06:48,360 --> 00:06:51,240 Speaker 4: for me. It's understandable that folks came to the US, 140 00:06:51,320 --> 00:06:54,320 Speaker 4: but why to a tiny desert town of five hundred people. 141 00:06:54,720 --> 00:06:57,159 Speaker 6: These people were radically unprepared for what they were going 142 00:06:57,240 --> 00:06:59,240 Speaker 6: to go through because they were sold a bill of 143 00:06:59,279 --> 00:07:02,520 Speaker 6: goods by coyotes on the other side about what was 144 00:07:02,560 --> 00:07:05,440 Speaker 6: going to happen to them. You understand. So they had 145 00:07:05,520 --> 00:07:07,880 Speaker 6: really no idea what they were getting into at all, 146 00:07:08,760 --> 00:07:13,680 Speaker 6: and so there was not anything in the way of 147 00:07:13,720 --> 00:07:17,520 Speaker 6: life threatening situations for any of those people in any 148 00:07:17,560 --> 00:07:20,640 Speaker 6: meaningful way, a great deal of discomfort. It could have 149 00:07:20,720 --> 00:07:23,880 Speaker 6: turned very badly if these people here had not stepped up, 150 00:07:23,920 --> 00:07:29,840 Speaker 6: because the border patrol was completely overwhelmed, and so there 151 00:07:29,920 --> 00:07:32,880 Speaker 6: was never that bad of a situation here compared to 152 00:07:32,960 --> 00:07:35,120 Speaker 6: what I have seen in other places in the past. 153 00:07:35,520 --> 00:07:37,520 Speaker 4: A sound pointed out the migrants were now gone, but 154 00:07:37,560 --> 00:07:40,520 Speaker 4: we were still surrounded by times of supplies. But at 155 00:07:40,520 --> 00:07:43,040 Speaker 4: the time there was no way of knowing the scope 156 00:07:43,120 --> 00:07:46,080 Speaker 4: or scale of the need. People reacted as best they could. 157 00:07:46,800 --> 00:07:50,240 Speaker 6: Actually it was overkilled, but you had no way of 158 00:07:50,280 --> 00:07:52,560 Speaker 6: knowing right at the time. There's just no way to know. 159 00:07:52,600 --> 00:07:54,360 Speaker 6: How do you know ahead of time? You always ask 160 00:07:54,440 --> 00:07:56,760 Speaker 6: for as much as you can get, because why would 161 00:07:56,800 --> 00:07:59,440 Speaker 6: you not. I mean, you never know what. You don't 162 00:07:59,440 --> 00:08:01,040 Speaker 6: know how many of them with babies that are on 163 00:08:01,040 --> 00:08:03,240 Speaker 6: the other side of the wall right now might be zero, 164 00:08:03,400 --> 00:08:04,440 Speaker 6: might be five hundred. 165 00:08:04,480 --> 00:08:07,240 Speaker 4: You have no idea, you know, before anyone knew how 166 00:08:07,480 --> 00:08:09,400 Speaker 4: if this was going to end, or really what even 167 00:08:09,480 --> 00:08:12,400 Speaker 4: was going on, dozens of people across the county decided 168 00:08:12,400 --> 00:08:15,960 Speaker 4: to help. One of them was Katie. Here she is 169 00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:18,320 Speaker 4: describing some of the volunteers she worked alongside. 170 00:08:18,640 --> 00:08:22,680 Speaker 7: There was a hard hodgepodge of people and as volunteers 171 00:08:22,800 --> 00:08:29,200 Speaker 7: and leading it were some of the owners of a 172 00:08:29,280 --> 00:08:34,320 Speaker 7: hotel out there, and that was the main organizers. But 173 00:08:34,400 --> 00:08:38,520 Speaker 7: who showed up were people from the town, people that 174 00:08:38,600 --> 00:08:43,200 Speaker 7: I knew and recognized. There was some really devout, like 175 00:08:43,320 --> 00:08:45,720 Speaker 7: they're twenty four hours a day, and then there was 176 00:08:45,760 --> 00:08:50,400 Speaker 7: some coming in and out. But I met people from 177 00:08:50,559 --> 00:08:56,199 Speaker 7: all over the county, and most of them answered the 178 00:08:56,280 --> 00:08:59,520 Speaker 7: call through Instagram of the hotel. 179 00:09:00,320 --> 00:09:03,320 Speaker 4: All those volunteers called their friends, who called their friends, 180 00:09:03,320 --> 00:09:07,280 Speaker 4: who gradually coordinated response. Natalie first became aware of this, 181 00:09:07,400 --> 00:09:10,520 Speaker 4: as many volunteers did, through an Instagram post by Melissa 182 00:09:10,640 --> 00:09:12,640 Speaker 4: and another the three co owners of the Combo Hotel 183 00:09:12,679 --> 00:09:14,960 Speaker 4: on Thursday night, just as title forty two was ending. 184 00:09:15,880 --> 00:09:18,880 Speaker 4: Natalie saw the post and decided to help. At first, 185 00:09:18,880 --> 00:09:21,000 Speaker 4: she wanted to leave right then at one am as 186 00:09:21,000 --> 00:09:23,840 Speaker 4: soon as she'd seen the post, but after consulting her family, 187 00:09:23,880 --> 00:09:26,559 Speaker 4: she decided to make her own post, asking for people 188 00:09:26,559 --> 00:09:29,920 Speaker 4: to bring supplies that were needed. Soon she was overwhelmed 189 00:09:29,960 --> 00:09:30,600 Speaker 4: by the response. 190 00:09:31,040 --> 00:09:33,880 Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean immediately, even at one in the morning, 191 00:09:33,920 --> 00:09:35,880 Speaker 3: I was getting messages because I posted it. 192 00:09:35,920 --> 00:09:36,880 Speaker 2: That's when I posted the. 193 00:09:36,880 --> 00:09:42,840 Speaker 3: Story, I immediately got messages from front say I'll bring 194 00:09:42,840 --> 00:09:43,760 Speaker 3: a blanket over. 195 00:09:44,600 --> 00:09:45,560 Speaker 2: What's your address. 196 00:09:46,679 --> 00:09:49,480 Speaker 3: Yeah, everyone just kind of rallied and started bringing supplies over, 197 00:09:49,960 --> 00:09:53,760 Speaker 3: collecting money as well. Some friends started collecting money and 198 00:09:53,760 --> 00:09:58,240 Speaker 3: then bought stuff and brought loads of food and things 199 00:09:58,320 --> 00:09:59,360 Speaker 3: to my house. 200 00:09:59,520 --> 00:10:02,480 Speaker 4: Her husband and ferried the supplies to Akomba, where they 201 00:10:02,480 --> 00:10:04,959 Speaker 4: were joined by donations from all over the county in 202 00:10:05,000 --> 00:10:08,719 Speaker 4: the old petrol station. Like Natalie, Katie also saw a 203 00:10:08,760 --> 00:10:11,960 Speaker 4: post and immediately felt compelled to help. She called a 204 00:10:11,960 --> 00:10:15,199 Speaker 4: friend and some members of her family instead about raising 205 00:10:15,200 --> 00:10:16,360 Speaker 4: funds and buying supplies. 206 00:10:17,480 --> 00:10:20,559 Speaker 7: So I met my friend at a cafe and in 207 00:10:20,600 --> 00:10:24,120 Speaker 7: that in the meantime, and I don't know how much 208 00:10:24,120 --> 00:10:28,560 Speaker 7: of this is really important. So in the meantime, I 209 00:10:28,760 --> 00:10:32,960 Speaker 7: text my mother and my two sisters who live on 210 00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:35,800 Speaker 7: the East coast, and just it was late at night 211 00:10:35,840 --> 00:10:40,000 Speaker 7: for them, and I just said, I would love for 212 00:10:40,200 --> 00:10:52,760 Speaker 7: you to send prayers, because that's something that I believe in. 213 00:10:53,080 --> 00:11:02,000 Speaker 7: I believe in prayer or intention and thought reality, and 214 00:11:02,080 --> 00:11:07,280 Speaker 7: some of it was just because I felt so touched, 215 00:11:07,600 --> 00:11:15,839 Speaker 7: like praying for the community that I love too. And 216 00:11:15,880 --> 00:11:19,160 Speaker 7: the next thing, I know, like my venmo was blowing 217 00:11:19,240 --> 00:11:21,520 Speaker 7: up and there was one thousand dollars in my venmo 218 00:11:22,640 --> 00:11:26,800 Speaker 7: sent from my family members. And so by the time 219 00:11:26,840 --> 00:11:29,840 Speaker 7: my friend arrived, we were like, let's go and we 220 00:11:31,400 --> 00:11:38,320 Speaker 7: filled our car with Amazingly, we found like organic, there's 221 00:11:38,520 --> 00:11:42,880 Speaker 7: grocery outlet, right, so we found organic soup for you know, 222 00:11:43,080 --> 00:11:49,080 Speaker 7: dollars something a can, and we spent a few hundred dollars. 