Crowds of people turned out at demonstrations in Bowling Green and Paducah Saturday to protest actions taken by the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agency – and the killing of Renee Nicole Good by a federal agent this week in Minnesota.
In Paducah, well over a hundred people lined the sidewalk in front of Noble Park at a protest organized by Four Rivers Indivisible, where the group played music and led the protesters in chants of "We want justice for Renee" and "No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here."
Hannah Kerr, of Paducah, said she was compelled to come out after seeing the newly surfaced video of Good's killing from the perspective of the officer.
"I woke up and I saw the video and it actually brought me to tears and I didn't get out of bed for 20 extra minutes and then I saw this protest and I just felt like I had to be here," Kerr said.
Noah Blackburn, who made the trip up from Murray, said he's concerned about the direction the country's going, and that he believes now is the time to make his voice heard.
"It seems like it's just going to continue to ramp up if we don't organize and step out and come together as a community to have our voices – have our frustration heard – and make sure there's an end to this," he said.
Joann Tilley Dortch, an 83-year-old retired schoolteacher and education advocate, accompanied her daughter to the protest on Saturday.
"I know that there are more good people in this world than there are bad. And we just have to get all together and work for the good. The hate has to go away," she said. "Everybody [here] is positive and nice. This is what America's like to me, what it ought to be."
Military veteran and retired chaplain Kempton Baldridge said he's dissatisfied with the Trump administration's use of the U.S. armed forces, criticizing recent actions taken in Nigeria and in Venezuela, among others. Baldridge said he came out Saturday because he wants to be engaged and hopes more people like him making their voices heard can spur action.
"I do see other people who are encouraged by our presence and to know that they're not alone," he said. "Shrugging your shoulders and saying, 'Well there's nothing we can do.' That's one answer, but it's not the right one.
At least one other anti-ICE protest is expected to happen later this month in Paducah, with social media posts indicating one is planned to take place in front of the McCracken County courthouse on Jan. 30.
Protesters call for justice on the march in Bowling Green
In Bowling Green, more than 100 protesters marched through the downtown square in protest of the violent methods used by ICE agents. Speakers called for justice for Good, as well as Keith Porter, a 43-year-old father of two killed by an off-duty ICE agent in Los Angeles.
Seth Thomas felt compelled to march when he saw like-minded people standing up to what he said is a fascist regime taking over the U.S. government.
"I'm here because I want it to be known that I stand against fascism. Whether it's in Bowling Green, whether it's in Minneapolis, ICE is just the latest iteration of fascism that we have," Thomas said. "The state shouldn't be allowed to murder you in the street without a trial. I'm here because I support love and justice for everybody, whether they were born here or moved here from somewhere else."
In a brief march, protesters blocked the street through the downtown square with chants, "Out of the bars, into the streets," as well as calls to abolish ICE and free Palestine. Chants also called for the removal and conviction of key members of the Trump administration, including DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and DOD Secretary Pete Hegseth. Chants also called for the arrest of Jonathan Ross, the ICE agent who shot and killed Good.
Organizers with SOKY Solidarity and Community Defense plan to organize for further protests until they see justice for those victimized by ICE.Saturday's protests in Bowling Green and Paducah follow earlier demonstrations against the ICE shooting death of Good in other parts of Kentucky, including Louisville and Berea.
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