A group of fuming radical protesters displayed homemade wanted posters Tuesday for the ICE agent who fatally shot a mother in Minneapolis before burning flags in Lower Manhattan.
The band of demonstrators, from a group that identified itself as “Dare to Struggle,” gathered in Foley Square on Jan. 13 and charged that recent ICE pushback has “not gone far enough.”
In an effort to show their diehard resentment of federal immigration enforcement and the recent killing of Renee Good, the group handed out and plastered makeshift posters depicting Jonathan Ross, the man who fatally shot the Minneapolis mother.
“He murdered a woman who was driving away from him. You know, she blocked their vehicle. That doesn’t mean that a federal agent gets to play judge, jury and executioner,” a protester who gave her name as Indigo said, adding that she believes crowds hitting the streets need to go further. “The regular protest cycle, where we have a little parade, we say our peace, and then we go home, isn’t anything to stop it. I think we need to go further than that.”
That further step appeared to mean setting American flags ablaze.
Marching to both nearby immigration courts — 26 Federal Plaza and 290 Broadway — protesters laid the flags on the ground, stomped on them, spat on them, and then used a lighter to set them on fire.
“We need to do real s#!t,” one protester roared. “We need to keep fighting no matter what. If ICE keeps doing their s#!t, if they keep kidnapping families, if they hold people hostage, if they pepper spray babies in the face, we cannot just keep going about our normal lives.”
It is unclear how flag-burning, considered by many as an unpatriotic act, would convince most New Yorkers to oppose ICE’s actions.
Flag-burning remains a protected act of free speech under the First Amendment, as the U.S. Supreme Court has previously ruled. President Trump sought to prosecute flag-burners under an executive order he issued last year, but such an order is unenforceable without a constitutional amendment.
New York City has seen daily protests since the killing of Renee Good and the ramping up of ICE enforcement throughout the country. On Monday, more outrage grew after a City Council staff member was detained by ICE during an immigration hearing. Many elected officials and New Yorkers have peacefully demanded the removal of the Feds from the streets.”
Meanwhile, the U.S. Justice Department has indicated it would not criminally charge Ross for Good’s death, sparking further public outrage and mass resignations from the DOJ’s Minnesota district.
