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People across the United States hit the streets bearing signs and flags this past weekend in the wake of the murder of US citizen Renee Nicole Good by ICE Agent Jonathon Ross. Hundreds of signs calling for “ICE out for good” could be seen on street corners, with passerby in cars clapping and honking to show enthusiastic rapport.
It remains that America is seeing unprecedented times of uncertainty, chaos, and the threatening of the common people’s rights. To see that people are still dedicated to speaking out and advocating for the rights of others is a welcome encouragement in such anxious times.
On January 7, 37-year-old mother Renee Nicole Good was shot by Ross while trying to drive away from federal agents. As an agent yells at her to get out of her car, holding the door and attempting to open it, Good reverses away from the officers and her wheels turn to the right—away from the two ICE agents. In a little over a second after she begins to move away Ross pulls out his gun and shoots through the windshield. The car continues driving away as Ross runs alongside it and shoots twice more before the car comes to a stop by crashing into another car. If you are comfortable, see for yourself in this verified video obtained by ABC News.
This incident comes as one in a series of many instances of ICE utilizing excessive force to squash any peaceful opposition. Back in July an ICE SUV ran over several protesters at a San Francisco Courthouse according to Mission Local, and more recently two protesters in Portland were shot and wounded last Thursday the day after the Minneapolis shooting according to the Associated Press. 2 US Citizens working at Target were taken into custody by ICE Agents in front of their workplace in Richfield on January 7 (Bring Me the News). Despite this the federal administration has called for people to “stand with ICE” who they have dubbed “heroes” and has claimed that protestors like Renee Good were posing a violent threat to the federal agents.
US Customs and Border Control is not above the law, and their agents should be held accountable for their blatant disrespect of human lives in service of the feeding of their own hero fantasies. It is not inciting violence to say that ICE does not offer due process to people who should receive it; it is not a threat to the union of the USA to say that ICE indiscriminately targets anyone who opposes them.
On a more positive note, however, the people still have the power to act against this. Protests like the ones that have occurred not only in the past few days but also since ICE began its increased domestic action demonstrate that the human will to protect others has not died, and will not as long as citizens continue to exercise their right to free speech, assembly, protest, and press. One protester I spoke to mentioned feeling out of their depth amongst the protest but still felt called to speak to an injustice they saw. They stand as a reminder that although the first step to becoming civically active is always the most difficult, the barrier of entry is only a perceived one rather than a physical one.
I encourage everyone to research local protests near them and simply attend; you don’t have to be there the whole time, you don’t have to be the most knowledgeable person on the topic, but as long as you have a well-reasoned and strong belief in something, you are welcome to express yourself and to petition your government to improve. The people there will welcome you with open arms and be available for you to learn how to express your thoughts more. In a time where social media and online news can so often stray negative or nihilistic, protests demonstrate that hope still lives, and that people still possess the will to fight for it.
This extends not only to social justice movements like this but also to the climate; you don’t have to know everything about climate change, or environmentalism, and you may be a beginner to fighting for climate justice, but the beauty of protest is that they are places of learning, not necessarily a test of your knowledge. Protests educate, and I always want to remind people that protests work: for instance, a lawsuit filed by protestors in Louisville Kentucky after the use of excessive police force at protests surrounding Breonna Taylor recently ended with a $1 million settlement this past October. Protests are also a great place to meet people passionate about movements you care about. I had a wonderful conversation with the attendee mentioned above about giving up their car and reducing waste in their life, and though dedication as great as that may be out of reach for many people, ideas and inspiration can still come from the people you meet at these events.
Mobilize.us is a great site to find protests, petitions, and other activist events near you. You can sort by cause, location, and date to find an event that best fits within your schedule. If you’re a user of social media, many events are posted beforehand by activist accounts; if you see videos online of a protest, consider following that account to keep up. This site, cataloguezine.net, will start announcing local California climate events soon to help people become more engaged in the environmental action of their community. You can also read and hear from activist artists on this site and published in our issues at cataloguezine.net/issues.
As I walked away from the protest, I could hear a chant break out among the protestors. It is in moments like these that the American Dream lives on: perhaps not always in the promise of American opportunity, but the promise that Americans will fight on to improve everyone’s chance to achieve opportunity, and the fight for hope for all.