DETROIT — Candles flickered across Clark Park last week as hundreds gathered for a vigil honoring Renee Nicole Good, a woman killed Jan. 7 during a federal immigration operation in Minneapolis.
Shortly before 6 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 9, crowds gathered at Clark Park in southwest Detroit just as the sun was starting to set. Many brought candles and protest signs and stood shoulder to shoulder before the vigil began.
The night was put together by Joshua Medina, an activist in Detroit, who said it's to honor and remember Good’s life while also calling attention to the alleged excessive use of force by federal immigration agents. Michigan residents, immigrant rights advocates and families came together to stand with those grieving Good’s death.
Medina addressed the crowd shortly after 6 p.m. He called for more accountability and transparency in the investigation into the shooting.
"Just a couple days ago, one of Donald Trumps ICE thugs gunned down a womnn, a protester, one of us in Minnesota," Medina said. "This is not accidental. This is not regular police brutatlity. It is Donald Trump's facists policy that wants to turn us into a fascist police state and it must be stopped."
The Trump administration claims the ICE officer acted in self-defense when he shot and killed Good.
As the vigil ended, voices got louder, calling for reform and a change in administration.
Shortly after 7 p.m., hundreds who had gathered started walking down Vernor Highway, waving protest signs and flags. Most chants called for a complete removal of ICE from the community. Others were calling for the removal of the Trump administration.
Detroit resident Babs Maas said she attended the vigil out of concern over the direction of the country, criticizing Trump and federal immigration enforcement. “Trump is getting carried away. He’s power hungry, he’s bloodthirsty. We are in really big trouble. This is Hitler stuff. We are not a democracy anymore,” Maas said.
Another resident, Kimberly Holt said she feels we will continue to see more violence if something doesn't change. “We have to stop it. If the American people don’t show up, by 100 million, they’re going to keep doing what they want. And that’s heartbreaking,” Holt said.