ICE protest highlights community involvement
Days following the fatal shooting of a 37-year-old mother and U.S. citizen in Minneapolis by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement [ICE] officer, hundreds gathered in Thousand Oaks on Jan. 10 calling for an end to ICE violence. Local protestors joined together at the intersection of Lynn Road and W. Hillcrest Drive. The victim of the Minnesota shooting was later revealed as Renee Nicole Good, and the “ICE Out For Good” Thousand Oaks protest was among hundreds across the country, with crowds protesting against the Trump Administration and killing of Good.
On one corner of the intersection, multiple tables were set up with information about local organizations and programs that promote political advocacy. As part of Indivisible Conejo, the Conejo Valley branch of a nation-wide socialist organization, Sage Varon assisted the Thousand Oaks protest by distributing pamphlets and promoting activism websites to educate those in attendance. The “ICE Out For Good” event was considered an emergency protest, creating a challenge with the small amount of time they had for planning. “The hardest part is getting the word out to gain attendance, but we have a mailing list and social media and then we urge members to share and encourage others to attend,” Varon said.
While Varon noted there were fewer people than there typically are at similar protests, with an estimated 800 to 900 people, she felt that the level of passion was 100% there. Varon believes that everyone in the community should stand up for what they believe. “People do not come out to these [protests] to push their own agendas. They are concerned for their local community, their state, their country, and the future of our young and future generations,” Varon said.
With hundreds of people raising their placards up high, amongst them was Ashley Orozco, a recent candidate for Ventura County Supervisor and Conejo Recreation and Park District board director for division five. “I showed up to the protest this weekend because community members, especially immigrants and young people, are feeling scared and unheard right now. Being present is a way for me to stand in solidarity and to let them know their voices matter and that they are not alone,” Orozco said. Orozco’s passion and advocacy for peaceful protesting are one of many ways she encourages change in the community. “I want people to leave knowing that peaceful protest is really powerful, that community voices matter and that we can stand up for dignity and human rights together,” Orozco said.
In response to Good’s death, Minneapolis local government officials, as well as federal officials, released contrasting statements on the moments leading up to Good’s death. Multiple nearby witnesses also released videos of the shooting. In a post on TruthSocial, President Donald Trump wrote that Good was “very disorderly, obstructing and resisting, who then violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE Officer, who seems to have shot her in self defense.” Kristi Noem, the Homeland Security Secretary, addressed the shooting, providing information about why ICE was in that area. “ICE officers and agents approached the vehicle of the individual in question, who was blocking the officers in with her vehicle, and she has been stalking and impeding their work all throughout the day,” Noem said. “ICE agents repeatedly ordered her to get out of the car and to stop obstructing law enforcement, but she refused to obey their commands.”
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey held a news conference on Jan. 9, demanding a fair investigation into the shooting, which occurred on the first day of an immigration crackdown in the city. “Include local experts in the process. We’ve got nothing to hide from here. All we want in Minneapolis is justice and the truth,” Frey said.
From Minnesota to Oregon to California, many protestors demonstrated across cities in outrage over what they believe is an excess of the Trump administration’s mass deportation. “Renee Nicole Good’s death was just one more outrage but it represents the desperate state of this country right now,” Varon said. “We can’t sit back and say nothing, even when we feel our actions do so little.”
