Community gathers for treelighting amidst ICE crackdown around the region
While the Christmas tree never turned on, the flocks of families gathered in Woodburn’s downtown plaza Saturday, Dec. 6, didn’t seem to mind.
Families filled the square for the city’s annual tree lighting ceremony, listening to carols, drinking hot cocoa and posing for photos with Santa. And, for a community navigating fear and uncertainty under a citywide state of emergency following months of immigration arrests, the gathering served as a much-needed moment of joy.
“It’s really nice to see people back out in the community, for all the scaredness and when we have days when we have like no customers or like nobody will come in the Metropolis now,” Cafe La Onda barista Mia Yoshihara said. “I didn’t think there would be a big turnout because of all the activity that has been happening so recently.”
Holiday business dampened by fears
Cafe La Onda, a business located in the downtown Metropolis Marketplace, provided hot cocoa topped with candy canes and marshmallows at the tree lighting. Owner Andrew Yoshihara and his daughter Mia served a steady stream of attendees throughout the evening, a stark contrast to the slow business the cafe has seen since U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests surged…