Connecticut People Before Profits

DUE Justice Coalition Protests Austerity Budget

A coalition of union, community and civil rights groups that fought hard against an austerity budget in Connecticut, rallied outside the Connecticut Democratic Progress Dinner in Hartford.

"Legislators who supported the recently passed job-killing state budget need to know that the service cuts and layoffs it will cause hurt all working families," said the Democracy, Unity and Equality (DUE) Justice Coalition. Teachers, state workers and other unions rallied alongside community allies to make clear the need for a different approach in state budgets to reflect the values of fairness and equality. The coalition made many suggestions of how the state could gain revenue from large corporations and the top 1% who benefited from the economic recovery.

The legislature and Governor enacted a budget that will cause layoffs of at least 2,500 workers, cutting the services they have provided to the public. " This isn’t just about union jobs,” said AFSCME Council 4 Director Sal Luciano. “It’s about the future of Connecticut.”

Connecticut Immigrant Rights Alliance

Rallies to End Immigration Raids

In response to reports of planned deportation raids targeting immigrant mothers, children and families who fled violence in Central America after January 2014, the CT Immigrants Rights Alliance (CIRA) rallied in front of the Hartford Federal Building where the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration Customs Enforcement are located. The rally demanded  an end to raids, an end to all deportations and expansion of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Central American Refugees.

“Criminalizing, tracking down and deporting people into violence, poverty and death is wrong, whether it is one of us or a million of us” said Renato Muguerza, a community organizer with CIRA

The rally called on the Obama administration and ICE to create broad relief for refugees from Central America instead of deportation raids against people fleeing extreme violence and poverty. They asked the administration to reopen these cases, give full due process with full access to counsel and grant proper relief.

The rally was followed by a teach-in about how to defend your rights in case of an immigration raid. Similar "Know Your Rights" sessions will be held around the state.