Group Begins Hunger Strike to Protest 187

In an effort to dramatize their opposition to Proposition 187--the ballot initiative aimed at denying public services to illegal immigrants--a dozen people began a hunger strike in a downtown Oxnard park Sunday night.

Meeting under a large banner at Plaza Park, the strikers vowed that they would accept only water until Tuesday night to demonstrate their opposition to the measure.

“By conducting this hunger strike, it is our hope to bring to the community’s attention how inhuman and racist this proposition is,” said Adrianna Jasso, spokeswoman for the strikers. “This isn’t something that we will take pleasure in doing, but it is something that we feel we have to do.”

The strikers, who began their vigil at 6 p.m., included area students and community activists.

Jasso said the group will continue the hunger strike until 6 p.m. Tuesday, when they will march to the Ventura County Government Center and end their protest.

As the strikers prepared their base of operations at the park, patrolling Oxnard police officers told the group that without a city permit, they could not use a public address system or stay in the park past 10 p.m.

The strikers said they would seek a city permit today for the public address system and would most likely move their hunger strike to the homes of group members living nearby.