223 00:11:49,160 --> 00:11:53,400 Speaker 7: And the next morning we met early and we stopped 224 00:11:53,400 --> 00:11:55,560 Speaker 7: in El Cone on the way and we spent all 225 00:11:55,600 --> 00:11:58,360 Speaker 7: the rest on We went to three or four thrift 226 00:11:58,400 --> 00:12:02,000 Speaker 7: stores and bought every blanket and hat and baby carrier. 227 00:12:02,960 --> 00:12:11,800 Speaker 7: Because we have both focused on motherhood in our careers. 228 00:12:12,080 --> 00:12:13,679 Speaker 4: I asked the people I spoke to about a week 229 00:12:13,760 --> 00:12:15,520 Speaker 4: later how the experience had impacted them. 230 00:12:15,960 --> 00:12:22,360 Speaker 3: It was overwhelming, just the the way the community really 231 00:12:22,400 --> 00:12:27,040 Speaker 3: came around and supported the people in Hukumba that were 232 00:12:27,120 --> 00:12:32,679 Speaker 3: trying to help. You know, after we finished cleaning up, 233 00:12:33,000 --> 00:12:38,680 Speaker 3: when we're back at the gas station, the Amazon driver 234 00:12:39,200 --> 00:12:42,199 Speaker 3: was delivering like I think he delivered three hundred and 235 00:12:42,280 --> 00:12:46,560 Speaker 3: fifty boxes and so we had to open them up 236 00:12:46,600 --> 00:12:50,800 Speaker 3: and sort them and it was there was so much food. 237 00:12:52,400 --> 00:12:56,920 Speaker 3: I think that it was insane amount of food, and 238 00:12:56,960 --> 00:12:58,960 Speaker 3: it was awesome. It was really cool just to see 239 00:12:59,000 --> 00:13:02,199 Speaker 3: how many people stabbed up and donated. 240 00:13:02,800 --> 00:13:05,800 Speaker 4: I like some of the people I saw in Santa Cedro. Natalie, Katie, 241 00:13:05,800 --> 00:13:08,400 Speaker 4: Sam and Marissa are not part of an NGO or 242 00:13:08,440 --> 00:13:11,600 Speaker 4: a mutual aid collective. They're just people who wanted to help, 243 00:13:12,280 --> 00:13:15,200 Speaker 4: and that describes most of the people in Ucumber, although 244 00:13:15,280 --> 00:13:17,880 Speaker 4: some of them did have previous and regular volunteer experience 245 00:13:17,960 --> 00:13:21,080 Speaker 4: with excellent groups like Border Kindness. I asked Katie to 246 00:13:21,080 --> 00:13:23,920 Speaker 4: reflect on the mutual aid approach and the absence of massive, 247 00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:27,640 Speaker 4: multimillion dollar organizations. Yeah, wasn't there, right. 248 00:13:27,920 --> 00:13:31,640 Speaker 7: No, they weren't there. We were told that the Red 249 00:13:31,679 --> 00:13:35,040 Speaker 7: Cross couldn't come unless Border Patrol called, and Border Patrol 250 00:13:35,320 --> 00:13:37,800 Speaker 7: told us that they weren't allowed to call the Red Cross. 251 00:13:38,160 --> 00:13:39,480 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's a pretty standard. 252 00:13:39,880 --> 00:13:42,199 Speaker 4: The one institution that did show support to people in 253 00:13:42,280 --> 00:13:44,520 Speaker 4: Hucumber was one that you might not expect, given the 254 00:13:44,559 --> 00:13:46,959 Speaker 4: support for this cruel immigration policy by almost all the 255 00:13:46,960 --> 00:13:50,679 Speaker 4: Democrats in DC. But things are different when you can 256 00:13:50,720 --> 00:13:52,960 Speaker 4: see the results of these policies with your own eyes. 257 00:13:53,440 --> 00:13:55,400 Speaker 4: Perhaps that's why I didn't see a single elected official 258 00:13:55,440 --> 00:13:58,720 Speaker 4: in my entire week at the border. But one person 259 00:13:58,760 --> 00:14:02,240 Speaker 4: I missed whoever one mentioned, was a lady who worked 260 00:14:02,320 --> 00:14:06,360 Speaker 4: for California Senator Steve Pidia. I won't name her as 261 00:14:06,360 --> 00:14:08,880 Speaker 4: I don't have her permission, but hopefully one dayssume we'll 262 00:14:08,880 --> 00:14:11,079 Speaker 4: be able to interview her. I'll let Katie describe the 263 00:14:11,160 --> 00:14:12,000 Speaker 4: role this woman played. 264 00:14:12,400 --> 00:14:16,920 Speaker 7: There was someone from Steve Padilla's team, and that's the 265 00:14:16,960 --> 00:14:18,320 Speaker 7: woman I rode with. 266 00:14:18,960 --> 00:14:19,600 Speaker 8: And. 267 00:14:20,800 --> 00:14:25,280 Speaker 7: She was incredible. Her brother in law is the chef 268 00:14:25,360 --> 00:14:30,520 Speaker 7: at the hotel, so I think, I mean, she might 269 00:14:30,560 --> 00:14:35,200 Speaker 7: have came anyway, but she came faster and there was 270 00:14:36,080 --> 00:14:40,120 Speaker 7: true connection, and she stood up to the border patrol 271 00:14:40,240 --> 00:14:43,440 Speaker 7: and said, you know, said we're allowed. We're here on 272 00:14:43,560 --> 00:14:47,720 Speaker 7: behalf of this senator. So I mean I saw some 273 00:14:48,040 --> 00:14:52,840 Speaker 7: like had had like arguments about our right to be there, 274 00:14:54,360 --> 00:14:57,640 Speaker 7: and most of us didn't. Weren't paying attention to that. 275 00:14:57,680 --> 00:15:01,520 Speaker 7: We're paying attention to the people that we were, you know, 276 00:15:01,760 --> 00:15:07,520 Speaker 7: around and no one that was out there what didn't 277 00:15:07,720 --> 00:15:11,280 Speaker 7: believe that we should be out there and that more 278 00:15:11,720 --> 00:15:13,160 Speaker 7: help should be out there. 279 00:15:13,960 --> 00:15:17,520 Speaker 4: Sadly, part of that familiarity with the system this woman 280 00:15:17,600 --> 00:15:20,360 Speaker 4: brought to the team also meant a familiarity with the 281 00:15:20,400 --> 00:15:23,560 Speaker 4: cruel and arbitrary nature of it. Katie says that they 282 00:15:23,560 --> 00:15:24,840 Speaker 4: had to organize for that as well. 283 00:15:25,280 --> 00:15:29,360 Speaker 7: So my friend and I we ended up writing in 284 00:15:29,400 --> 00:15:37,600 Speaker 7: her truck, so in Steve Padia's Senator Padia's assistant truck. 285 00:15:37,800 --> 00:15:42,080 Speaker 7: So we had the opportunity to ask some questions that 286 00:15:42,160 --> 00:15:46,800 Speaker 7: probably everyone out there wanted to know, including the migrants, 287 00:15:47,880 --> 00:15:53,120 Speaker 7: And it was like, what will happen in what's the 288 00:15:53,240 --> 00:15:56,360 Speaker 7: process from here? And how do you know that these 289 00:15:56,400 --> 00:16:00,520 Speaker 7: people are being tended to? And I literally heard her 290 00:16:00,560 --> 00:16:04,720 Speaker 7: on the phone getting as many bodies on the ground 291 00:16:04,880 --> 00:16:08,120 Speaker 7: to start going to those centers where they're being taken 292 00:16:08,560 --> 00:16:12,320 Speaker 7: to make sure that they were that that we would 293 00:16:12,400 --> 00:16:20,040 Speaker 7: follow them through the entire process as best possible, monitoring 294 00:16:20,520 --> 00:16:24,480 Speaker 7: their well well cared for, that they were well cared for, 295 00:16:24,720 --> 00:16:30,920 Speaker 7: as well cared for as possible in a system and 296 00:16:31,040 --> 00:16:38,480 Speaker 7: a process like that. Yeah, yeah, but she literally said 297 00:16:38,600 --> 00:16:43,440 Speaker 7: they're going to be busted off and putt in cages 298 00:16:44,200 --> 00:16:47,000 Speaker 7: and that they would do their best to make sure 299 00:16:47,040 --> 00:16:52,320 Speaker 7: that that no one was split up, and that everyone 300 00:16:52,560 --> 00:16:59,400 Speaker 7: was fed, showered, and they weren't allowed to bring anything 301 00:16:59,440 --> 00:17:04,040 Speaker 7: with them, So a lot of the cleanup was all 302 00:17:04,080 --> 00:17:11,520 Speaker 7: of the things that everyone donated that had to be 303 00:17:11,640 --> 00:17:16,399 Speaker 7: left behind, including some of the stuffed animals. 304 00:17:17,119 --> 00:17:18,919 Speaker 4: For all the volunteers I spoke to, the chance to 305 00:17:18,920 --> 00:17:23,000 Speaker 4: be of service was empowering. Here's Natalie discussing that, Yeah. 306 00:17:22,800 --> 00:17:24,359 Speaker 3: I mean, well, like and so many times do you 307 00:17:24,400 --> 00:17:28,200 Speaker 3: like feel overwhelmed with like so much suffering in this world, 308 00:17:28,200 --> 00:17:30,160 Speaker 3: and like what can one person do? 309 00:17:30,960 --> 00:17:31,199 Speaker 5: You know? 310 00:17:31,640 --> 00:17:35,560 Speaker 3: And so it did feel good that to actually see 311 00:17:35,560 --> 00:17:37,960 Speaker 3: an immediate impact, like I'm doing this and this is 312 00:17:37,960 --> 00:17:42,200 Speaker 3: a result, because sometimes you can just get discouraged, you know, 313 00:17:42,240 --> 00:17:43,480 Speaker 3: like we're just one person. 