Altar to those who died in ICE custody

The vigil at the OccupyICEPDX encampment continues being held every night of the week, beginning at about 9 p.m. 

Altar-building is an art form practiced principally by women in Mexico and in other countries south of the US border. Some very talented altar-builders in Portland have created this beautiful altar for the encampment, and it stands at the center of the vigil now. The vigil was held in the driveway of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE building) until the Department of Homeland Security claimed the building by force on Thursday.  Alt Right men who call themselves “Street Preachers” and use megaphones to preach hatred and violence which they claim is Christian and “Biblical” have threatened to attack the vigil, so for safety the vigil is now held inside the encampment. It feels to me like the heart of the occupation. The altar includes rosaries, objects taken from those in ICE custody, fruits, calaveras, photos and stories of people who have died in ICE custody. Here is an example (see Extra, a detail of the altar). 

“Roxana Hernandez, 33, a Honduran woman, entered ICE custody on May 13 in San Diego.” She was moved to El Paso and then to New Mexico, where she was housed in the transgender unit and died in custody on May 25. The preliminary cause of death was listed as “cardiac arrest.” None of us believe that she died of natural causes. Some refugees are Trans people threatened with death in their home countries because of their sexual or gender orientation, and they are often subjected to indescribable torture while in custody.