Thousands of people gathered in cities across the U.S. Saturday to protest the aggressive immigration enforcement action that led to the killing of Renee Good in Minneapolis and shooting of two other people in Portland.
Residents of Washington, D.C., Boston, New York, Raleigh, Seattle and other cities joined the Minneapolis community in grieving the death of Good by marching with signs honoring the 37-year-old mother and chanting anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement sentiments.
“F*** ICE, ICE out” protesters across the country chanted.
“ICE off our streets for Good,” and “Justice for Renee Good” were among the popular signs photographed in the demonstrations.
Other signs called for the impeachment of President Donald Trump, accused the administration of fascism and claimed that ICE was committed “murder.”
The Independent has contacted ICE for comment.
The nonviolent protests, called “ICE Out for Good,” were organized by the ACLU, Indivisible, 50501 movement, the Workers’ Circle, Voto Latino and more. More than 1,000 protests were expected to take place over Saturday and Sunday.
The outrage fueling the protests comes days after an ICE officer fatally shot Good while she was maneuvering her vehicle in the middle of the road. Trump administration officials assert that Good was trying to run over ICE officers, calling it an act of “domestic terrorism.”
However, footage of the incident, posted all over social media, does not align with the administration’s assertion that the officer was acting in self-defense because he felt his life was in danger.
Many have refused to accept the administration’s narrative about the incident without question, including top Minnesota lawmakers, Democratic politicians and certain parts of the media.
Members of the public and lawmakers have demanded that the officer be held accountable for the shooting. Yet, federal law enforcement officials have refused to cooperate with Minnesota investigators in conducting a probe into the incident.
Public anger about aggressive immigration tactics was heightened Thursday when Border Patrol in Portland shot a man and a woman, injuring them.
As a result, peaceful protests have sprung up, putting pressure on officials to be more transparent about the killing of Good and to decrease the number of federal law enforcement officers in cities.
However, not all lawmakers agree that the protests are largely peaceful.
“They’re yelling ‘Save a life, kill ICE.’ That is not peaceful and that is not appropriate,” Republican Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota told Fox & Friends.
“Then you’ve got a boy-toy mayor, somebody who is not mature enough for the job. Yelling the effenheimer about getting ICE out of his city,” Emmer said of Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.
The protests have largely been peaceful, though some incidents led to law enforcement intervention.
In Minneapolis, where protests swelled to include thousands of people, at least 29 people were arrested Friday evening after some people vandalized a hotel and threw chunks of ice at police. Law enforcement deployed pepper balls at a crowd of protesters Saturday after a small group of people began throwing snowballs at vehicles.
Ahead of the planned weekend protests, officials, including Frey, reminded demonstrators to exercise their First Amendment right peacefully and not give in to agitators.
“This is what Donald Trump wants,” Frey said of protesters who engaged in unlawful behavior. “He wants us to take the bait.”
Frey and other lawmakers have asserted that the presence of federal law enforcement officials in cities has increased tension, leading to more instances of violence. They’ve asked Trump to remove ICE officers and allow local law enforcement to keep their communities safe.
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