Beyond the protests: Portland communities come together for immigrant rights

Local businesses around the city host fundraisers for the Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition.

PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland has been a hotbed for protests; from No Kings to daily presences at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility. In recent weeks local businesses, have brought communities together to fundraise for the Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition.

PIRC was established in 2005 and has served its community with hotlines, funding, know-your-rights fliers and educational rallies. The organization has been teaching its communities how to participate in ICE watch groups, where individuals alert their neighborhoods if agents have been spotted.

Brian Koch, a former educator and current bar owner has become deeply involved in the St. Johns neighborhood. On Oct. 20 he hosted a PIRC fundraiser at the Lombard House.  After recent ICE arrests at George Middle School, another dad at Koch’s daughter’s school suggested working with the Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition on a fundraiser.

One of the first attendees through the door was Leticia Cortinas, another local educator. She volunteered at the event, taking donations and handing out raffle tickets. The fundraiser had a $25 fee for entrance, which was donated directly to PIRC and bought attendees a chance to win prizes in a raffle. Some prizes included totes and gift certificates to local businesses.

“Brian is super popular in the community, and I know he doesn’t want to be self-serving, but Lombard House does a lot for our community,” Cortinas said. “(Lombard House) is a place the whole community feels safe coming to.”

Around the bar, signs with No Kings messaging could be seen, including anti-Trump stickers. Signs on the bar’s front window reflected Cortinas’ comments, reading “We will defend our neighbors” and “Oregon is home.” While setting up, Koch shared that he has observed immigrant communities around Portland feeling unsafe while doing mundane tasks.

“They’re making schools, churches, hospitals and courts unsafe,” Koch said. “We have a regular who has self-deported because she was afraid to go to her green card hearing.”

As soon as the doors opened at 6 p.m., patrons of all ages began pouring into the bar. Shannon and Steve Lanchon, who are regulars at Lombard House, stood at the edge of the counter debating whether to get the No Kings pint.

“We’ll do whatever we can because we like to support Brian, and we like to support (PIRC),” Shannon Lanchon said.

The Lanchons also participated in the No Kings 2.0 protests in downtown Portland, adding that they would like to help their community in any way they can.

“We’ve tried to help in various ways, like ICE sightings at schools,” Shannon Lanchon said. “But we feel like we’re very fortunate people. And so we just want to help people who aren’t as fortunate as us.”

The following week, Domingo’s, a Mexican restaurant owned by an immigrant family, hosted an all-day fundraiser on Oct. 26. The restaurant sits in the middle of the Kerns neighborhood and has only been open for 10 months. The owners, Gloria Martel and Abraham Carrasco, immigrated to the United States from Mixteca, a region in Oaxaca, at ages 17 and 21, respectively.

The two eventually got married and opened their first restaurant, Santo Domingo Taqueria, in Northeast Portland. The taqueria has been in business for 20 years, though the couple’s son, James Carrasco, shared that there has been a decline in foot traffic since ICE raids began.

“I’ve seen the effects of that at our original location where it’s begun to impact sales and foot traffic as well, so people are scared to come out of their houses,” James Carrasco said. “We have employees that are just scared. We’re trying our best to ensure the safety of our employees.”

Despite the fear, James Carrasco and his family continue to fight for immigrant rights, as the issue hits close to home. James shared that the foot traffic had been heavy on Sunday, giving him hope that a good amount of money would be raised for PIRC.

Other businesses and organizations such as Double Gemini Tattoo, Newks Hot Sauce and the Vegan Scouts have announced future and ongoing support for PIRC. Some, like Double Gemini Tattoo, are donating all proceeds to PIRC between Nov. 1 and Nov. 2, charging between $200 and $350 for each tattoo.