Protesters arrested in front of federal building

(Minneapolis) Police arrested several protesters Saturday outside a federal building in Minneapolis, dispersing a rally commemorating the one-month anniversary of the death of Minnesota resident Renee Good by an immigration agent.

Renee Good was killed Jan. 7 while fleeing immigration agents in a Minneapolis neighborhood. His death, along with that of another Minneapolis resident, Alex Pretti, a few weeks later, sparked outrage across the country over President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.

Dozens of protesters gathered in front of the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building around noon, throwing bottles and sexual objects at a line of police guarding the scene.

THE Minnesota Star Tribune reported that police arrested a handful of protesters after the crowd began throwing chunks of ice. A sheriff’s deputy suffered a head injury and the windshield of a patrol vehicle was shattered, according to a statement from the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office obtained by the newspaper.

Police declared the gathering illegal and ordered the protesters to disperse. Many of them complied, reports the Minnesota Star Tribune. However, about 100 people remained facing sheriff’s deputies, state troopers and wildlife officers.

The sheriff’s office did not respond to emails, voicemails and text messages sent Saturday afternoon by The Associated Press, which requested a copy of the release and inquired about the number of arrests, any injuries and the circumstances of the arrests.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, hundreds of people gathered in a snowy field in a Minneapolis park to pay tribute to M^me Good and Mr. Pretti. Event organizers echoed recent criticism of Minnesota’s immigration crackdown, calling it a federal occupation.

A Lakota spiritual leader, Arvol Looking Horse, led a ceremony amid a crowd waving signs and American flags. Others shared music and poetry in tribute to the two people who have become central figures in the polarizing immigration debate in recent weeks.

On January 7, in Minneapolis, a 37-year-old mother of three was shot and killed by a federal immigration agent in her car. Three officers surrounded his Honda Pilot SUV on a snow-covered street, a few blocks from his home. Video filmed by a witness shows an officer approaching the SUV parked in the middle of the road, demanding the driver open the door and grabbing the handle.

The vehicle began to move forward and another ICE agent, stationed in front, drew his gun and immediately fired at point-blank range, jumping back as the vehicle moved toward him. The Trump administration introduced M^me Good as a domestic terrorist who allegedly tried to run over an agent with her vehicle. Local and state officials have rejected this version.

Mr. Pretti was killed on January 24 during an altercation with immigration officers on the street. A video filmed by a witness shows half a dozen officers tackling Mr. Pretti to the ground. One of the officers spotted Mr. Pretti’s gun, for which he had a permit, and shouted: “He has a gun!” » Two officers then opened fire.

Trump administration border policy chief Tom Homan announced Wednesday the withdrawal of 700 immigration agents from Minnesota – about a quarter of the force deployed to the state – after local and state authorities agreed the previous week to cooperate in turning over arrested immigrants. Mr. Homan, however, did not specify when the administration would end this crackdown in the state.

The wife of M^me Good, Becca Good, released a statement Saturday, saying immigration policy penalizes Minneapolis residents and no one knows their names.

“You know my wife’s name and Alex’s name, but there are many other people in this city who are suffering who you don’t know – their families are suffering as much as mine, even if they don’t look like them,” Becca Good said in her statement. They are neighbors, friends, colleagues, classmates. And we need to know their names too, because this shouldn’t happen to anyone. »