314 00:17:43,600 --> 00:17:45,840 Speaker 2: What can we really do and can we really make 315 00:17:45,880 --> 00:17:46,840 Speaker 2: an impact? 316 00:17:47,119 --> 00:17:50,840 Speaker 3: And just seeing that and being able to see directly 317 00:17:50,880 --> 00:17:54,200 Speaker 3: how that one person can impact, you. 318 00:17:54,160 --> 00:17:54,919 Speaker 2: Know, can rally. 319 00:17:55,040 --> 00:17:58,520 Speaker 3: Like just seeing how my friends came together, you know, 320 00:17:58,600 --> 00:18:02,679 Speaker 3: went shopping, bought things, gathered money, collected money. You know, 321 00:18:02,920 --> 00:18:06,240 Speaker 3: my really good friend Sam, she went to her local 322 00:18:06,280 --> 00:18:10,080 Speaker 3: bar after she collected a bunch of money, went and 323 00:18:10,320 --> 00:18:13,240 Speaker 3: dropped stuff supplies off at my house. She was just 324 00:18:14,280 --> 00:18:16,960 Speaker 3: down at her local bar and just chatting with them 325 00:18:17,080 --> 00:18:19,119 Speaker 3: and like, oh, what did you do today, And so 326 00:18:19,200 --> 00:18:21,200 Speaker 3: she told them, oh, I collected money and I bought 327 00:18:21,240 --> 00:18:25,080 Speaker 3: supplies and the people She ended up collecting about two 328 00:18:25,160 --> 00:18:28,360 Speaker 3: hundred more dollars at the bar from people hearing her story. 329 00:18:29,160 --> 00:18:30,720 Speaker 3: And so then the next day she went and bought 330 00:18:30,720 --> 00:18:33,719 Speaker 3: more supplies and she actually ended up driving them out herself. 331 00:18:33,760 --> 00:18:37,640 Speaker 3: She ended up doing like three trips just from her 332 00:18:37,640 --> 00:18:40,359 Speaker 3: own talking to people and collecting. So just like the 333 00:18:40,400 --> 00:18:43,560 Speaker 3: little impact that, you know, everyone just kind of coming 334 00:18:43,600 --> 00:18:44,840 Speaker 3: together and making a difference. 335 00:19:09,640 --> 00:19:12,359 Speaker 4: Santa Sedro, a pretty diverse range of San Diegan's came 336 00:19:12,400 --> 00:19:15,159 Speaker 4: to help. On the first night. I personally left at 337 00:19:15,160 --> 00:19:17,760 Speaker 4: about one in the morning, after spending almost two hours 338 00:19:17,800 --> 00:19:20,480 Speaker 4: trying to leave but needing to get charged phones back 339 00:19:20,520 --> 00:19:23,840 Speaker 4: to their owners by loudly in Spanish and French, then 340 00:19:23,880 --> 00:19:27,440 Speaker 4: English describing the backgrounds on the phone or the color 341 00:19:27,480 --> 00:19:42,960 Speaker 4: of their case. It wasn't a great system, and by 342 00:19:42,960 --> 00:19:45,400 Speaker 4: the weekend, Cabra and others had seen that more help 343 00:19:45,440 --> 00:19:48,640 Speaker 4: an organization was needed and they decided to plan a response. 344 00:19:49,440 --> 00:19:51,359 Speaker 4: Here's cable describing how they prepared for that. 345 00:19:55,240 --> 00:20:02,440 Speaker 5: Abe. I'll just grabs, you know, I was paying attention 346 00:20:02,520 --> 00:20:05,119 Speaker 5: to people I knew who were doing and what supplies 347 00:20:05,119 --> 00:20:08,399 Speaker 5: they were saying was needed. The particular store near me 348 00:20:08,680 --> 00:20:12,040 Speaker 5: has like a wall of travel size like these giant 349 00:20:12,080 --> 00:20:15,240 Speaker 5: times where you can basically just scoop out one hundred deodorant, 350 00:20:15,600 --> 00:20:17,240 Speaker 5: hands and to paste and things like that. 351 00:20:17,840 --> 00:20:19,480 Speaker 4: CAPA met up with some other members of a local 352 00:20:19,560 --> 00:20:22,520 Speaker 4: mutual aid group. I'll make sure to include donation links 353 00:20:22,520 --> 00:20:24,159 Speaker 4: for all the groups I've mentioned at the end of 354 00:20:24,160 --> 00:20:26,200 Speaker 4: this series, so please make sure to listen right through 355 00:20:26,200 --> 00:20:26,600 Speaker 4: to the end. 356 00:20:26,800 --> 00:20:30,159 Speaker 5: I met up with him and he had just received 357 00:20:30,320 --> 00:20:34,679 Speaker 5: a bunch of donations through through mutually networks, so we 358 00:20:34,680 --> 00:20:37,080 Speaker 5: we know even more of a travel size I got 359 00:20:37,119 --> 00:20:42,359 Speaker 5: some Truth Truth hygiene kits and deodorant and UH and 360 00:20:42,359 --> 00:20:45,280 Speaker 5: and a bunch of friends and papers because because the 361 00:20:45,560 --> 00:20:50,200 Speaker 5: kids that are between the walls don't really have actually 362 00:20:50,280 --> 00:20:54,439 Speaker 5: do unfortunately, so so that those were those wren really fast, 363 00:20:55,320 --> 00:20:57,320 Speaker 5: and so we got a whole bunch of bands of 364 00:20:58,080 --> 00:21:00,200 Speaker 5: all those kinds of supplies, and then we just done 365 00:21:00,240 --> 00:21:01,000 Speaker 5: of the break from there. 366 00:21:01,320 --> 00:21:04,800 Speaker 4: By the time they arrived, various organizations had organized areas 367 00:21:04,800 --> 00:21:06,719 Speaker 4: along the wall for different kinds of aid to be 368 00:21:06,760 --> 00:21:10,960 Speaker 4: passed through. Everything clothes to food, to medical supplies and 369 00:21:11,000 --> 00:21:13,440 Speaker 4: toilet paper was piled up, given. 370 00:21:13,200 --> 00:21:16,640 Speaker 5: Out the relations and you know, organizing toilet paper, food, 371 00:21:16,680 --> 00:21:18,760 Speaker 5: everything like that, and people just come up to the 372 00:21:18,800 --> 00:21:20,879 Speaker 5: wall and if their family needed something, they would just 373 00:21:21,000 --> 00:21:23,800 Speaker 5: kind of going to it or ask us if we 374 00:21:23,840 --> 00:21:25,440 Speaker 5: were able to, you know, if there was a common 375 00:21:25,520 --> 00:21:28,280 Speaker 5: language there. So yeah, we just kind of, you know, 376 00:21:28,480 --> 00:21:32,920 Speaker 5: gave things as people needed them. I know that I 377 00:21:32,960 --> 00:21:35,080 Speaker 5: helped give out some of the friends and times of 378 00:21:35,119 --> 00:21:39,000 Speaker 5: paper and those were all those were tons of kids 379 00:21:39,160 --> 00:21:41,800 Speaker 5: all came running over from the whole, all the parts 380 00:21:41,800 --> 00:21:43,720 Speaker 5: of the camp when they heard that there was there 381 00:21:43,720 --> 00:21:47,560 Speaker 5: were toys being given out, So that was it was. 382 00:21:47,680 --> 00:21:51,399 Speaker 5: It was heartbreaking, but it was also you know, it 383 00:21:51,480 --> 00:21:53,200 Speaker 5: made me smile to see them smile. 