Protestors rallied against the death of Renee Good in Minnesota after an altercation with ICE officers.
On Monday, hundreds of protestors gathered in Center City, Philadelphia to protest an ICE officer’s killing of protestor Renee Good in Minnesota.
The protest was led by the Interfaith Coalition of Clergy. Protestors chanted outside of the Philadelphia Immigration Court, attended a vigil for Good, and held a rally.
On Tuesday morning, organizers with No ICE Philly blocked an ICE vehicle from departing the agency’s headquarters.
In October, four people were arrested during anti-ICE protests in Philadelphia. Advocacy groups have called on the city and local officials to pledge to not work with or support the immigration enforcement agency. They have urged the city to not honor its contracts with ICE.
Pamphlets have been placed around Center City that suggested the Philadelphia Parking Authority was allowing ICE to use its parking garages.
According to federal spending information, the DHS contract with the Philadelphia Parking Authority “provides the rental of indoor parking garage spaces required for government vehicles for ICE Homeland Security investigations in Philadelphia.”
In a statement, the Philadelphia Parking Authority said the contract “refers to a garage owned by the federal government that the PPA is under lease to manage. The PPA does not own that garage facility.”
A city councilmember has also begun hosting trainings to prepare Philadelphia residents for encounters with immigration officials.
Councilmember Kendra Brooks has hosted “Know Your Rights” trainings for community members, including one following the death of Renee Good in Minnesota.
“It is so painful to know what happened to Renee, but we need to say that it will not happen again. We all need to lend our voices to showing ICE and the federal government that this is absolutely not acceptable in Philadelphia or anywhere around the country,” said Brooks.
Posters that said “ICE Out of West Philly” were given to training attendees.
The training focused on how bystanders can provide support to their at-risk neighbors during instances of immigration enforcement. Attendees were instructed how to address ICE officers, how to interact legally, and how to address ICE in the workplace.
Activists and advocates are preparing for increased ICE activity in Philadelphia and how to combat the work of immigration officials.
