Protesters came out in the thousands across western Massachusetts this weekend to protest the recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE killing in Minneapolis and ICE activities in general that many say are brazen and illegal.
In Northampton, about 1500 people marched downtown Sunday and held signs opposing ICE and the Trump administration. Several also had photos of Renee Good, the mother who was killed in Minneapolis by an ICE agent last week.
Protester Nikki Fronch said while Minneapolis is far away, how people respond locally can have a national impact – even in progressive areas like western Massachusetts.
“There's other things people could do today,” Fronch said. “And I think how we stand together matters. And I think it also hopefully makes people feel less afraid because there are more of us.”
Speaking to the crowd, Massachusetts state representative Lindsay Sabadosa said there’s not much local officials can do to keep ICE agents out of Massachusetts altogether, as they are controlled by the Trump administration.
“But with a line in the sand, with people in the streets, with all of us showing up regularly and saying we demand better, we can get those people out of office and we can actually start to make a difference,” Sabadosa said.
Laura Roberts, 77, said the current protests remind her of the deadly Kent State shooting in the 1970s during the Vietnam War.
“I was in Ohio, and that made the people getting out there on the streets and coming to their senses and saying no more,” Roberts said. “It was really important. And this is one of those moments.”
The Northampton protest was peaceful, with two counter-protesters holding Trump signs on the outskirts of the crowd.
Dozens of cities across New England held similar events.
