As federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement ramps up detentions and deportations in major cities, people in Western Pennsylvania are curious about what they can do as bystanders.
Hundreds of people from throughout the region packed into the Shadyside Presbyterian Church to learn how to safely and lawfully observe and respond to ICE activity in their neighborhoods at a Tuesday-night event held by the newly formed organization Frontline Dignity.
Founder Jaime Martinez said he was encouraged by the large turnout.
"People know that they're not alone and that they have neighbors from Green Tree to Squirrel Hill, to the North Side to Mt. Lebo and all the way up to Ambridge and beyond; that there are people that care and that are willing to protect vulnerable people," Martinez said.
Martinez, who was previously an organizer with the Latino advocacy nonprofit Casa San Jose, said he started Frontline Dignity after months of rapid-response organizing to reports of ICE in the area. He said he hopes to expand the work nationwide.
"Pittsburgh is really good at this, and being a good neighbor is something that we're best at. So how do we support other communities across the country in building that same sort of capacity that we've built here?" he said.
The training went over the basics of people's rights to record law enforcement, and to remain silent and request an attorney if arrested. It also included safety tips, such as sharing your plans with someone who is not joining a demonstration and writing a trusted person's phone number on your arm in case you are arrested and lose access to that information.
Olivia Pinocci-Wrightsman, a volunteer with Frontline Dignity and the president of the University of Pittsburgh College Democrats, said the training was an important refresher for people who may encounter ICE activities.
" Keeping ourselves safe and out of the way is what allows us to keep focus on what's really going on in the situation," she said.
Martinez said the group's next steps will be to organize a rapid-response network by neighborhood and advocate for legislative changes, such as persuading municipalities to end agreements with ICE.
A call from WESA to the ICE field office in Pittsburgh Wednesday was unanswered, with no option to leave a message.
Read more from our partners at WESA.