On November 29th, a small group of locals and conservationists gathered at the site of Governor Ducey's Shipping Container Wall at the Western edge of the Coronado National Monument. The illegal construction, a political stunt, was pursued by the State of Arizona with reckless abandon and no regard for the vital habitat being destroyed. With signs and banners, the protesters walked along the Roosevelt Reservation, the 60 foot strip of Federal land along the Border. They peacefully held their space in the presence of the construction, trucks, backhoes and security heading their way, effectively stopping additional container placement during the hours they stood there.
Day after day, the number of protesters grew, slowing the growth of the destructive shoddy wall. On December 6th they arrived at the site only to find that the contractor had changed tactics and placed seventeen rows of double stacked shipping containers during the night.
Immediately a 24/7 encampment sprung up, named Camp Ocelot for the endangered local wild cat. At 12am the construction workers arrived. The protestors jumped from their tents and held their ground in the Roosevelt Reservation, in the face of the oncoming equipment.
Since December 6th, no more shipping containers have been placed. On December 14th the Department of Justice filed against the State of Arizona requesting immediate cessation of construction activities, a permanent injunction prohibiting the State from using or occupying lands along the Border without federal authorization, remediation and damages for the harm caused and the removal of the shipping containers at the Border under Federal agency direction, including those on the Cocopah Indian Reservation outside Yuma. That same day, the shipping containers stored outside Sierra Vista, began to be transported to the Arizona State Prison complex in Tucson. The State of Arizona stopped construction. 13 days the Border Resistance held their ground in freezing temperatures to Speak Truth to Power. We the People own the border narrative now.