IMPERIAL BEACH, Calif. (KGTV) — Four people tied themselves to the wall at Friendship Park on Wednesday on the Mexican side of the border — an act done in protest of the ongoing construction of the border wall through the binational park and along Imperial Beach.
Daniel Watman was one of the four people who used bike or motorcycle locks around their necks and chests and sat at the wall for hours. One man read a book to pass the time.
“They send the opposite message of friendship; we want a space whose infrastructure lends itself to cross-border friendship,” said Watman, who is also the founder of the binational garden at the park.
Watman said he showed up to the wall to place a banner that translates to "Friendship yes, wall no," and shortly after, he and others decided to chain themselves to the wall.
“I’m disappointed in [President] Joe Biden for not stopping this, he could have stopped it and he didn’t, and I hope he still does,” said Bob Case, another activist who tied himself to the wall.
In January, after a five-month pause in construction, Customs and Border Protection announced they would move forward with replacing the deteriorating border wall near the park. At the time, they said they were committed to providing access to allow people to communicate bi-nationally once it was safe to do so.
The silent protest Wednesday went on from about 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and delayed construction until crews left for the day.
ABC 10News reached out to CBP headquarters in D.C.. for comment about the protest and wall construction, but so far have not heard back.
