Protesters march in Little Village after ICE killing in Minneapolis
More than 100 people gathered under the Little Village arch Wednesday night for a vigil in solidarity with Minneapolis, where an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a driver earlier in the day.
“We’re still asking for justice for Silverio,” Baltazar Enriquez, of the Little Village Community Council, told the crowd, referring to Silverio Villegas González, a father originally from Mexico who was shot and killed as he allegedly tried to flee from ICE agents who tried to stop his car Sept. 12 in suburban Franklin Park.
“We have no guns, we are nonviolent, but we will stand up to injustice," Enriquez said. "It could happen to any one of us.”
Federal officials said Wednesday's shooting in Minneapolis was an act of self-defense. But the mayor described as reckless and unnecessary.
The victim, 37-year-old Renee Nicole Macklin Good, was shot and killed during a traffic stop in a residential neighborhood just south of downtown Minneapolis. Video shows an officer approaching an SUV stopped across the middle of the road, demanding the driver open the door and grabbing the handle.
The SUV begins to pull forward and a different ICE officer standing in front of the vehicle pulls his weapon and immediately fires at least two shots into the SUV at close range, jumping back as the vehicle moves toward him. It was not clear from the videos if the vehicle made contact with the officer. The SUV then sped into two cars parked on a curb nearby before crashing to a stop.
Maja Sandstrom, a 41-year-old Little Village resident in the protest, said she spent the day between “sadness and rage.”
“She was just protecting her neighborhood, letting them know there was danger,” Sandstrom said. “And they killed her in cold blood. … It’s what the people here protecting their neighborhoods fear every day.”
Sandstrom said she has been fortunate enough not to have weapons drawn on her in her encounters with federal agents, but she recognized the ever present danger.
Still, she encouraged people to keep patrolling.
“People like Renee keep us safe. If you’re afraid, know there are a lot of people patrolling the streets feeling the same. … The moment I knew my neighbors were in danger, I activated.”
The group marched more than a mile west to Pulaski where they rallied in front of a mural of the Virgin Mary before disbanding with calls for people to get involved with rapid responder groups.
Back at the arch, a group set up dozens of candles in Good’s honor.
“She died a hero, but be careful, they’re escalating,” said Ella Bunel, another organizer with the Little Village Community Council. “Take all precautions.”