September 10, 2024
Provided Image/Pennsylvania Immigration & Citizenship Coalition
Activists protesting immigrant detention and stricter border laws hung a banner at the Walnut Street Bridge on Tuesday ahead of the presidential debate.
With Donald Trump and Kamala Harris in Philly for tonight's presidential debate, activists have used this an opportunity to organize protests around the city about everything from the war in Gaza to reproductive rights.
The debate at the National Constitution Center will begin at 9 p.m., but rallies are planned as early as this afternoon. Most of the protests are around Old City, which drivers should probably avoid if they can, but a few are elsewhere. Here's a list of who's taking a stand:
The Phily Palestine Coalition will hold an event outside City Hall at 6:30 p.m. to support Palestine in the war in Gaza and protest the debate as a whole. The group claims both candidates support genocide because of their support for Israel. Protesters will be calling for an arms embargo.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals will bring a giant mouse bearing a paddle that says “Save Me and $22 Billion: End NIH Animal Experiments!” to the intersection of 6th and Market streets at 7 p.m.
“(The National Institutes of Health) dumps billions of dollars into cruel and useless tests on animals that benefit no one except the laboratories pocketing the cash,” PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo said in a statement. “PETA calls on both candidates to redirect taxpayers’ money to modern, human-relevant research that leaves animals in peace.”
The 20-foot IUD is coming back to Philadelphia at 1 p.m. State Rep. Leanne Krueger (D-Delaware County) will speak and councilmembers Jamie Gauthier, Rue Landau and Nina Ahmad will be at the rally for contraceptive rights. With Harris supporting federal abortion protection and Trump in favor of letting states decide their laws, reproductive rights has been one of the major talking points of this election.
The inflatable IUD, named Freeda Womb, was last in the city in July as part of the Americans for Contraception's IUD Express Tour.
A pro-immigration banner was hung on the Walnut Street Bridge above the Schuylkill River this morning reading, "End the ICE contracts! Shut Down Detention! #ShutDownEDC #ShutDownMoshannon #ShutDownClinton #ShutDownPike."
The sign references the Moshannon Detention Center and the Pike County and Clinton County correctional facilities, all of which are located in Pennsylvania, and the Elizabeth Detention Center (EDC) in New Jersey. Recent reports have found inhumane living conditions at Moshannon, which opened in 2021.
