‘Sad and angry’: Hundreds gather at vigil after ICE shooting

HOLYOKE — Rev. Rachael Hayes stood in front of hundreds of people outside City Hall Thursday night craving a sense of comfort, following the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in Minneapolis on Wednesday morning.

“I am sad and angry about why we are here, and because you are here, I suspect you are sad and angry too,” said Hayes, who is the minister of the Unitarian Universalist Society of Amherst. “Neighbors, my heart is broken … My heart breaks for Renee Nicole Good and her loved ones and the people of Minneapolis.”

The vigil organized by LUCE, an immigration justice network of Massachusetts, was just one of an uncountable amount of actions including standouts and protests taking place across the country in the wake of the shooting. The actions follow the release of a video that shows an ICE Officer, now identified as Jonathan Ross, shooting a firearm into a car operated by Good on Jan. 7.

Following the shooting, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey made a statement directed toward ICE, saying that he and the city he leads, “Do not want you here. Your stated reason for being in this city is to create some kind of safety, and you are doing exactly the opposite.”

After the video became viral, a slew of protests formed in Minneapolis and beyond, which continue to take place.

Reactions to the video have ranged from President Donald Trump labeling Ross’ actions as an act of “self defense,” due to Good, “violently” running him over in a vehicle, to others, including many of those at the Holyoke vigil, seeing a much different story.

“The murder of Renee Good was unjustified and it was unjustified by a within-the-hour response of [Kristi] Noem, [J.D.] Vance and their Boss (Trump),” said Holyoke Ward 4 City Councilor Richard Purcell in an interview with the Gazette at the vigil, referring to the Homeland Security secretary and the vice president, respectively. “It only took them an hour to do their investigation and determine that she (Good) was a domestic terrorist.”

Purcell said it was clear that Good was trying to leave the scene and he was “horrified” after first seeing the video where “a citizen was being murdered by a government agent.”

As part of the vigil, Purcell was lighting and handing out candles to attendees, while many joined in chorus, singing songs like “This Little Light of Mine.” Music was performed by the social justice musical group Show Up, Sing Out, of Amherst, with guitar player Joe Oliverio saying he was “sad and horrified” when he first saw the video.

Speaking in front of the crowd, the Rev. Hayes said, “Don’t go looking for calm. Your sorrow and anger are righteous. When these are our circumstances, calm is hard to come by.”

She asked the crowd to take a deep breath, and as they released their breath, encouraged them to let out “a cry or a scream or something beyond words.”

“We pray tonight for Renee Nicole Good and for those who love her and the community she loved. May they know comfort in their grief, may they find support in their community and feel the outpouring of love from all over as we join our hearts with those who mourn her,” Hayes said. “We pray tonight for the immigrant communities of our country. We pray for their safety and we affirm that our immigrant communities belong here.”

Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia said in an interview with the Gazette that, while he is the city’s mayor, he was attending the vigil just as any other citizen.

“It makes me feel hopeful when people are able to come together in moments of tragedy and reflect, not just come together and reflect, but also demand change, demand accountability,” Garcia said.

Garcia said it was difficult to watch the video and in a moment of tragedy, he hopes it can help that people come together and mobilize, especially with an upcoming state primary election this year.

“A lot of people I spoke to at City Hall, conversations at the table, it’s just hard to believe,” Garcia said about the shooting. “And then to have the federal administration come out and defend it, it’s just something you never think would happen.”

Garcia said when he hears about “rumored” ICE activity in Holyoke, he takes the appropriate actions, but the city is not notified if ICE conducts operations in the city.

Easthampton Mayor Salem Derby gave a similar response in an interview with the Gazette in December. He said that neither the mayor’s office nor the police department is notified. A reported detainment occurred in Easthampton in September last year, and another unconfirmed in July. However, Derby said the city never received confirmation from ICE that it conducted the detainment.

The LUCE media advisor for the Holyoke vigil, Jessa McCormack, said when she saw the video, “my gut was ripped out of me.” She said LUCE works to advise safe and appropriate procedures for bystanders of ICE activity.

LUCE offers a hotline to contact if someone witnesses or hears of ICE or other suspicious activity in the area, and to help reaffirm citizens’ rights in these situations.

At Easthampton City Council’s Jan. 7 meeting, the day Good was shot, multiple people, including Derby, noted that they had been busy that day; the mayor added that he did not hear about the shooting until the council meeting when multiple councilors made a statement.

“It really shook me a little bit just because you get caught in a whirlwind of working and being busy and then something like that happens,” Derby said.

Derby said he is hoping and looking forward to working with the City Council to have a “unified front” to address actions like the shooting. “We all took an oath to the Constitution and we should hold the people that are above us in government to the same standard.”

In a statement to the Gazette, Northampton Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra wrote, “My heart goes out to the family and loved ones of Renee Nicole Good and to all those grieving her loss. I am horrified by her killing, and the public deserves clear answers and real accountability. In a functioning democracy, people expect their authorities to act with restraint, transparency, and respect for human life.”

A day after Good was shot, federal immigration agents shot and wounded two people in a vehicle outside a hospital in Portland, Oregon.

A standout, hosted by the River Valley Democratic Socialists of America, will be held on Sunday, Jan. 11, on the corner of King and Main streets in Northampton at 1 p.m. While the standout will primarily target the United States recent invasion in Venezuela, it will also target the two recent shootings by federal authorities.

Another standout down the road on Sunday will be hosted by Indivisible Northampton Swing Left Western MA and River Valley Freedom Road Socialist Organization, at 2 p.m. at City Hall, protesting against ICE.

Here’s a list of weekend activities.