Syracuse, NY – More than 1,200 people rallied in downtown Syracuse Monday afternoon to protest the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigrants and the killing of a Minnesota woman by a federal agent last week.
A wave of protests has risen across the country in recent days after a federal agent shot and killed Renee Good, 37, last Wednesday in Minneapolis. Cell phone videos of the shooting have spread across the internet.
Monday’s protest in Syracuse was attended by people of all ages and backgrounds. Many waved American flags and others held up signs attacking US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Demonstrators first gathered at 3:30 p.m. at Columbus Circle before marching down South Salina Street to the Soldiers and Sailors Monument base in Clinton Square.
A crowd of 300 to 400 people in Columbus Circle swelled to 1,200 to 1,600 in Clinton Square, syracuse.com reporters estimated. Organizers estimate the number of people at 1,600.
Among the slogans on the protest signs were: “The only illegal is in the White House” and “Hate + fear will never make America great”.
People played drums and blew whistles, a new symbol of activism to alert neighbors when immigration agents are nearby.
Tom Keck, a professor of political science at Syracuse University and an activist with the group CNY Solidarity, gave the crowd a lesson in constitutional law, his expertise.
“Some things are complicated and some things are simple,” he said. “If armed agents of the state are shooting dead people on the streets of an American city, that’s clearly illegal. If they’re denying medical treatment to that person after they’ve shot him, that’s clearly illegal.”
Arresting people without warrants, detaining protesters on campus and launching foreign military action without congressional approval are also illegal, he said.
“We are stuck with a criminal, corrupt and cowardly government acting in all our names,” he said. “Like, I don’t care if you didn’t vote for this guy. This is the United States government trying to act on our behalf right now, and we have to keep saying no to it.”
Monday’s rally was one of many held since President Donald Trump’s second term last year.
Dozens of people in downtown New York were caught up in the president’s crackdown on immigrants, including restaurant owners, farmers and hospital workers.
Chants of “No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome” echoed through the street as protesters marched into Clinton Square. Some motorists honked their horns in agreement.
Demonstrators used the sidewalks and patiently waited for crosswalk signs. The large crowd stretched around two city blocks.
Paul Lell, 37, told syracuse.com that the No Kings protest last fall in DeWitt was his first. Monday’s rally was his second.
“I just can’t anymore,” he said. “This was the last straw. I had to get out.”
Lell, a veteran, said that as someone trained in combat, he felt that the federal agent who shot Good was completely wrong.
“I think there are a lot of people who feel the same way,” he said, “and that’s why you see a lot more people at these protests.”
Peter Haggerty, 61, said he had to push to attend the rally because of the freezing temperatures.
“I still had to come,” he said. “The actions of the president, our government, the actions of ICE … it’s outrageous to say the least.”
Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down” blared over the rink’s loudspeakers as protesters began to speak in Clinton Square. A woman read an award-winning poem written by Goode.
A long banner was unfurled with the names of people who died in Department of Homeland Security custody last year. The names were read aloud, one by one.
Tammy Honeywell, who helped organize the protest, told the crowd to stay tuned for future rallies.
“Let’s show together that we will not allow this,” she said.
Some protesters wore masks and said they feared possible retaliation if they saw her at the rally.
At one point, a man wearing a Donald Trump mask drove up in a black pickup and blasted loud music. He left after about five minutes.
Paul Calderwood, 62, was one of the few Trump supporters who attended the rally.
Calderwood described Good’s death as an “unfortunate event” but believed “he is wrong in this situation”.
Calderwood did not go to the meeting to be disruptive. The former national said he would “fight for the right to free speech for everyone here.”
Leave a Reply