More than 200 people braved a cold rain outside City Hall on Thursday night to call for abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and to denounce the killing of a former Kansas City woman at an ICE agent's hands.
With a slew of anti-ICE rallying cries and homemade signs melting in the rain, protesters said the killing of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis earlier this week is emblematic of the dangerous, daily mass deportations by ICE.
Good was shot while inside her car during an encounter with multiple ICE agents in south Minneapolis on Wednesday. The Trump administration has claimed the ICE agent acted in self-defense; the governor of Minnesota, the mayor of Minneapolis and multiple witnesses have rejected those claims and said the shooting was reckless.
Brittany Tilander, a 35-year-old queer woman at the Kansas City protest, said she identified with Good, who had a wife and was 37. Her death really hit home, Tilander said.
"In times like this, I don't really know what to do but be around the people who share the feelings I have. It makes me feel less alone, and it makes me feel less powerless in a time when we're made to feel really powerless," she said.
People driving downtown at dusk honked at protesters who held signs with Good's picture that read, "STOP ICE TERROR." Protesters responded back to leaders' calls of "Money for health and education! Not for racist deportation!"
Bill Drummond was decked out in bright orange rain gear and waved a large American flag at the cars going by. The 72-year-old from Kansas City said he spent his high school years in Barcelona when Spain was led by the fascist dictator Francisco Franco.
"I am full of energy because of the situation the United States is in right now," Drummond said. "I know what fascism looks like and this is a fascist situation."
The protest was organized by the Kansas City branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, along with other organizations. Tay Castillo, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, is chair of a new effort called KC ICE Free. He said advocacy groups are increasing community trainings and putting together rapid response teams to try to keep ICE out.
"We must ensure that ICE is not operating in our streets. They do not operate in our workplaces. They stay out of our business," Castillo said. "We will fight for these demands through our unions, through our school boards, through our legislatures."
@kcur893 More than 200 people braved a cold rain Thursday night to call for abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and to denounce the killing of a former Kansas City woman at an ICE agent’s hands. With a slew of anti-ICE rallying cries and homemade signs melting in the rain, protesters said the killing of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis earlier this week is emblematic of the dangerous, daily mass deportations by ICE. The protest was organized by the Kansas City branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation. Members from several other advocacy groups also attended. 📹Filmed & produced by Zach Perez 📝Featuring reporting by Peggy Lowe 🖥️Edited by Emily Younker #kansascity #ice #protest ♬ original sound - KCUR - Kansas City
Basil Brown, 21, said she didn't belong to the organizing group but felt it was important to turn out to the action.
Shelly Rodgers, 50, wore a sweatshirt that said "resist" and criticized the Trump administration's targeting of several minority groups.
"I feel like I'm everyone, you know what I mean? I'm an immigrant, I'm trans, I'm not, but I'm trans. You know what I mean?" she said. "Anybody who's getting attacked."
Additional protests
By Wednesday night, demonstrations emerged in New York City, Chicago, Portland, Oregon, and other major cities, with many protesters voicing anger over Good's death and the presence of ICE in their own communities, NPR reported.
The Party for Socialism and Liberation hosted a protest Thursday night in St. Louis's Grove neighborhood.
A second rally is planned for this weekend in Kansas City. A vigil for ICE victims will begin at 3:30 p.m. Saturday in Mill Creek Park.
Sanctuary Alliance, a group of community organizers, will demonstrate on Sunday in downtown Lawrence, Kansas. The group said in a statement that it wants to "show up for all those who have been harmed at the hands of ICE," according to the Lawrence Times.
Correction: an earlier version of this story incorrectly identified Tay Castillo's membership in a local organization. He is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and he chairs a new effort called KC ICE Free.
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