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On Friday afternoon, hundreds of protesters gathered in Mountain View and Palo Alto to oppose the actions of federal immigration agents in Minnesota, waving signs that read “Abolish ICE” and “We’re here for GOOD.” Cars driving down El Camino Real blared their horns in support of the protesters.
The following day, a smaller crowd gathered again in Mountain View – at the corner of Castro Street and El Camino Real – to protest federal agents in Minneapolis fatally shooting Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care unit nurse, on Saturday morning.
Protesters denounced the Trump administration’s deportation agenda and the actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. Similar protests have been ongoing around the country throughout President Donald Trump’s second term, with demonstrations held in Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Redwood City in the weeks since Renee Good was fatally shot at close range by an ICE officer in Minneapolis earlier this month.
“[People] are outraged by what the federal government is doing in Minnesota and other parts of the country, not only against immigrants, but against anybody who speaks up to protest,” said Lenny Siegel, a longtime community activist and former Mountain View mayor who co-organized Friday’s protest in Mountain View.
On Friday evening, Mountain View resident Jana Gold said she attended the protest to stand in solidarity with the people of Minneapolis.
“The launching of the secret police on United States citizens is appalling,” Gold said. “We have no choice but to be out on the streets and make our voices heard and say no.”
“ICE out for Good” protests were organized across the country on Friday as thousands of people gathered in Minneapolis in freezing temperatures. Many businesses closed in solidarity as part of an “economic blackout.”
Several local protesters told this publication they were outraged by recent cases involving ICE officers, including the detention of a 5-year-old Ecuadorian boy and his father in Minnesota in a case where neighbors said ICE officers used the pre-schooler as “bait.” The Department of Homeland Security has disputed that narrative.
Another protester expressed horror at an image of federal agents deploying pepper spray on a man pinned on the ground in Minneapolis.
In Palo Alto, protesters gathered along El Camino Real and Embarcadero Road by Town & Country Village on Friday. Sharat Lin wore a butterfly costume and flapped his wings across the street in a “dance of peace” when traffic was stopped. Lin, a San Jose resident, explained that the monarch butterfly was a symbol of migration and said he attended the protest to stand against brutality. Meredith Carr, a Redwood City resident, also attended the Palo Alto protest.
“The state of our country is disgraceful and showing up to protest practices our ability to mobilize for our friends and neighbors,” Carr said. “We’ve got to keep showing up.”
Protesters mobilize again on Saturday
Less than 24 hours after Friday’s protest, dozens showed up again in Mountain View to register their opposition to Pretti’s fatal shooting.
Jerry Morrison, a Mountain View resident, said he attended the protest to denounce the actions of immigration enforcement agents under the Trump administration and to convince citizens that their vote matters.
“I’m here because I like democracy. Democratic freedoms, democratic rules.” Morrison said. “Cruelty is part of this administration. Chaos, cruelty and corruption.”
Another protester, Babarba Fukumoto of Sunnyvale, described ICE as lawless, violent, brutal and cruel.
“I’m here because of the occupation [by] the U.S. government in Minnesota,” Fukumoto said. “If they can do it there, they can do it anywhere.”
Siegel told this publication that even smaller protests like Saturday’s were part of the process of gradually building a movement to change the direction that the nation is headed.
“We don’t expect to have as many as on No King’s Day,” Siegel said, referring to protests last year that drew thousands. “But there are people here that I didn’t see yesterday.”
Zoe Morgan contributed reporting to this article.
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“Deported from stolen land”. Could anyone tell me which land they’re referring to, and who stole it from who, when?