Local punk scene provides support during ICE raids

Once a month in Downtown Santa Ana, amidst the seemingly quiet streets, the Punk Rock Market appears.

The Punk Rock Market is an event that features local bands, DJs, handmade vendors and more. You can find anything from clothing to press-on nails to patches displaying iconic punk figures.

The market has become a staple for punks from all walks of life to connect over the culture, chat about the music and overall just have a good time.

However, this past month the market was different–instead of the usual laid back atmosphere, feelings of determination, purpose and lastly anger took the main stage. Many of the stands were leading fundraisers or protests, in direct response to the recent ICE raids that turned Santa Ana’s lively and fast-paced community to empty streets that feel both terrified and full of rage.

The raids began approximately 5 months after President Donald J. Trump took office and have truly shaken Santaneros to a level of severity never seen before.

“What we are seeing is the erosion of people’s civil protections, the people who our federal government sees as disposable,” said Sandra De Anda, the director of policy for the Orange County Rapid Response Network. The Orange County Rapid Response Network, also known as OCRRN, is a community defense project led by local members to resist ICE enforcement.

They have received over 4,000 calls reporting ICE activity since Trump’s inauguration and often work alongside Orange County officials, including Santa Ana city councilmembers Jessie Lopez and Benjamin Vasquez.

Following these dehumanizing and violent raids, many members of the Orange County punk scene felt as if it was their duty to do something. Punk is often defined as a loud, fast-moving and aggressive form of rock music, but in reality, punk is a counterculture.

It is a counter culture rooted in anti-establishment fundamentals, a do-it-yourself approach and has a long history of revolting against oppressors. Many members of the SoCal punk scene found themselves in punk because these ethos related to them, creating a safe space within their adolescent years.

Pine Ave, a band from Long Beach, performing at a benefit show in Santa Ana. Photo courtesy of Tonali Un

“I want to do something about ICE enforcements in what you can say a punk manner because the community is very forward with our ideologies. Seeing families torn apart in such violent ways upsets me, its personal to me. I have dealt with ICE and the Corrupt Government from a young age and now as an adult, at 19 years old, I have this feeling of responsibility to stand up for those who can’t,” said Manny, a member of the scene in Orange County.

Greg Chacon, an educator of the Santa Ana Unified School District and member of the bands Castillo, Repeat Offender and Artificial Joy, has considered himself a member of the scene since he was 14.

“I feel like I’ve always had these things in my mind, but it showed me that there was a community of like-minded people and when there is a community of like-minded people, it is easier to formulate your thoughts. Not in an echo chamber way, but in an enlightening way. Politics and punk go hand in hand,” said Chacon.

Along with providing a sense of community, punk has repeatedly shown that it can also make a difference, most recently in aiding affected and at-risk locals of the ICE actions. Benefit shows, vendor buyouts, protests and grocery drop-offs are a few.

Lizz, an organizer of the Punk Rock Market and of the Really Really Free Market in Anaheim, has done multiple vendor buyouts and grocery drop-offs over the past few weeks with collected funds. She decided to use the Punk Rock Market social media accounts to share and fundraise instead of her personal accounts to help give people direction in ways they could help.

The punk community not only sticks to aid but also shows up on the frontlines. Many members of the scene found themselves at protests to send a clear message condemning the terrorization and unlawful deportations of community members. “In L.A., there are thousands and thousands of people at those protests and every two seconds, there was someone from the punk scene I knew,” commented Chacon.

Santa Ana was one of the many cities across the nation to make headlines due to the protests, which began shortly after the president’s inauguration and continued over a span of two weeks, coinciding with the ICE activity in the city. The city had never seen anything like it; there were families and people of all ages, with an overwhelming number of the attendees being youth.

“Going to these protests isn’t only a must but it’s a way for us to express solidarity with communities like these and fight against systemic oppression,” said Sam, a teenager who has participated in recent protests around the city. “Punk has always and will always be about standing up for what’s right and that’s what we have been doing and will continue to do so.”