The Biddeford Saco for Racial Justice group is ending its weekly protests in Biddeford’s Mechanics Park over the ICE shooting of Johan Sebastian Guerrero, suggesting in a Monday announcement that immigrants have found its events unhelpful.
“We’ve heard that some well-intentioned actions there have not always been helpful to people most affected. Different groups and activities are also increasingly being conflated as one. We want to honor that feedback and leave Mechanics Park for other uses at this time. We’re also taking this time to listen and learn,” the group said on Facebook.
“It’s easy for anger, urgency, or a desire to help to drive action without enough connection to what immigrant community members are actually asking for. Right now, we’re hearing priorities like legal support, trusted services, safe employment, policy change, back-to-school support, community care and meaningful connection. Even protest or memorial activities intended to show solidarity can feel disconnected when there is little participation from the community we intend to support,” the group added.
They have been protesting in Mechanics Park every Friday since the shooting, but the group is shifting its focus to “working to build training opportunities” and listening to immigrants rather than protesting on their behalf.
Biddeford Saco for Racial Justice will be back, they say, after they have had more opportunities to listen to immigrants so they can serve their priorities. They expect they will return with activity at the Saco Transportation Center.
They did not explain why they plan to move their protest activities to a train station.
In their final Mechanics Park protest, the group was able to muster a lackluster group of just 25 people.
The group is a Maine chapter of the national Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) nonprofit.
SURJ is explicitly an organization for white people to push causes they believe will benefit racial minorities.
According to their most recent Form 990 tax filing, SURJ drew in a total of $4.2 million in funding in 2024.
Money must have dried up, no pay, no protest