'We Just Need to Be Creative': South Park Community Event Organizers Prioritize Safety Because of ICE Concerns

South Park streets were quieter than usual on a recent Wednesday afternoon.

At a neighborhood community center, a sign on the front door said Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are not welcome without a warrant. At the skate park, "Know Your Rights" cards in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Somali were taped to the community board.

In South Park, almost half of the population identifies as Latino or Hispanic. The Duwamish River Community Coalition (DRCC) recently canceled this year's 19th annual Duwamish River Festival because of a surge in ICE raids nationwide. The event's organizers announced that the reason was to prioritize community safety, as a large gathering could make community members vulnerable to arrest if ICE was to target a public function. Groups are exploring other ways to continue summer programming. 

"Parents … are fearful of their kids leaving the house, and vice versa," Paulina López, executive director of the DRCC, said Thursday. 

The decision to cancel this year's festival, which drew a crowd of 700 attendees last August, did not come lightly, López says. With recent ICE raids in Southern California, organizers questioned if hosting a large outdoor event was appropriate. 

"People are … genuinely scared," López said. "We … felt like [the festival] would be … putting them at risk."

This summer, López says programming will be reduced to smaller functions on private properties. Instead of publicly promoting their events, organizers will send private invitations. These gatherings will be focused around education on what to do during an ICE encounter.

South Park mutual aid organizer Shawna Murphy says some of her neighbors have been working together to identify potential ICE activity amid the growing concerns.

Earlier this month, community members feared ICE agents might carry out arrests at South Park's Concord International Elementary School 5th grade graduation ceremony, Murphy says. A group of neighbors were designated to keep an eye out for agents during the commencement. No agents were spotted that day.

On June 14, the same day as the nationwide "No Kings" protests that drew 70,000 attendees to Seattle Center, Murphy organized a smaller rally on the South Park Bridge to show support for the immigrant community, while just 5 miles from South Park, law enforcement pepper-sprayed a group of 150 people gathered at the Department of Homeland Security office in Tukwila to protest an unexpected immigration check-in.

The Duwamish River Festival was one of a number of South Park summer events. Others include the South Park Summer Party scheduled for Aug. 26, and the Sea Mar Fiestas Patrias Parade set for Sept. 13.

South Park's Villa Comunitaria offers a wide variety of programming for families, ranging from economic to leadership development. This summer, the group intends to host an annual gathering called the "Back to School Market" on Aug. 26. With the cancellation of the Duwamish River Festival, organizers are reconsidering the safety of the event.

"That's something we're still discussing," Community Engagement Manager Maribel Pastor said. "We … need to find ways of not cancelling all the events, because it's not fair to the community."

Pastor says the organization has been adjusting its community engagement as more residents and staff have feared going outside. Organizers have coordinated groups to attend larger community events in the past, but have recently limited their presence to smaller indoor gatherings.

Pastor stresses the importance of having the community come together in more intimate settings, even under the current political climate.

"Especially in the summer, we want to do fun things," Pastor said. "We just need to be creative and see how we can provide that … and [still] be safe."