1/ Photo’d a rally and protest outside Border Patrol headquarters in #ChulaVista. Activists gathered to protest the construction of a thirty-foot wall that would severely limit the use of Friendship Park, a site for thousands of family reunifications per year.
2/ Border Patrol has stated “access to the Park will be coordinated with USBP through a gate in the secondary barrier, during designated periods of time, once it is operationally safe to do so.”
Activists say that a 30-foot wall is not necessary—the park already has an 18 ft wall
3/ ... , and has been closed for just over three years. Further, to the knowledge of speakers, there have been no injuries at the park throughout its history.
Activists delivered valentines addressed to BP agent Aaron Heitke, the current Chief Patrol Agent for San Diego Sector.
4/ Activists say Heitke does not have much experience with the San Diego region. Heitke has, however, visited Friendship Park with a delegation of Republicans.
5/ The valentines contained pleas from children in Tijuana not to build the wall. In a rather on-the-nose occurrence, they were late to arrive, as the valentines were stuck in inspection at the port of entry.
6/ Speakers informed the press that CBP is breaking ground on the construction of the new wall today. Activists feel that CBP will use whatever means and justifications it can to push forward with its own goalsl. Whether it’s supposed operational or safety concerns—
7/ or “staffing issues” that have prevented CBP from opening the park in the last three years but have not prevented CBP from patrolling the beach and hills around the park—CBP pushes forward despite pleas community outcries.
8/ While the trails leading up to Friendship Park were closed, I stopped by to try and take a look. One Border Patrol van was parked partway up the trail, and BP trucks drove up and down the other trail.
(img: construction equipment next to gov access road)
9/ I saw construction equipment, and trucks with Arizona plates labeled “Spencer Construction.” Men got out of these trucks to check on the equipment.
Spencer Construction is an AZ-based firm that takes gov contracts and “specializes in border infrastructure improvements.”
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