BY ERICK DIAZ VELIZ, MICHIGAN ADVANCE
MICHIGAN—Dozens of candles illuminated the Mill Pond in Brighton on Sunday evening in honor of Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother who was killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis during a morning raid on Jan. 7.
Around 100 people from Brighton and the surrounding area, holding anti-ICE signs and candles, gathered at the vigil to honor Good and to protest against ICE in an event organized by the Indivisible Livingston Group.
“We are gathered here this evening with a variety of emotions, but beginning with grief for what happened to Renee Good and for grief for what is happening in our country,” said Reverend Rudra Dundzila of Community Unitarian Universalists church.
The death of Good, shot by a masked ICE agent identified as Jonathan Ross, 43, during the confrontation, led thousands of demonstrators to take to the streets around the country to protest against the federal agents and their immigrant crackdown.
Multiple vigils, rallies, and protests have been held in Good’s honor across the country since her killing, including from coast to coast in Michigan.
“We pray for peace for our country and for finding ways of reconciliation and communication, and talking with each other. For the common good of all people that we live with in our country. This is what we invoke tonight in our vigil,” Dundzila finished.
The video of Good’s death went viral worldwide in a matter of hours, generating polarized opinions. Kelly Lovelady, 58, who has lived in Brighton for almost 30 years, says she watched the video repeatedly and disagrees with the federal government’s “gaslighting” statements about the situation.
Republican officials from the president on down were quick to defend Ross, claiming he fired in self-defense and standing with ICE. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem mentioned that the officer acted based on how he was trained to act in situations like that and described Good as a “domestic terrorist.” In a Truth Social post, President Donald Trump called protesters “professional agitators” and blamed the “radical left movement of violence and hate.”
“We’re supposed to be allowed to protest in the United States, and we are supposed to have constitutional rights that are being trampled on right now. And if we allow this to stop us from coming out, they win, and we lose, and we lose more than what is there today. We lose the future for our kids that we had when we were growing up,” Lovelady added.
Some attendees chose to march along a section of the small lake with their candles and signs in hand. Carrying an inverted flag, Simon Ren, 67, said that attending the vigil is a duty.
“Being a citizen comes with responsibilities, not just privileges,” Ren said.
Since Good’s death, politicians in Michigan have been no exception to the polarization of opinions, with Democrats condemning the shooting and Republicans defending Ross. However, for Richard Gienapp, a member of the Indivisible Livingston Group, there are many mixed emotions among the people.
“I know there’s a range of emotions that bring people here tonight, and we really want to acknowledge those emotions. Whether it’s anger, outrage, sadness, grief, or frustration,” Gienapp says.
Protests demand accountability
Amidst the various vigils to honor Good, there were also numerous protests focusing on the actions of ICE, specifically in regard to her death, but more generally opposed to the Trump administration’s use of the agency to disregard constitutional rights and carry out its mass deportation agenda.
They ranged from larger gatherings in Detroit and Grand Rapids, to smaller communities across Michigan. On Saturday, dozens of protestors gathered in Howell for an event organized locally by Stand Against Extremism Livingston County.
Among those attending the rally was Mariah McDonald of Brighton, a mother who said she has been attending protests regularly and felt compelled to speak out after Good’s death.
“I’m here to show my support for people in the United States and for immigrants,” McDonald said. “They make America great. I want to raise my kids in a country that accepts all and loves all.”
McDonald said she has not been surprised by the polarized response to video of the shooting circulating online, noting that even among friends, there are starkly different interpretations of what happened.
“It’s frustrating,” she said. “Some people believe one narrative without looking at the bigger picture. I just wish people would be more open-minded.”
She also expressed skepticism that Good’s death alone would lead to meaningful change, pointing to past moments of national outrage that failed to result in lasting reforms.
“How many times have we said, ‘This is going to be the spark?’” McDonald said. “George Floyd was supposed to be the spark. Kids being zip-tied was supposed to be the spark. It only changes if we keep showing up and saying this is not OK.”
Curtis Hamilton of Howell said he attended the vigil not only to mourn Good, but to speak out against what he sees as an alarming political trajectory.
“This is a vigil for that woman who was killed in Minneapolis, but it’s more than that,” Hamilton said. “When you look at all the people who have died in ICE custody, too many people are asleep to what’s going on.”
Hamilton, who described himself as a student of history, compared current trends to those seen in authoritarian movements abroad.
“This is the same playbook that Mussolini and Hitler went through, the same playbook used by authoritarians in Hungary and elsewhere,” he said. “We’re living through it right now.”
READ MORE: Michigan communities gather to honor Renee Nicole Good
This coverage was republished from Michigan Advance pursuant to a Creative Commons license.
