Cafe ICEcadrille: The Power of Direct Action
The evening of Friday, August 15th had the typical feel of late summer in New England. As the heat of the day crested and the sun slowly descended in the cloudless sky, traffic began to build on Cambridge Street in Burlington. Outside Cafe Escadrille—a well-known local institution that has hosted patrons, parties, banquets, and weddings for more than five decades—the dinner-time crowd started to trickle in.
But there was a different kind of event on the menu that evening.
A group of protesters, dressed in their finest evening wear, met patrons and passersby with messages denouncing ICE and supporting immigrants and due process rights. Signs and handouts named Cafe Escadrille’s owner, Robert W. Murray, and highlighted his ownership of another building in Burlington: 1000 District Ave, home to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Boston Field Office.
Photo via Mass 50501 Volunteer
‘The District’ Turns Dystopian
For the uninitiated: District Ave—formerly known as Executive Park Drive—is a quiet, dead-end road nestled between an iconic mall and a world-class hospital. Its occupants are modern restaurants and cute cafes, a Residence Inn hotel, and several unassuming office buildings. Inside one of those office buildings is ICE.
The Boston Field Office serves all of New England and is ostensibly for short-term processing. The floor plans show eight holding cells: four general, three segregated, and one juvenile. According to Burlington Select Board Chair, Mike Espejo, the original agreement with the town stipulated that detainees were not supposed to be held there for more than a few hours, after which they would be moved to facilities permitted and staffed for overnight detention.
It’s in this building that people like Marcelo Gomes da Silva, Nexan Aroldo Asencio, José Pineda, and Kary Diaz Martinez, among others, have been detained. Upwards of 40 people at a time have been reported to stay for multiple days in a holding cell that was intended for only a handful of people to spend a few hours. There are no beds, no blankets, no showers, and no sanitary products. Each holding cell has a single toilet with no door, which is monitored by a camera in the ceiling.
These illegal and inhumane conditions have prompted local outcry. Since April, a group called Bearing Witness has been staging weekly protests at the District Ave location to show solidarity with immigrants and advocate for their constitutional rights. Other protesters show up throughout the week, vowing to keep pressure on the government.
A Multi-Pronged Approach to Progress
In June, the Burlington Select Board issued a formal demand for inspection to both ICE and the property owner, Ten LLC, citing their responsibility to ensure that all properties comply with local zoning bylaws and permitting conditions. Deputy Field Office Director, David Wesling, denied the request in a response dated July 10th. He claimed—despite well-documented evidence to the contrary—that “ICE ERO has not changed the manner of its use of the building for law enforcement activity since it began occupancy in 2007.”
Unsatisfied with this response, members of the group Heatwave MA began exploring other avenues for holding ICE accountable. While researching the District Ave lease agreement, the group discovered that Ten LLC is owned by local real estate developer, Robert W. Murray. In addition to the District Ave property, Murray is the owner and landlord of offices at 27 Cambridge Street, where Ten LLC and another of his businesses, Murray Hills, are headquartered. Public records show Murray also owns the restaurant and function hall across the street, Cafe Escadrille.
In early August, Heatwave reached out to Murray, asking him to leverage his legal obligations as a landlord to ensure that the tenants at 1000 District Ave are following the law. In the event that ICE refused to adhere to these restrictions, Heatwave requested that Murray move to terminate the lease immediately.
When a week went by without a response, the group invited the public to join their efforts to convince Murray to take action. Among the direct actions the group has organized are a postcard campaign urging Murray to “be a hero,” a petition drive, and the Black Tie Protest at Cafe Escadrille.
Photo via Mass 50501 Volunteer
Direct Action Matters
The response from local residents has been overwhelmingly positive. At a recent Bearing Witness standout, volunteers helped 150 people fill out postcards and 225 people added their signatures to the petition. The Black Tie Protest—initially expected to be a small gathering of Heatwave members—swelled to nearly 100 participants over the course of 3 hours. Attendees shared how the background, method, and goals of the action struck a chord with them.
The pressure seems to be working. During the Black Tie Protest, a representative of Murray’s spoke with Heatwave organizers for nearly an hour. They explicitly stated a desire to avoid further protests and committed to engaging further. Importantly, the rep exchanged contact information and, thus far, continues to be responsive to Heatwave organizer’s requests for next steps.
Individuals, members of Heatwave, and other groups from around the Commonwealth continue to take action in pursuit of ICE accountability. These actions include speaking at Burlington Select Board Meetings, submitting Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, engaging local, state, and federal representatives, and identifying novel paths for pressure. The collective energy and wisdom of this movement continues to have an impact. With adaptive and sustained direct action, real change is possible.
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