384 00:21:53,280 --> 00:21:55,480 Speaker 4: And the smile because of the need to use c 385 00:21:55,640 --> 00:21:57,359 Speaker 4: BP one and of course they need to stay in 386 00:21:57,359 --> 00:22:00,240 Speaker 4: touch with families back home. There was a conn in 387 00:22:00,320 --> 00:22:04,120 Speaker 4: an overwhelming demand for phone charging. News reporters took phones 388 00:22:04,160 --> 00:22:06,960 Speaker 4: back to charge in their cars. Some people bought charge 389 00:22:06,960 --> 00:22:10,520 Speaker 4: bricks and power strips, and mutual aid groups wrote names 390 00:22:10,560 --> 00:22:12,800 Speaker 4: on the back of the phones using painter's tape and 391 00:22:12,840 --> 00:22:16,280 Speaker 4: sharpie so they wouldn't get separated from their owners. By 392 00:22:16,280 --> 00:22:18,639 Speaker 4: the second day it was a better system, but on 393 00:22:18,680 --> 00:22:21,239 Speaker 4: the first day it was chaos. I let Kber, who 394 00:22:21,280 --> 00:22:23,800 Speaker 4: spent a whole day charging phones, described the system that 395 00:22:23,880 --> 00:22:26,440 Speaker 4: volunteers came up with to mitigate that chaos a little bit. 396 00:22:27,080 --> 00:22:30,560 Speaker 5: And obviously they couldn't charge their phones if they're just 397 00:22:30,600 --> 00:22:35,399 Speaker 5: in this kind of desert gap between between the walls 398 00:22:35,440 --> 00:22:39,520 Speaker 5: that doesn't have any kind of romanies or anything. So 399 00:22:39,640 --> 00:22:43,680 Speaker 5: we had a system where they would passive phone through 400 00:22:43,840 --> 00:22:47,440 Speaker 5: and we had we went, we would put a piece 401 00:22:47,480 --> 00:22:50,240 Speaker 5: of tape on it with their name and give them 402 00:22:50,280 --> 00:22:52,720 Speaker 5: a piece of tape with their name the same name, 403 00:22:52,880 --> 00:22:54,879 Speaker 5: and then they would give us that if they came 404 00:22:54,880 --> 00:22:57,359 Speaker 5: back to give us the tape back, and we would 405 00:22:57,400 --> 00:23:01,800 Speaker 5: match their names and phone and and that was It 406 00:23:01,840 --> 00:23:06,280 Speaker 5: worked well enough. I mean, it was still an extraordinarily 407 00:23:06,359 --> 00:23:08,960 Speaker 5: chaotic process. I mean we had we always had at 408 00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:11,680 Speaker 5: least one hundred phones on our side of the wallet 409 00:23:11,720 --> 00:23:15,960 Speaker 5: at a given time, and and some people had you know, 410 00:23:16,000 --> 00:23:18,040 Speaker 5: some people have chargers, some people didn't. Some people had 411 00:23:18,080 --> 00:23:23,000 Speaker 5: Android or Samsung or all the iPhones, and some people 412 00:23:23,000 --> 00:23:25,320 Speaker 5: had well adaptors, and some people didn't have the wallet 413 00:23:25,359 --> 00:23:28,160 Speaker 5: ac adapters, so we kind of had to every phone 414 00:23:28,200 --> 00:23:30,000 Speaker 5: that came through was we had to find a way 415 00:23:30,080 --> 00:23:33,320 Speaker 5: to get it, you know, basically chained into the set 416 00:23:33,359 --> 00:23:34,960 Speaker 5: of generators that we had, which was do we have 417 00:23:35,200 --> 00:23:37,399 Speaker 5: power strips and we have to write cables and and 418 00:23:37,520 --> 00:23:40,639 Speaker 5: and we have space on those cables and and I 419 00:23:40,680 --> 00:23:42,679 Speaker 5: think it was it was a bit of a puzzle 420 00:23:42,760 --> 00:23:45,040 Speaker 5: the whole time. The only part of it that really 421 00:23:45,080 --> 00:23:49,960 Speaker 5: overwhelmed me was we did overload. Someone brought a bunch 422 00:23:50,000 --> 00:23:55,399 Speaker 5: of h USBC power strips and we blew out one 423 00:23:55,440 --> 00:24:00,000 Speaker 5: of them, and so there was now eight phones attacked 424 00:24:00,400 --> 00:24:06,080 Speaker 5: that they had to find new spaces for. I was 425 00:24:05,840 --> 00:24:11,560 Speaker 5: I was just frustrated by the situation. And in addition 426 00:24:11,560 --> 00:24:22,320 Speaker 5: that refer to that I think particularly whatever. 427 00:24:22,080 --> 00:24:24,480 Speaker 4: Happened to it, it was chaos, but it was a 428 00:24:24,480 --> 00:24:28,080 Speaker 4: good natured chaos. Over several days that migrants would attained 429 00:24:28,119 --> 00:24:30,600 Speaker 4: in the open with no shelter an inadequate sanitation, just 430 00:24:30,640 --> 00:24:32,719 Speaker 4: about two miles from the discount mall where you can 431 00:24:32,760 --> 00:24:36,080 Speaker 4: buy cheap Ralpherend's shirts if that's your jam. People showed 432 00:24:36,160 --> 00:24:40,240 Speaker 4: up in ever increasing numbers. The American Friends Service Committee 433 00:24:40,240 --> 00:24:43,960 Speaker 4: helped organize volunteers into groups to distribute food, package up 434 00:24:44,000 --> 00:24:47,960 Speaker 4: wet white snacks, medicines, give out tarps, and do just 435 00:24:48,000 --> 00:24:50,879 Speaker 4: about anything else that they could or anything else that 436 00:24:50,880 --> 00:24:52,640 Speaker 4: they could fit to ziploc bags that could be passed 437 00:24:52,640 --> 00:24:53,440 Speaker 4: through gaps in the wall. 438 00:24:53,440 --> 00:24:53,920 Speaker 8: At least. 439 00:24:54,720 --> 00:24:56,960 Speaker 4: People who had been immigrants themselves or who were the 440 00:24:57,000 --> 00:25:01,600 Speaker 4: children of immigrants were notably numerous, and the volunteers I 441 00:25:01,640 --> 00:25:02,520 Speaker 4: spent to one of them with. 442 00:25:03,320 --> 00:25:04,560 Speaker 8: My name is Lon Chai. 443 00:25:05,560 --> 00:25:09,360 Speaker 9: I'm part of Asian Soliday Collective grass with organization here 444 00:25:09,359 --> 00:25:10,000 Speaker 9: in San Diego. 445 00:25:11,000 --> 00:25:13,200 Speaker 8: I've been I've been coming over here since yesterday. 446 00:25:13,760 --> 00:25:16,240 Speaker 9: I came here around five six yesterday, and then I 447 00:25:16,320 --> 00:25:18,960 Speaker 9: came back through here this morning and been here since. 448 00:25:19,160 --> 00:25:21,399 Speaker 9: I got home at twelve last night and woke up, 449 00:25:21,520 --> 00:25:24,160 Speaker 9: dropped my kid off, and came right back with more supplies. 450 00:25:24,200 --> 00:25:27,560 Speaker 9: I've been reaching out to family, friends and community to 451 00:25:27,640 --> 00:25:29,639 Speaker 9: help donate supplies and things. 452 00:25:29,400 --> 00:25:31,560 Speaker 8: Like that, food, whatever, whatever they may have. 453 00:25:32,000 --> 00:25:36,160 Speaker 9: And I've pretty much been driving around city and collecting 454 00:25:36,200 --> 00:25:38,240 Speaker 9: from from folks that can't make it so I could 455 00:25:38,240 --> 00:25:39,240 Speaker 9: bring it down here myself. 456 00:25:39,920 --> 00:25:40,960 Speaker 8: So that's what I've been doing. 457 00:25:41,400 --> 00:25:43,600 Speaker 4: LUNCHI explained to me why it was so important to 458 00:25:43,600 --> 00:25:46,080 Speaker 4: show up my community. 459 00:25:46,680 --> 00:25:49,800 Speaker 9: I'm pretty sure they they they're sympathetic to this because 460 00:25:50,359 --> 00:25:53,800 Speaker 9: I'm coming from I'm a first generation Cambodian American here 461 00:25:53,800 --> 00:25:57,360 Speaker 9: in the US, and when my parents and my family 462 00:25:57,400 --> 00:26:01,760 Speaker 9: fled their country, they went through this as well. So 463 00:26:01,920 --> 00:26:05,840 Speaker 9: somebody somewhere came and provided to support, provided to aid 464 00:26:05,880 --> 00:26:07,040 Speaker 9: the donations. 465 00:26:06,560 --> 00:26:08,640 Speaker 8: For them to be able to to make it. 466 00:26:08,600 --> 00:26:11,800 Speaker 9: To America to crossover, and and able to to to 467 00:26:12,240 --> 00:26:14,600 Speaker 9: provide out here for for me growing up out here. 468 00:26:15,000 --> 00:26:15,199 Speaker 8: You know. 469 00:26:15,359 --> 00:26:18,080 Speaker 9: So it's just I just sympathize with it, with the 470 00:26:18,119 --> 00:26:21,359 Speaker 9: whole thing. I mean, I mean everybody should should should 471 00:26:21,359 --> 00:26:23,760 Speaker 9: feel the same way because somewhere down the line, our 472 00:26:23,800 --> 00:26:27,160 Speaker 9: families went through similar situations. If you're not an indigenous 473 00:26:27,320 --> 00:26:29,800 Speaker 9: then then then your family somewhere down down to history 474 00:26:29,840 --> 00:26:30,720 Speaker 9: went through the same thing. 475 00:26:30,840 --> 00:26:32,679 Speaker 8: So you know that everybody should have a heart for 476 00:26:32,680 --> 00:26:33,359 Speaker 8: this and be able. 477 00:26:33,240 --> 00:26:35,760 Speaker 9: To come down here and and and and donate or 478 00:26:35,800 --> 00:26:38,000 Speaker 9: donate their time or supplies whatever the case may be, 479 00:26:38,040 --> 00:26:39,000 Speaker 9: you know, come out in help. 480 00:26:39,480 --> 00:26:42,760 Speaker 4: He also explained why he feels it's important to encourage 481 00:26:42,760 --> 00:26:43,840 Speaker 4: empathy for refugees. 