This article is from: srnnews.com
Minneapolis was on edge Thursday following the fatal shooting of a woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer taking part in the Trump administration’s latest immigration crackdown, with schools canceling classes and activities as a safety precaution and Minnesota’s governor calling for people to remain calm.
As dawn began to break, scores of people bundled up in heavy coats gathered in a parking lot near the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building at Fort Snelling. The building houses several federal agencies, including an immigration court. The crowd was chanting and holding American flags and signs calling on ICE to leave Minnesota.
State and local officials demanded ICE leave after an officer shot 37-year-old Renee Nicole Macklin Good in the head. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said agents are not going anywhere.
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Patrick Riley was one of the people who came out Thursday morning at the federal building to express outrage after the death of Macklin Good on Wednesday.
“We are peacefully demonstrating. We’re trying to let this organization know that they’re not welcome,” said Riley.
Riley questioned why the Trump administration had made the Minneapolis area such a high priority.
“Why this big flood here now? This is our place. This is our country. This is our freedom to to protest,” Riled added.
Police at one point threw devices releasing smoke to break up the crowd, which carried signs and shouted profanities at them.
The crowd was directed farther away from the entrance as the protest reached the two-hour mark on Thursday.
In a post on the Facebook pages of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians tribal council and the tribe’s embassy in Minneapolis, the council said tribal citizens should expect ICE agents to detain and harm them.
“We all need to be careful, and we must assume that ICE will not protect us,” the post stated. “We realize that we will not receive compassionate treatment by anyone associated with the Trump administration.”
In the warning to citizens, the tribal council said it sees the “obvious purpose of ICE is to terrorize Americans who do not agree with the administration’s policies, and actions” and called for “an end to the president’s blatant lies.”
There are about 8,000 Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians citizens in the Twin Cities and surrounding areas, according to the post. The council asked tribal members to document interactions with ICE by contacting the tribe directly. The tribe’s embassy in Minneapolis has also been closed for the rest of the week.
Protesters are carrying signs and chanting, including some signs that say, “ICE Out Now,” “We deserve to be safe in our community,” and “Resist Fascism.”
Chants include “We Keep Us Safe,” “ICE Out Now,” “ICE Go Home,” “Quit Your Job” and “Justice Now!”
Scores of people bundled up in heavy coats gathered as dawn began to break Thursday in a parking lot near the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building at Fort Snelling. The building houses several federal agencies, including an immigration court.
The crowd was chanting and holding American flags and signs calling on ICE to leave Minnesota.
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