A coalition of community organizations gathered on Jan. 23 to announce the formation of the Mission Hill Rapid Response Network, which will ensure that Mission Hill is a community in which all students and families have the right to live, work, and study without fear, according to a press release.
“Despite Boston’s status as a Sanctuary City, fear has permeated the immigrant community in every neighborhood,” said Sociedad Latina’s Executive Director Alexandra Oliver-Davila, according to the press release. “The creation of the Mission Hill Rapid Response Network loudly declares to all parents and students who live, study, and work in Mission Hill that their rights will be defended by a network of neighbors, organizations, and institutions.”
Members of the coalition include, ABCD Parker Hill/Fenway; Boston Children’s Hospital; Tobin Community Center; Boston Public Health Commission; Brigham & Women’s Hospital; Boston Children’s Hospital
Fenway High School; Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice;
Mission Grammar School; Mission Safe; Phillips Brooks House Association; Brigham & Women’s Hospital; JP Trauma Response Team; Mission Hill Youth Collaborative; Roxbury Tenants of Harvard; and Sociedad Latina.
According to the press release, the leaders at the event announced a series of actions that can be taken, including:
- Hosting ongoing Know-Your-Rights workshops and trainings for the Network and community members;
- Coordinating and dispatching responders to locations where raids or other immigration enforcement activities are happening to witness, assist, and gather information;
- Leveraging legal resources to support the individuals being detained; and
- Maintaining a referral network to support the economic and emotional health of family members of detained individuals.
“As immigration enforcement practices are tearing apart hard-working American families and destabilizing communities, the Mission Hill Rapid Response Network fills a critical gap to protect children and families in immigrant communities that are under attack from the federal government. The network is an innovate response to the fear and uncertainty on the ground,” said Ivan Espinoza-Madrigal, the Executive Director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice, according to the press release.