482 00:26:44,400 --> 00:26:45,919 Speaker 8: Well, it's it's you have to you have to. 483 00:26:45,960 --> 00:26:47,399 Speaker 9: You have to be keep in mind, there's there's this 484 00:26:47,520 --> 00:26:50,800 Speaker 9: families out here, there's this young children, there's babies. I mean, 485 00:26:50,800 --> 00:26:53,520 Speaker 9: it takes a lot for for for a mother to 486 00:26:53,600 --> 00:26:56,200 Speaker 9: pick up her infant child and to leave where she's 487 00:26:56,240 --> 00:26:58,760 Speaker 9: coming from. So that just says a lot about where 488 00:26:58,880 --> 00:27:01,640 Speaker 9: what's going on, where she's come, for her to trek 489 00:27:01,920 --> 00:27:04,000 Speaker 9: and to go through this, to sit out here and 490 00:27:04,119 --> 00:27:06,600 Speaker 9: coll and stuff, because if she would rather endure her 491 00:27:07,000 --> 00:27:10,600 Speaker 9: endure this and take the risk and the chances that 492 00:27:10,640 --> 00:27:13,399 Speaker 9: means where she's coming from is not as you know, 493 00:27:13,440 --> 00:27:14,760 Speaker 9: if she's willing to take that risk. 494 00:27:15,800 --> 00:27:17,919 Speaker 4: Later that night, I saw an Afghan family come to 495 00:27:17,960 --> 00:27:21,120 Speaker 4: help the other Afghan families. Their kids talk to other 496 00:27:21,160 --> 00:27:25,080 Speaker 4: Afghan kids separated by the border war. They passed crayons 497 00:27:25,080 --> 00:27:27,880 Speaker 4: through the wall and coloring books, and the little daughter 498 00:27:27,920 --> 00:27:29,639 Speaker 4: asked her dad if she could give her watch to 499 00:27:29,680 --> 00:27:32,080 Speaker 4: the Afghan girl being held in the camp. Her dad said, 500 00:27:32,080 --> 00:27:35,680 Speaker 4: of course, I don't record or photograph people's children, certainly 501 00:27:36,160 --> 00:27:38,280 Speaker 4: not without asking, And I wasn't about to interrupt them, 502 00:27:38,280 --> 00:27:41,080 Speaker 4: but it was a very sweet moment. The father of 503 00:27:41,080 --> 00:27:43,440 Speaker 4: the family had worked in the Army Corps of Engineers. 504 00:27:43,960 --> 00:27:46,639 Speaker 4: He'd been to the border before to build this section 505 00:27:46,720 --> 00:27:49,560 Speaker 4: of the wall. I didn't really need to ask him 506 00:27:49,640 --> 00:27:51,560 Speaker 4: how it felt to see folks stuck behind it, but 507 00:27:52,080 --> 00:27:53,560 Speaker 4: it said a lot that he and his family had 508 00:27:53,560 --> 00:27:56,720 Speaker 4: taken the time to drive down, buy bags and supplies 509 00:27:57,119 --> 00:27:58,800 Speaker 4: and then come face to face with the people who 510 00:27:58,840 --> 00:28:02,240 Speaker 4: needed them and hand them out. Like dozens of other folks, 511 00:28:02,440 --> 00:28:04,840 Speaker 4: they tried to pass whatever they could through little gaps 512 00:28:04,840 --> 00:28:07,679 Speaker 4: in the war to make someone's day a little bit brighter. 513 00:28:08,600 --> 00:28:11,000 Speaker 4: Another volunteer who we heard from yesterday came from a 514 00:28:11,000 --> 00:28:14,480 Speaker 4: local group called Pana. Hermira had been at the wall 515 00:28:14,520 --> 00:28:16,119 Speaker 4: since five in the morning and it was getting on 516 00:28:16,160 --> 00:28:18,840 Speaker 4: for five pm when we spoke. I normally ask people 517 00:28:18,880 --> 00:28:20,440 Speaker 4: what they ate for breakfast, just to tune in the 518 00:28:20,520 --> 00:28:22,679 Speaker 4: volume levels on the recorder a bit, but I'm going 519 00:28:22,720 --> 00:28:24,480 Speaker 4: to include it this time, just so you can see 520 00:28:24,480 --> 00:28:26,000 Speaker 4: how long her day had been and how hard she've 521 00:28:26,000 --> 00:28:26,480 Speaker 4: been working. 522 00:28:27,280 --> 00:28:30,040 Speaker 10: Okay, do you know what do you want me say? Second? 523 00:28:30,119 --> 00:28:31,360 Speaker 6: I mean, you have a breakfast again. 524 00:28:31,640 --> 00:28:35,840 Speaker 10: I don't remember anymore French shast FRESD shosts, but my 525 00:28:35,920 --> 00:28:38,440 Speaker 10: name is Harmira Yusafi and I'm with a partnership for 526 00:28:38,480 --> 00:28:42,000 Speaker 10: the Advancement of New Americans PANA, or an organization in 527 00:28:42,040 --> 00:28:45,600 Speaker 10: San Diego that fights for the full inclusion of refugees 528 00:28:46,040 --> 00:28:49,520 Speaker 10: and those who come from refugee producing countries. 529 00:28:50,360 --> 00:28:52,640 Speaker 4: We spoke about the emergency that had kept her hair 530 00:28:52,680 --> 00:28:53,080 Speaker 4: all day. 531 00:28:53,360 --> 00:28:55,920 Speaker 10: So in terms of this morning, I mean I was. 532 00:28:56,080 --> 00:29:00,120 Speaker 10: I was very concerned because there was an asylum seeker 533 00:29:00,160 --> 00:29:05,200 Speaker 10: who had an emergency and was rushed out of this place. 534 00:29:05,240 --> 00:29:07,840 Speaker 10: Where now, like for example, where we are at right now, 535 00:29:08,360 --> 00:29:12,680 Speaker 10: is people who are being detained and the most inhumane 536 00:29:12,880 --> 00:29:17,000 Speaker 10: way possible. This is going against TBP's own protocols and 537 00:29:17,080 --> 00:29:20,560 Speaker 10: policies as to how they're being detained with No they're 538 00:29:20,560 --> 00:29:23,360 Speaker 10: not giving them food, they're not giving them bathrooms, they're 539 00:29:23,400 --> 00:29:26,160 Speaker 10: not giving them basic basic things that they need to survive. 540 00:29:26,240 --> 00:29:28,440 Speaker 10: And so that's why the community is out here today 541 00:29:28,720 --> 00:29:43,280 Speaker 10: to do that. 542 00:29:43,600 --> 00:29:46,920 Speaker 4: Sadly, not everyone who showed up at the makeshift detention facility. 543 00:29:47,000 --> 00:29:50,360 Speaker 4: We're showing up in solidarity. Local anti migrant activists and 544 00:29:50,360 --> 00:29:51,880 Speaker 4: blogger Roger Ogden showed up. 545 00:29:52,160 --> 00:29:52,360 Speaker 5: Now. 546 00:29:52,360 --> 00:29:54,360 Speaker 4: Ogden might be familiar to some listeners due to his 547 00:29:54,400 --> 00:29:57,000 Speaker 4: attempts to host he called a Patriot picnic and his 548 00:29:57,040 --> 00:30:00,000 Speaker 4: advocacy for the removal of the historic murals in Chicken 549 00:30:00,040 --> 00:30:02,920 Speaker 4: on A Park often organized gatherings in the park in 550 00:30:02,960 --> 00:30:05,760 Speaker 4: twenty seventeen and twenty eighteen, and they resulted in a 551 00:30:05,840 --> 00:30:09,280 Speaker 4: huge and overwhelming community response to defend the park, and 552 00:30:09,760 --> 00:30:13,280 Speaker 4: this time Olden decided to keep to himself, but Natalie 553 00:30:13,320 --> 00:30:15,880 Speaker 4: ran into some people who weren't quite as shy about 554 00:30:15,880 --> 00:30:16,720 Speaker 4: their opinions. 555 00:30:16,960 --> 00:30:19,400 Speaker 3: You know, a lot of the people in the community 556 00:30:19,920 --> 00:30:24,240 Speaker 3: are you know, lower income. You know, they are struggling 557 00:30:24,320 --> 00:30:27,560 Speaker 3: in their own struggle on their and so I know, 558 00:30:29,840 --> 00:30:32,680 Speaker 3: you know, maybe I don't know, it's like for those people, 559 00:30:32,720 --> 00:30:38,760 Speaker 3: I don't know, like, yeah, it's hard. 560 00:30:38,960 --> 00:30:39,320 Speaker 2: I don't know. 561 00:30:40,720 --> 00:30:43,000 Speaker 3: I mean, towards the end, like when I was walking 562 00:30:43,000 --> 00:30:46,200 Speaker 3: to my car, this man, this man in a car 563 00:30:46,320 --> 00:30:48,240 Speaker 3: like pulled up and he's like, excuse me, what's going 564 00:30:48,280 --> 00:30:50,440 Speaker 3: on over there? And I was like, Oh, we're gathering 565 00:30:50,480 --> 00:30:54,360 Speaker 3: you know, somepplies for the asylum seekers. And then I 566 00:30:54,760 --> 00:30:56,680 Speaker 3: you know, like, if you're from here, you kind of 567 00:30:56,840 --> 00:30:58,720 Speaker 3: if you're in Hookumba, you kind of already knew what 568 00:30:58,800 --> 00:31:01,480 Speaker 3: was going on, and so him asking me that, I 569 00:31:01,560 --> 00:31:03,760 Speaker 3: was kind of like, m and then he just started 570 00:31:03,840 --> 00:31:08,720 Speaker 3: laying into I've had illegals, you know, have broken into 571 00:31:08,760 --> 00:31:09,840 Speaker 3: my house a few times. 