Immigrant rights groups and rapid response networks are gathering at Mariachi Plaza in Boyle Heights on Thursday evening to denounce the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis.
Organized by the social justice group Centro CSO, the vigil and rally are scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. Proyecto Pastoral, Union del Barrio, the Community Self-Defense Coalition and the Association of Raza Educators in LA are among the organizations participating.
“This devastating incident was entirely preventable and starkly illustrates the brutal and inhumane treatment that ICE enacts upon both migrants and U.S. citizens,” the Association of Raza Educators said in a statement.
The Wednesday killing of Good has spurred protests in Minneapolis and across the country in places like New York, Oregon, and Florida. A crowd gathered Wednesday night at Placita Olvera.
Good, a mother of 3, was a U.S. citizen who recently moved to Minneapolis, according to the Associated Press. Good was born in Colorado, the AP reported, and appeared to have never been charged with anything involving law enforcement beyond a traffic ticket. Good described herself as a “poet and writer and wife and mom,” according to the AP.
Minneapolis Public Radio reported that Good was behind the wheel of a parked car when an ICE officer yelled at her, “Get out of the car. Get the f— out of the car.” As she appeared to be driving away, another ICE officer fired into the vehicle, not far from the front bumper, according to MPR News.
ICE called the shooting an act of self-defense, alleging Good had attempted to run over agents with her car, MPR News reported. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey disputed those claims, saying, “The narrative that this was done in self-defense is a garbage narrative.”
This story will be updated after the rally. Check back with us for updates or follow us on Instagram.