by Ernie McCray
Attending a
Community College league of California
Trustees Conference
with Maria, my querida,
a trustee,
I happened upon
a session that very much interested me,
one regarding
protecting campuses
from ICE
who a while back
became a concern
to Santa Barbara Community College
when agents, nevertheless,
although they didn’t harass or arrest
any students,
used the school’s premises
as a staging ground
for their devious activities
in other areas of the city
and I listened as the speakers addressed
how they went about acknowledging
the fears and stress
and anxiety
of students and faculty and other employees
by communicating with elected leaders
and a variety
of organizations
in the broader community
and came up with rules of engagement
when it comes to dealing
with ICE’s devious mentality.
I liked all that I heard
and came to see
at this august gathering
yet I can’t help but feel
a bit of unease
anytime I have to take heed
to the reality
that the folks in ICE
blessed by a president who is, indeed,
kind of like a devil on speed,
have proven that they are
capable of committing a range of
terroristic misdeeds
including murder,
but I left the presentation
and discussion
feeling a deep appreciation
for the trustees
and educators
who have taken on the tasks
necessary to make certain
that if these thugs
want to question someone on community college campuses
they can’t do so without
a warrant
or reasonable suspicion.
I, as an onlooker
to this quest
for making sure that students
are in good hands,
have to say
that what they have accomplished
is a job well done.
