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Somber, Angry Mood Replaces More Joyous Atmosphere of Previous Protests
By Tina Traster
Visceral anger was palpable among protesters who flocked to the Four Corners in Nanuet on Saturday to express outrage over the Jan. 7th killing of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. The somber, simmering mood differed from previous No Kings protests, which had brought out some levity, folk song singing, and at times, a party atmosphere. In contrast, some of the nearly 350 people lining Route 59 held white carnations to symbolize peace, mourning or defiance, a throwback to the 1967 Flower Power photo where a protester placed one in a soldier’s rifle during the Vietnam War. Only in this case, irate and tearful protesters expressed horror and disbelief over the notion that the American government, and its ICE agent, could shoot a 37-year-old mother, who was dropping her first-grade son at school, at point blank range in the face. Many referenced what they had seen in widely circulated video that shows Good turning the wheels of her Honda Pilot away from the ICE agent who was trying to stop her and force her out of her car. Further, many spoke with despair over the Trump administration’s handling of the aftermath of the shooting, saying politicians have endeavored to vilify Good, while exonerating the ICE agent Jonathon Ross, before any investigation is undertaken. Protesters demanded engagement from local, state and federal officials to rein in the Trump administration’s aggressive crackdown on “immigrants,” adding that ICE and militarized police forces have no place on America’s streets. Further, they said they came out to send the message that protesting is a Constitutional right, and that intimidation tactics by masked and militarized “soldiers” will not deter American people from turning up and speaking out when they see injustice.
