Photograph by Mike James
Hundreds of protesters gathered at Fountain Square on January 8 as part of a two-hour-long “From Cincinnati to Minneapolis: Stop ICE Terror” event in reaction to the death of Minneapolis resident Renee Good, shot and killed in her car the day before by an ICE agent. Within a 24-hour period and nonstop playing of the shooting video, public outrage was reaching a boiling point across the country.
The protest was organized by Party for Liberation and Socialism (PSL) less than a week after the organization held an emergency protest in front of City Hall against possible U.S. war with Venezuela. People of all backgrounds—parents, Boomers, activists, college students, kids, members of LGBTQ+ and POC communities, and many more—crammed onto Fountain Square January 8 to hear several speakers before marching on the downtown streets. People waved handmade signs like “Gestapo ICE/No secret police,” “Quakers welcome migrants with dignity,” “U.S. imperialism is the biggest enemy of the people in the world,” and “Justice for Renee Good.”
“A lot of people have pent-up rage and energy that needs to be expressed,” said PSL organizer Stel Huffman. “We think doing it in an organized manner is the best way. Our real strength is in huge numbers.”
Mohammad Ahmad, a Palestine activist who founded Northern Kentucky for Palestine Coalition, was one of the event speakers. “No one will be immune from this fascism,” he said. “Just like the IDF (Israel Defense Forces), ICE isn’t an army. They’re a terrorist organization.”
Ayman Soliman, whom ICE jailed for 73 days but released in September, attended the event but didn’t address the crowd. Instead, his friend and former Children’s Hospital chaplain Adam Allen spoke on his behalf. The hospital fired Allen last summer after he attended a vigil for Soliman. “We will continue to do the same for every immigrant,” Allen said. “I mourn Renee Good, and I celebrate the victories yet to come.”
Photograph by Mike James
Laila Shaikh, daughter of Palestinian refugees and an organizer with YUSRA Organizing, offered impassioned remarks. “How many times do we have to scream at the top of our lungs? When is our resistance justified?,” she yelled. “Do not be selective with your rage.” She mentioned Keith Porter, a Black man who was fatally shot by an off-duty ICE agent in Los Angeles on New Year’s Eve, and ended with, “Long live our collective fight against injustice.”
Although several familiar faces from the Cincinnati activist community showed up for the protest, it also attracted newcomers. Leif Fairfield had never attended a protest before but said he felt compelled to come. “I watched the news of ICE killing a person in Minnesota,” he said. “It’s heartbreaking. I never wanted to go to a protest. I figured there was no point to it. I’ve been sitting with this idea of something you’re afraid of is the edge of growth. I listened to the podcast Financial Feminist, and one of the things she recommended was going to a protest. I’m here because I have a friend who is Mexican and she feels unsafe to come out here. It’s gross that some people feel safe in our country and some people don’t because of the color of their skin.”
ICE raids in Minneapolis have targeted the Somali-American community. Ninety-two percent of Somalis are U.S. citizens, most of them born in this country, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Vikas Sondhi, an Indian-American protester, child of Indian immigrants, and entrepreneur of Palestinian street wear brand Sila Movement, summed up the current moment. “What’s happening in Minnesota, in Venezuela, to Palestine, to all these different atrocities, they’re all connected to this empirical system,” he said. “The quicker humans can learn and connect the dots we can help progress grow and make some change.”
The January 8 rally concluded with protesters walking from Fountain Square to Central Parkway and back, repeating chants and slogans in support of liberation and immigrants and picking up supporters along the way to join in.
Photograph by Mike James
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