572 00:31:09,880 --> 00:31:11,240 Speaker 2: Why are you supporting illegals? 573 00:31:11,280 --> 00:31:14,440 Speaker 3: And I'm like, we're trying to, let like make sure 574 00:31:14,440 --> 00:31:17,640 Speaker 3: that people don't die, and he just kept going off 575 00:31:17,680 --> 00:31:20,200 Speaker 3: on me, and so he you know, the whole. 576 00:31:22,240 --> 00:31:24,920 Speaker 2: All the talking points that people have about not. 577 00:31:26,400 --> 00:31:31,200 Speaker 3: Allowing people to seek asylum here, and so I just 578 00:31:31,240 --> 00:31:31,760 Speaker 3: walked away. 579 00:31:32,360 --> 00:31:34,920 Speaker 4: Maurica didn't run into the same kind of vocal opposition, 580 00:31:35,120 --> 00:31:38,120 Speaker 4: but she said in her conversations and attempts to process 581 00:31:38,120 --> 00:31:40,680 Speaker 4: everything she'd seen, she ran into some of the sort 582 00:31:40,680 --> 00:31:42,920 Speaker 4: of need JC responses. So people can only really make 583 00:31:42,960 --> 00:31:45,480 Speaker 4: about immigration when they haven't looked the cruelty that they're 584 00:31:45,480 --> 00:31:46,680 Speaker 4: advocating for in the face. 585 00:31:47,160 --> 00:31:50,800 Speaker 1: It took me a little while to kind of work 586 00:31:50,840 --> 00:31:54,440 Speaker 1: through just how I felt about it on an emotional, 587 00:31:56,840 --> 00:31:59,400 Speaker 1: maybe a spiritual level. 588 00:32:00,480 --> 00:32:00,640 Speaker 5: You know. 589 00:32:00,680 --> 00:32:04,080 Speaker 1: I spoke with family and friends about it, about my experience, 590 00:32:04,120 --> 00:32:10,760 Speaker 1: and and it's it's difficult to I found it difficult 591 00:32:10,760 --> 00:32:17,280 Speaker 1: to explain my experience because I don't know that somebody 592 00:32:17,320 --> 00:32:20,160 Speaker 1: can really truly understand that unless they've actually been out 593 00:32:20,160 --> 00:32:25,800 Speaker 1: there and done it themselves, because the arguments or or 594 00:32:25,880 --> 00:32:31,160 Speaker 1: they're kind of debate, so to speak, what they would 595 00:32:31,240 --> 00:32:34,480 Speaker 1: come back at me with when I was sharing that is, 596 00:32:35,320 --> 00:32:39,600 Speaker 1: but we don't have enough food or housing to be 597 00:32:39,680 --> 00:32:42,720 Speaker 1: able to support that many people coming in. And I'm like, 598 00:32:43,760 --> 00:32:47,120 Speaker 1: but we just had so many people and so much 599 00:32:47,200 --> 00:32:50,120 Speaker 1: money put out there to help in a very short 600 00:32:50,120 --> 00:32:53,000 Speaker 1: amount of time. Look how many donations were donated, how 601 00:32:53,040 --> 00:32:55,480 Speaker 1: much money was contributed in a short amount of time 602 00:32:55,520 --> 00:32:58,120 Speaker 1: from not that many people. I'm like, obviously we do 603 00:32:58,200 --> 00:33:03,240 Speaker 1: have the money, Obviously we do have the food, So 604 00:33:03,280 --> 00:33:05,880 Speaker 1: where's the where's the breakdown? Like, is it our system 605 00:33:05,960 --> 00:33:08,760 Speaker 1: that just doesn't allow for that happened? I don't know, 606 00:33:08,880 --> 00:33:11,520 Speaker 1: and that that's where like I don't I don't understand 607 00:33:11,560 --> 00:33:12,040 Speaker 1: it enough. 608 00:33:12,080 --> 00:33:12,760 Speaker 2: But I feel like. 609 00:33:14,880 --> 00:33:17,880 Speaker 1: It just made me realize that I don't know that 610 00:33:18,080 --> 00:33:22,360 Speaker 1: anybody that I spoke to afterward really understands it enough, 611 00:33:22,360 --> 00:33:26,800 Speaker 1: either because their arguments or they're a defense and what 612 00:33:26,840 --> 00:33:30,000 Speaker 1: they tried to share on the opposite side of me 613 00:33:30,120 --> 00:33:32,840 Speaker 1: going out there and supporting just felt like it was 614 00:33:37,640 --> 00:33:40,120 Speaker 1: just something to say, you know, and like what they 615 00:33:40,240 --> 00:33:44,080 Speaker 1: what they hear from the general media out there, and 616 00:33:44,360 --> 00:33:47,880 Speaker 1: they also don't really they can't quite grasp it, so 617 00:33:47,920 --> 00:33:50,000 Speaker 1: they're just kind of throwing something out there I guess 618 00:33:50,080 --> 00:33:51,600 Speaker 1: is what it felt like. 619 00:33:52,240 --> 00:33:55,160 Speaker 4: Kaiba also ran into some less and charitable San Diegans, 620 00:33:55,240 --> 00:33:56,560 Speaker 4: this time down the sant Asiedra. 621 00:33:57,320 --> 00:34:00,600 Speaker 5: Yeah, so, I guess my first part it is why 622 00:34:00,600 --> 00:34:02,920 Speaker 5: they might have or how they might have found us there, 623 00:34:03,560 --> 00:34:07,320 Speaker 5: which is there's a a local news organization San Diego 624 00:34:07,360 --> 00:34:12,680 Speaker 5: called Harisai, which is kind of a I would describe 625 00:34:12,680 --> 00:34:15,399 Speaker 5: as a local equivalent of something like one American News, 626 00:34:15,400 --> 00:34:17,840 Speaker 5: which is really unfortunate because we already have more American 627 00:34:17,880 --> 00:34:23,719 Speaker 5: news here. Uh, but they are are pretty well known 628 00:34:23,920 --> 00:34:30,080 Speaker 5: for kind of a lot of like misinformation, kind of 629 00:34:30,120 --> 00:34:35,600 Speaker 5: scared mondering about and has people immigrants, vaccines and and 630 00:34:35,640 --> 00:34:37,960 Speaker 5: all that sort of sort of thing, but with kind 631 00:34:37,960 --> 00:34:40,560 Speaker 5: of a local news sort of aesthetic to it. And 632 00:34:40,719 --> 00:34:42,359 Speaker 5: they were, as far as I could tell, they were 633 00:34:42,400 --> 00:34:45,080 Speaker 5: really the only ident of able media that were there 634 00:34:45,480 --> 00:34:48,160 Speaker 5: throughout the day. I read articles eventually that made me 635 00:34:48,239 --> 00:34:53,160 Speaker 5: realize there were other reporters there that they were identifying 636 00:34:53,160 --> 00:34:56,200 Speaker 5: themselves the way that Hasy was, but they sided it 637 00:34:56,280 --> 00:34:59,719 Speaker 5: was one cameraman just shooting b role, I guess, and 638 00:34:59,800 --> 00:35:01,879 Speaker 5: he walking to all the different parts of the wall 639 00:35:02,400 --> 00:35:04,799 Speaker 5: and like all the different sort of stations for aid 640 00:35:05,000 --> 00:35:07,680 Speaker 5: and like trying to really trying to get as many 641 00:35:07,680 --> 00:35:10,080 Speaker 5: faces as possible they could. 642 00:35:09,960 --> 00:35:10,440 Speaker 8: Kind of have that. 643 00:35:10,480 --> 00:35:14,480 Speaker 5: That's like what he was doing. Everyone who I was around, 644 00:35:14,520 --> 00:35:16,640 Speaker 5: I was I was kind of you know, oriented mostly 645 00:35:16,719 --> 00:35:20,360 Speaker 5: with kind of the like sort of like anartists between people. 646 00:35:21,440 --> 00:35:23,439 Speaker 5: And you know, when they saw the lame aside track, 647 00:35:23,480 --> 00:35:25,480 Speaker 5: they were like, okay, when it's their masking, you know, 648 00:35:26,040 --> 00:35:29,120 Speaker 5: and I killing in ninety five with me so where 649 00:35:29,400 --> 00:35:33,120 Speaker 5: and I am I don't you know, slightly identifying logo 650 00:35:33,320 --> 00:35:37,600 Speaker 5: on my struct shirt which I take over so that 651 00:35:37,840 --> 00:35:41,279 Speaker 5: you know, that image wouldn't show up Now. 652 00:35:41,520 --> 00:35:44,720 Speaker 4: Kus I have drifted further and further right since twenty twenty. 653 00:35:44,920 --> 00:35:48,840 Speaker 4: Along with their relatively miniscule viewership. These days, they engage 654 00:35:48,840 --> 00:35:51,280 Speaker 4: in fake news culture war stuff, like repeating the recent 655 00:35:51,280 --> 00:35:54,800 Speaker 4: false accusations that Target was making tuckable swimming costumes for kids, 656 00:35:54,880 --> 00:35:58,799 Speaker 4: or labeling everyone in the asylum process illegal immigrants. It's 657 00:35:58,800 --> 00:36:02,600 Speaker 4: sadly pretty standard for writing news organizations now. Kayle thinks 658 00:36:02,640 --> 00:36:04,520 Speaker 4: that some of the people who saw footage on k USI, 659 00:36:04,640 --> 00:36:08,200 Speaker 4: or perhaps found the location posted on Obten's blog, came 660 00:36:08,239 --> 00:36:09,279 Speaker 4: down to the border. 