SALT LAKE CITY — Dozens gathered in Pioneer Park on Wednesday in a protest sparked by the fatal shooting of a woman by an ICE agent in Minnesota earlier this week.
The protest against ICE, which has been at the center of so much controversy over the past year, came the day after 37-year-old Renee Good was shot and killed in Minneapolis.
“I think like most people are against innocent people being shot and innocent people being taken from their families,” said Dodge Hoovermale, an organizer with the Party for Socialism and Liberation. "I think this is a very unpopular move by this administration."
“Document, document, document,” said a speaker from atop a truck bed, representing the Utah State Progressive Caucus. "Imagine if the horrible events of yesterday in Minnesota happened and no one was filming?”
As Salt Lake residents mourned Good's death, chants of "We want ICE off our streets" rang out from protestors and some state leaders alike.
“They should get out — I mean, it’s not time for them to be here,” said State Sen. Nate Blouin (D-Salt Lake City). "They don’t need to be in our communities. We’ve seen what they’ve done in other communities, by making it less safe.”
The sentiments of the protesters were shared by some businesses located near the park.
“We were just like, we don’t know how to use our voice — but we do know how to feed people,” said Matt Caputo, owner of Caputo's Market and Deli.
Caputo’s handed out free snacks and drinks to protestors as they made their demands.
“We’re demanding justice for Renee and demanding that the ICE agent that shot her be immediately prosecuted,” Hoovermale said.
Meanwhile, Caputo shared with FOX 13 News why the current administration's adversarial stance against immigration is so close to his heart.
“My great grandparents on my dad’s side are immigrants from Italy, my grandparents on my mom’s side, my wife is an immigrant,” Caputo said. “No matter how you feel about illegal immigration, I think we need to reflect on how things are going in our country - and how we want to treat human beings.”
