New Orleans students host march and vigil to demand ‘ICE out now!’
New Orleans, LA – On Monday evening, January 12, members of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) from Tulane University and Loyola University gathered to host a protest in honor of Renee Nicole Good and other victims horrifically murdered by ICE. Around 40 people attended.
Demonstrators gathered at the junction between Tulane and Loyola University on Freret Street for a rally against the cruelty ICE has unleashed throughout communities across the U.S., breaking up families and murdering with impunity.
Mae Guidry, a Loyola student and representative of SDS, demanded that the administrations of Tulane and Loyola University resist ICE’s attempts to enact their policies on campus, and officially establish their schools as sanctuary campuses. Other key demands included the immediate removal of ICE from New Orleans and the arrest of ICE agent Jonathan Ross for the murder of Renee Nicole Good.
After hearing inspiring words from guest speakers, the crowd marched down Calhoun Street to Saint Charles Avenue. The crowd continued to march and chant until finally reaching Loyola University’s College of Law.
At the front gates of the campus, the crowd laid candles in front of a memorial board honoring the victims of ICE atrocities. Speakers shared frustration with the state of fear, crueltyand violence that the Trump regime has cultivated within the U.S. They also urged others to join organizations that work to fight off ICE and defend immigrant and working class communities.
The chants that rang throughout uptown New Orleans included, “Hey hey! Ho ho! Police terror has got to go!” and “We want justice, you say how! Arrest Jonathan Ross now!”
Olivia Wagoner of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization stated, “The billionaire class is trying to weaken our movements but they’re failing. We are only growing stronger. No one is illegal on stolen land and we’re going to continue to stand in solidarity with our immigrant brothers and sisters until ICE gets the fuck out of our city!”
Billy Bernfeld, a Tulane student in SDS, explained, “We have organized because we are left with no choice but to stand up and fight against ICE and the white supremacy it is founded upon. We have organized because only those who dare to struggle dare to win.”