661 00:36:09,320 --> 00:36:11,640 Speaker 5: Like several hours later. That's like when we started to 662 00:36:11,680 --> 00:36:17,840 Speaker 5: see people you know, kind of went buy and and 663 00:36:17,840 --> 00:36:19,880 Speaker 5: and we could tell that they weren't volunteers, because like 664 00:36:20,040 --> 00:36:22,439 Speaker 5: when people who are like playing people who weren't even 665 00:36:22,480 --> 00:36:24,400 Speaker 5: necessarily voluneer, which weren't buy and so like, hey, I 666 00:36:24,400 --> 00:36:26,080 Speaker 5: just heard watching on. I brought a piace of water 667 00:36:26,280 --> 00:36:28,359 Speaker 5: and they bring it the water and then they drive away. 668 00:36:28,800 --> 00:36:31,080 Speaker 5: But the people who are doing who are like cute 669 00:36:31,280 --> 00:36:32,680 Speaker 5: where I think, you know, kind of do some kind 670 00:36:32,680 --> 00:36:36,600 Speaker 5: of intimidation where you know, they wouldn't approach directly. They 671 00:36:36,640 --> 00:36:40,399 Speaker 5: would just kind of get out of their exceptionally large 672 00:36:40,440 --> 00:36:43,920 Speaker 5: estuvies and and just kind of just kind of watch 673 00:36:45,080 --> 00:36:46,520 Speaker 5: and they would kind of, you know, get a little 674 00:36:46,520 --> 00:36:48,600 Speaker 5: bit closer at a time, and then you know a 675 00:36:48,640 --> 00:36:52,200 Speaker 5: little bit closer and kind of whispered to each other 676 00:36:52,440 --> 00:36:54,600 Speaker 5: and you know, pointed things, and you know, it's just 677 00:36:54,680 --> 00:36:57,239 Speaker 5: kind of that they were just watching, and you know, 678 00:36:57,239 --> 00:36:59,160 Speaker 5: they got post enough that I could read their shirts, 679 00:36:59,760 --> 00:37:03,000 Speaker 5: and and the shirts had a slogan that's associated with 680 00:37:03,760 --> 00:37:07,480 Speaker 5: a Christian nationalism slogan, so as this whole family is 681 00:37:07,560 --> 00:37:09,480 Speaker 5: kind of kind of sad that the kids were wearing 682 00:37:09,520 --> 00:37:15,359 Speaker 5: the shirts too, and and so I kind of yah, 683 00:37:15,360 --> 00:37:16,920 Speaker 5: I figured out that that's what was going on. And 684 00:37:17,000 --> 00:37:19,120 Speaker 5: I never talked to them. I didn't approach them, but 685 00:37:19,239 --> 00:37:22,000 Speaker 5: I stood when I was, you know, something to get 686 00:37:22,000 --> 00:37:24,279 Speaker 5: close with this or I kind of positioned myself in 687 00:37:24,360 --> 00:37:27,680 Speaker 5: between the rest of the volunteers and in this group 688 00:37:28,880 --> 00:37:32,200 Speaker 5: and and just kind of you know, didn't really start 689 00:37:32,320 --> 00:37:35,600 Speaker 5: at them, just kind of looked at them and and 690 00:37:35,680 --> 00:37:37,520 Speaker 5: just made it clear with my body language that I, 691 00:37:37,640 --> 00:37:39,839 Speaker 5: like I knew, you know, they were doing like they 692 00:37:39,840 --> 00:37:41,600 Speaker 5: weren't you know, they weren't doing any kind of secret 693 00:37:41,640 --> 00:37:44,960 Speaker 5: agent thing or whatever, like they were being really really obvious. 694 00:37:45,040 --> 00:37:48,680 Speaker 5: And I would just you know, stood and position myself 695 00:37:48,680 --> 00:37:50,120 Speaker 5: in a way that I pated that you know, I 696 00:37:50,160 --> 00:37:51,880 Speaker 5: know what you're doing, and you're not going to get close. 697 00:37:51,960 --> 00:37:54,879 Speaker 5: You're not going to interfere with you know, what we're 698 00:37:54,880 --> 00:37:56,560 Speaker 5: doing here. You're not going to contact to any wine 699 00:37:56,600 --> 00:38:01,560 Speaker 5: or you thrill anyone or whateveryone did. And eventually one 700 00:38:01,600 --> 00:38:04,200 Speaker 5: of the people who is either volunteer or work for, 701 00:38:04,320 --> 00:38:06,279 Speaker 5: like one of the engineers, can definitely tell there's something 702 00:38:06,320 --> 00:38:09,720 Speaker 5: going on, so she went over and had a conversation 703 00:38:09,800 --> 00:38:12,320 Speaker 5: with them that I couldn't hear, and eventually they decided 704 00:38:12,320 --> 00:38:15,880 Speaker 5: to move, and I think she was just kind of 705 00:38:15,920 --> 00:38:18,239 Speaker 5: trying to be diplomatic, but just sort of like asked 706 00:38:18,239 --> 00:38:19,960 Speaker 5: them if they wanted to help, and if they don't 707 00:38:20,000 --> 00:38:24,239 Speaker 5: want to help, and you know, yeah, go be somewhere else, 708 00:38:24,280 --> 00:38:30,040 Speaker 5: I suppose, And and it was I mean, the sort 709 00:38:30,080 --> 00:38:33,799 Speaker 5: of one amusing part of people like that was that 710 00:38:33,840 --> 00:38:38,319 Speaker 5: they apparently complained to this person about me because they 711 00:38:38,320 --> 00:38:42,160 Speaker 5: said that I had been watching them and I was 712 00:38:42,719 --> 00:38:46,439 Speaker 5: I was racially profiling them because they were white. And 713 00:38:47,000 --> 00:38:49,279 Speaker 5: I realized now that this is an aroundous interview, but 714 00:38:49,400 --> 00:38:52,320 Speaker 5: just for the listeners, I am very very white myself. 715 00:38:52,960 --> 00:38:55,880 Speaker 4: I think it's important when we discuss volunteering to honor 716 00:38:55,880 --> 00:38:59,400 Speaker 4: how hard this kind of experience could be on people. Obviously, 717 00:38:59,480 --> 00:39:01,840 Speaker 4: the trauma is associated with seeing people brutalized by the 718 00:39:01,840 --> 00:39:04,120 Speaker 4: state and capital. It's not the same as being brutalized 719 00:39:04,160 --> 00:39:07,360 Speaker 4: by state and capital yourself. But that doesn't mean it's easy. 720 00:39:08,440 --> 00:39:10,680 Speaker 4: I asked Nathlete to reflect a little on children's toys 721 00:39:10,719 --> 00:39:12,480 Speaker 4: we found in the shelter when we were cleaning up 722 00:39:12,480 --> 00:39:13,640 Speaker 4: the camp, like. 723 00:39:13,560 --> 00:39:15,640 Speaker 3: As a mom, like I have my own children, and 724 00:39:15,680 --> 00:39:19,680 Speaker 3: it just really it was emotional. It's like it's just 725 00:39:21,360 --> 00:39:24,400 Speaker 3: like I'm like, who's who? What child was playing with this? 726 00:39:25,120 --> 00:39:28,440 Speaker 3: You know here in this space, and you know that 727 00:39:28,520 --> 00:39:32,440 Speaker 3: no child should be ever in, you know, an encampment 728 00:39:32,520 --> 00:39:36,200 Speaker 3: like that or it just no one should be living outside, 729 00:39:36,440 --> 00:39:38,920 Speaker 3: no one should be doing that. But also it's like 730 00:39:39,000 --> 00:39:41,680 Speaker 3: kind of like the humanity in a way like that. 731 00:39:42,080 --> 00:39:45,320 Speaker 3: You know, even a child's going to play wherever child's 732 00:39:45,360 --> 00:39:48,440 Speaker 3: going to play, and like that little toy of little 733 00:39:49,160 --> 00:39:52,560 Speaker 3: hopefully it brought that kid some joy in that moment, 734 00:39:52,719 --> 00:39:54,719 Speaker 3: you know, if it was there a little piece of 735 00:39:54,800 --> 00:39:58,279 Speaker 3: home or someone gave it to him or what, you know, 736 00:39:59,600 --> 00:40:02,680 Speaker 3: it was yeah, the reality, it was like it was 737 00:40:02,680 --> 00:40:04,759 Speaker 3: like a person, you know, like a little artifact of 738 00:40:04,760 --> 00:40:05,960 Speaker 3: someone who was actually there. 