Hundreds demand justice at Tallahassee vigil for Renee Good
Tallahassee, FL – On January 8, approximately 400 people attended a rally and vigil at the steps of the Florida Historic Capitol demanding justice for Renee Nicole Good. The protest was organized by the Tallahassee Immigrant Rights Alliance in response to the murder of Renee Good by ICE Agent Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis.
Organizations attending the event included, the Tallahassee Community Action Committee (TCAC), Indivisible Tallahassee, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Tallahassee Community Area Response Equipo, and Students for a Democratic Society.
Activists and community members were invited to speak. Amanda Macedo Parrish talked about the recently won the fight to free her husband from ICE custody after a large-scale immigration raid in May.
Organizers spoke on the need to get ICE out of cities through direct action and ending local agreements with ICE such as 287(g).
Thomas Speirs of TCAC said, “I don’t want any police cooperation with ICE in my city.” Trish Brown of Power Up People said, “When armed agents act with impunity, when special response teams patrol neighborhoods like war zones, when accountability disappears behind badges and bureaucracy, that is not security, it is terror.”
After the speeches and chants, attendees held candles for a moment of silence for Renee Nicole and all the victims of violence by border patrol and immigration enforcement, including those shot at a similar event in Portland only a few hours before.
Protests across the country have been held in response to these shootings by organizations in the Legalization for All network. The protest closed out with a chant led by TIRA member Katy Kurzweil quoting the late Assata Shakur: “It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love each other and support each other. We have nothing to lose but our chains.”