Thousands Rally to Free Pancho, Peace Activist Arrested While Meditating at Occupy Oakland

by Rachel LaBruyere · 2011-11-17 16:00:00 UTC
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On Monday, police swept through the site of the Occupy Oakland protests. Oakland's occupiers had been making headlines as law enforcement responses to protests escalated - at one point protesters were shot with rubber bullets and tear gassed. On Monday, amidst the tension of another police sweep, Francisco "Pancho" Ramos Stierle sat cross-legged, meditating peacefully as police in riot gear arrested him.

He was charged with two misdemeanors for "refusing to disperse" and "loitering" but rather than being released on bail, he will be turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody. Pancho is an immigrant from Mexico, and because of the controversial 'Secure Communities' program that merges local law enforcement with immigration enforcement, his non-violent and non-criminal actions could land him in federal detention -- and lead to his deportation. His friends started a Change.org petition to free Pancho on Tuesday night, which had attracted 6,600 signatures in just 24 hours.

The explosive campaign to "Free Pancho" has thrown the fights for economic justice and immigrant rights into the spotlight. And at it's center is Pancho, a dedicated activist for both causes and a deeply spiritual man who does restorative justice work in the Oakland community. Pancho lives in one of the roughest neighborhoods in Oakland, on the border between two rival gangs, so that he can work to spread peace, nonviolence, and understanding in the community. Now, Pancho is in a different kind of danger.

“Francisco ‘Pancho’ Ramos Stierle is a peaceful and productive member of his community and his only crime is being a figure of love and light in a system dominated by violence and darkness,” said friend Melissa Dickman, who launched the campaign on Change.org. “It is ironic that initiatives such as the so-called ‘Secure Communities’ program would be used to deport someone who works diligently to create a genuinely secure community, and we express our dismay that a peaceful demonstrator could be deported while taking nonviolent action in defense of the 99 percent.”

Pancho's fight is already attracting major media attention, and his friends hope that all of the support will not only lead to Pancho's timely release, but also shed light on the dangers of the 'Secure Communities' program.

Join the movement to Free Pancho by signing his petition and sharing it - if you tweet, please use the #FreePancho hashtag.

Photo courtesy of Pancho's Facebook page

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