QUESTION — Syracuse, NY “Sanctuary City”
In conjunction with our exhibition, “Be Strong and Do Not Betray Your Soul,” #LightWork and “For Freedoms have collaborated on a series of billboards. The images and text that comprise these public art installations aim to provoke conversations in our community that lead to civic engagement. View downloadable map of six Syracuse billboards here – http://lg.ht/LWBillboards
Installation: Hank Willis Thomas, “THEY ARE US US IS THEM”
Tucked into the provincial city center, down the hall from a coffee shop and public library is an obscure office where ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) officers do their work. They investigate and often detain undocumented immigrants in Syracuse, setting them on a path for potential deportation.
“This is a notice of eviction,” stated Rebecca Fuentes, lead activist of Workers’ Center of CNY, “We have found your office and its counterparts in violation of a series of basic human rights. In Syracuse, you have intimidated the entire immigrant community by establishing checkpoints in public places and on public transportation, by invading or threatening to invade the homes of residents, and through the aggressive interrogations of our community members. For these reasons, we hereby demand that you leave our city.”