Little Tokyo Los Angeles, San Francisco Japantown, and San Jose Japantown Joint Statement Opposing A

On Thursday, June 27, Japanese American communities in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Jose will mobilize to denounce use and expansion of American concentration camps to imprison migrant children and families.

Collectively, our communities are outraged over the proposed use of Fort Sill in Oklahoma, a place that once imprisoned 700 Japanese Americans during World War II as well as Native Americans in the 1800s, to incarcerate additional migrant children.

Little Tokyo Los Angeles, San Francisco Japantown, and San Jose Japantown stand in solidarity with our fellow community members who traveled all the way to Oklahoma on June 22 to the federal government’s plan to use the location to incarcerate migrant children and expand the overall number of concentration camp sites.

As a community that was once imprisoned by this country based on racism, hysteria and failed political leadership, members of the Japanese American community refuse to stay silent while crimes against humanity are again committed on United States soil.

Collectively, we demand an end to the inhumane conditions at ICE facilities, an end to family separation policies, and for compassion and humanitarianism toward all people.

The following actions have been planned for June 27, 2019:

Little Tokyo Los Angeles Protest

7 p.m.

Plaza of the Japanese American National Museum

100 N. Central Ave., Los Angeles

Contact: medirelations@janm.org, (213) 830-5690

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San Francisco Japantown Press Conference

1 p.m.

Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California

1840 Sutter St., San Francisco

Contact: josaki@jcyc.org, (415) 202-7918

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San Jose Japantown Solidarity Vigil

8 p.m.

Issei Memorial building

565 N. 5th St., San Jose

Contact: Sj.nikkeiresisters@gmail.org