Chants mixed with passing car honks at the Arch in downtown Athens on Jan. 20, as approximately 100 protestors rallied against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Trump administration policies.
The protest was a part of a larger movement across the U.S.
“People are fed up and they want change, so we’re here to put on a protest to show people that change is possible,” said Maristella Tuazon, an organizer for the Party of Socialism and Liberation. ”That if you want to speak up and you want to fight, there are people who are gonna stand behind you.”
The protest was organized by the Party for Socialism and Liberation, Young Democratic Socialists of America at UGA, the ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) Coalition and Athens Area Democratic Socialists of America.
Protesters crowded in front of the Arch and on the sidewalk along Broad Street holding signs with messages such as “Justice for Renee Nicole Good” and “No human is illegal. Abolish ICE.”
I am supporting a justice system that doesn’t pay favorites,” UGA graduate student Joseph Starling said. “I am supporting people being lawfully detained and not murdered in the street like Renee Good.”
Renee Nicole Macklin Good was fatally shot in Minneapolis by an ICE officer on Jan. 7, which has sparked political debate and protests in the city and nationwide.
During the UGA protest, various speakers led chants and also spoke to the protesters about immigration policies and Trump’s military actions in Venezuela.
“When they come after our neighbors, when they come after our family, we have a right; we must stand up and fight back for our families,” Hampton Barrineau, a member of the Young Democratic Socialists of America at UGA said at the event.
Barrineau said he was impressed with the turnout.
Athens mayoral candidate Tim Denson also attended.
“Because our entire community needs to be safe, needs to feel safe and we need to show in solidarity that we stand with all the people of Athens,” Denson said. “No matter what their documentation status is, no matter where they are born, or where they came from, everyone deserves to feel safe and be able to live the life they want to live.”
Gabrielle Kutsup is a journalism major in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia.
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