Nicola Wells

To Serve, Protect and Defend

What oath do police officers take upon entering into duty? To serve and protect. All of us, no matter what - race, creed, gender, citizenship. What oath do most public officials take upon entering into duty? To serve, protect and defend our rights as outlined in the constitution. These are sacred oaths that allow our society and our government to function, but over the past several years we've seen these oaths trampled on time and time again.

One of the most egregious ways we've seen the oaths abused is in the wielding of governmental power against citizens for political or personal gain. This particular type of abuse strikes at the core of corruption, and endangers the lives and livelihoods of us all, no matter who the initial target is. Whether it is using government power against it's own employees and agents, against attorney generals, or to wiretap its citizens, when government officials break their oath of service our entire way of life is threatened.

The problem is that often when government abuses occur they happen to a few, and usually it isn't us, average Joe or Josephine, sitting reading our morning blog updates. It happens to those that speak out, act out, or step out in some small or large dynamic way. It's hard for us to step in to defend the targets. I often feel a great sense of helplessness, like I'm watching my government crash like a car into an innocent person on the street. I'm left shocked, disappointed, and immobile. No matter the feelings, when events like this occur we must all raise our voices in unison and speak back to the government and demand justice, demand that they stick to their oath no matter which party they are in.

This week a major historical injustice has occurred, but has gone largely uncovered by mainstream media and many progressive outlets. Monday afternoon the US government executed what is to date the largest raid in our country's history. They grabbed over 300 workers and detained them in cattle grounds. Not buildings or detention centers- but cattle holding grounds. Hundreds of families were ripped apart, children left without parents, and hundreds more families were shocked into hiding. But that isn't all.

As advocates scramble to help the victims and their families, a nuanced and sinister aspect of this raid is beginning to come to light. There is growing evidence that this raid may very well have been run as protection for the employer, AgriProcessing, that was targeted. By executing this raid on workers, the government could charge workers with crimes, and protect AgriProcessing, a long time donor to the GOP, from any criminal or civil charges. Furthermore, the timing of this raid coincided with efforts to organize rights for these workers, and appears to have disrupted the ability of all workers at the plant to successfully join forces to protect themselves at work. Miraculously, just a day after it lost over 300 workers, the AgriProcessing company was able to re-open for business, they didn't miss a beat. Government officials are hiding behind a smoke screen of "identity theft" and scape-goating of immigrants to attack worker's rights and protect their donors.

As in the Swift raids, and other raids of this kind, there will be no hearing and there will be no justice for the workers, families, and communities that have been destroyed by these events. That is, there will be no justice unless we come together to expose the actions of our government against its people, its workers, and its communities. We need help in researching and exploring further the causes and aftermath of these raids. We need to begin a call for justice, not just for the families that have been hurt but for the entire community that these raids destroy. If our government won't do it, then we must step forward to serve, defend and protect our shared rights.

Nicola Wells: Author Bio | Other Posts
Posted at 7:02 AM, May 19, 2008 in Immigration
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