739 00:40:06,560 --> 00:40:08,640 Speaker 2: You know, like it was a little more tangible than 740 00:40:09,040 --> 00:40:09,719 Speaker 2: you know, a sock. 741 00:40:10,000 --> 00:40:12,080 Speaker 3: You know, that's not that's not I'm not think you 742 00:40:12,080 --> 00:40:15,239 Speaker 3: know who wore that sock? But thin give who who 743 00:40:15,320 --> 00:40:16,759 Speaker 3: was playing with that doy? You know? 744 00:40:16,960 --> 00:40:19,000 Speaker 2: Was it a little boy, a little girl? Hold? Were 745 00:40:19,000 --> 00:40:21,680 Speaker 2: they did they bring up home? Are they missing it? 746 00:40:22,440 --> 00:40:22,759 Speaker 2: When they? 747 00:40:22,920 --> 00:40:24,480 Speaker 3: When I saw they have that, she needed people to 748 00:40:24,560 --> 00:40:27,120 Speaker 3: clean up. It was like, Okay, I took a day 749 00:40:27,120 --> 00:40:32,360 Speaker 3: off of work and went out there and just felt 750 00:40:33,239 --> 00:40:36,560 Speaker 3: overwhelming almost. I mean, just one day of me working 751 00:40:36,600 --> 00:40:40,880 Speaker 3: out there was really emotional. I can't imagine how you know, 752 00:40:40,920 --> 00:40:42,600 Speaker 3: Melissa and all the people that were on the ground 753 00:40:42,719 --> 00:40:45,239 Speaker 3: just dealing with it, and I know they're just struggling 754 00:40:45,280 --> 00:40:48,560 Speaker 3: a little bit and just processing it all has been 755 00:40:48,560 --> 00:40:54,200 Speaker 3: really hard, you know, really hard. It's just just just 756 00:40:54,280 --> 00:40:57,040 Speaker 3: how how privileged we are. You know, like no one 757 00:40:57,120 --> 00:41:00,000 Speaker 3: leaves their country because they want to. They leave because 758 00:41:00,120 --> 00:41:03,160 Speaker 3: they have to, but they feel like they have to. 759 00:41:03,600 --> 00:41:09,400 Speaker 3: And you know, it's I mean, it's respecting and honoring 760 00:41:09,520 --> 00:41:13,080 Speaker 3: and understanding the privilege that you're in and not taking 761 00:41:13,719 --> 00:41:18,279 Speaker 3: for granted because it's very easy to both. 762 00:41:18,360 --> 00:41:20,920 Speaker 4: Katie Marisa said they don't really identify as political and 763 00:41:20,960 --> 00:41:24,840 Speaker 4: that they wanted to be there as people. Sometimes often 764 00:41:25,280 --> 00:41:28,239 Speaker 4: politics can become a complicated game of numbers and statistics. 765 00:41:28,600 --> 00:41:30,479 Speaker 4: But it's important to remember that what this is really 766 00:41:30,520 --> 00:41:32,759 Speaker 4: about is organizing in such a way that we can 767 00:41:32,760 --> 00:41:35,360 Speaker 4: take care of one another, and that the most important 768 00:41:35,400 --> 00:41:37,920 Speaker 4: politics of war is the politics of feeding hungry people 769 00:41:37,960 --> 00:41:42,040 Speaker 4: and maybe bringing a sad child of stuffed animal. Here's 770 00:41:42,120 --> 00:41:43,760 Speaker 4: Katie talking about the community response. 771 00:41:45,080 --> 00:41:49,080 Speaker 7: I think I'm a really compassionate person and I'm not 772 00:41:49,480 --> 00:41:53,520 Speaker 7: very political in the sense that like I don't really participate. 773 00:41:56,280 --> 00:42:02,080 Speaker 7: My life in my community's life is solution oriented. So 774 00:42:04,480 --> 00:42:09,480 Speaker 7: I saw like that on a large scale, the like 775 00:42:09,680 --> 00:42:16,319 Speaker 7: when people come together, we create solutions when and you 776 00:42:16,400 --> 00:42:21,480 Speaker 7: don't wait for someone like the government to show up 777 00:42:21,560 --> 00:42:27,719 Speaker 7: and fix it, because then people will die. Yeah, you know, 778 00:42:28,200 --> 00:42:32,840 Speaker 7: I mean that's the reality is if that community didn't activate, 779 00:42:33,280 --> 00:42:35,080 Speaker 7: there would have been a lot of dead people in 780 00:42:35,120 --> 00:42:35,680 Speaker 7: the desert. 781 00:42:36,640 --> 00:42:38,759 Speaker 4: Katie shared with me that she's been having a difficult time, 782 00:42:39,239 --> 00:42:41,560 Speaker 4: feeling guilty for not having the language skills to do 783 00:42:41,640 --> 00:42:44,160 Speaker 4: more and questing her own worthiness to be their helping 784 00:42:44,960 --> 00:42:47,359 Speaker 4: But in the end, she said she felt that what 785 00:42:47,400 --> 00:42:50,600 Speaker 4: she'd done was right and important. I'll leave you with 786 00:42:50,640 --> 00:42:53,080 Speaker 4: her thoughts and tomorrow I'll be back to talk about 787 00:42:53,120 --> 00:42:55,160 Speaker 4: the people who put everyone in this situation in the 788 00:42:55,160 --> 00:42:58,320 Speaker 4: first place, the Department of Homeland Security. 789 00:42:59,600 --> 00:43:03,600 Speaker 7: I think an important thing is like so many times 790 00:43:04,600 --> 00:43:08,200 Speaker 7: we hear about things and we say, isn't that awful, 791 00:43:08,400 --> 00:43:12,360 Speaker 7: and we kind of shut down because we don't feel 792 00:43:13,400 --> 00:43:19,800 Speaker 7: empowered or we don't know how to help. And literally 793 00:43:20,000 --> 00:43:27,520 Speaker 7: a smile makes a difference, a feeling of like I 794 00:43:27,600 --> 00:43:31,640 Speaker 7: see you and you belong on this planet makes a difference. 795 00:43:32,520 --> 00:43:38,879 Speaker 7: And you know, little kids packing up canned goods and 796 00:43:39,600 --> 00:43:44,200 Speaker 7: fruit snacks for other little kids. They didn't see those kids, 797 00:43:44,239 --> 00:43:46,919 Speaker 7: but when the adults said they're going to be so 798 00:43:47,120 --> 00:43:51,080 Speaker 7: happy to get that package, they felt like they made 799 00:43:51,120 --> 00:43:54,399 Speaker 7: a difference. And those little girls are gonna grow up 800 00:43:54,480 --> 00:43:59,320 Speaker 7: and not be afraid to step up and make a difference. 801 00:43:59,760 --> 00:44:02,280 Speaker 7: I think a lot of people think like they can't 802 00:44:02,320 --> 00:44:06,080 Speaker 7: do enough, so they don't do anything. And if we 803 00:44:06,160 --> 00:44:10,120 Speaker 7: all just do a little bit or what you can, 804 00:44:11,200 --> 00:44:17,440 Speaker 7: then I think we would see a very large impact. 805 00:44:18,040 --> 00:44:21,640 Speaker 7: Hakamba is a town of five hundred and they just 806 00:44:21,760 --> 00:44:32,200 Speaker 7: fed thousands, house thousands, closed thousands, hugged and welcomed thousands 807 00:44:32,239 --> 00:44:36,600 Speaker 7: of human beings. And those people in that town don't 808 00:44:36,640 --> 00:44:41,719 Speaker 7: have much excess, and they made a difference. 809 00:44:42,360 --> 00:44:43,200 Speaker 10: And I was. 810 00:44:45,520 --> 00:44:49,719 Speaker 7: Proud to be a part of that community in a 811 00:44:49,760 --> 00:44:54,120 Speaker 7: way that I'm on the fringe of it, and it 812 00:44:54,160 --> 00:44:56,960 Speaker 7: made me want to be even more a part of it. 813 00:44:58,440 --> 00:45:04,840 Speaker 7: My feelings an intuition about that town, we're confirmed by 814 00:45:05,200 --> 00:45:11,800 Speaker 7: watching the simplest action make an incredible impact on real 815 00:45:11,880 --> 00:45:19,960 Speaker 7: lives and real people, and that this isn't demographics it's 816 00:45:23,920 --> 00:45:29,520 Speaker 7: real bodies that have breating hearts and breathe and we 817 00:45:29,680 --> 00:45:34,600 Speaker 7: all share the same air in the same water, and 818 00:45:34,640 --> 00:45:39,360 Speaker 7: we're all connected. And when you make one little drip 819 00:45:39,520 --> 00:45:44,000 Speaker 7: in the bucket, it actually does make a difference. And 820 00:45:44,040 --> 00:45:47,680 Speaker 7: I think that stops us sometimes when we think what 821 00:45:47,719 --> 00:45:52,960 Speaker 7: we have isn't enough to give, but when someone has nothing, 822 00:45:53,640 --> 00:45:59,680 Speaker 7: what you have is more than what they can imagine. 823 00:46:03,960 --> 00:46:06,440 Speaker 4: It could Happen here as a production of cool Zone Media. 824 00:46:06,560 --> 00:46:09,240 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from cool Zone Media, visit our website 825 00:46:09,239 --> 00:46:12,359 Speaker 1: coolzonemedia dot com or check us out on the iHeartRadio app, 826 00:46:12,400 --> 00:46:15,759 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can 827 00:46:15,760 --> 00:46:18,480 Speaker 1: find sources for It could Happen Here, Updated monthly at 828 00:46:18,520 --> 00:46:20,720 Speaker 1: coolzonemedia dot com slash sources. 829 00:46:20,920 --> 00:46:21,760 Speaker 2: Thanks for listening.