Demonstrators call Minneapolis killing of Renee Good a ‘crystalizing moment’ in calling for more humane law enforcement
DETROIT — Eighty people gathered before dawn in front of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices in Detroit on Michigan Avenue to advocate for immigrant rights and a cessation of ICE operations in Detroit on Jan. 14.
Advocates for immigration reform have been hosting weekly prayer vigils outside the ICE Detroit Field Office on Michigan and Third avenues; this week, many held candles in memory of Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman who was shot and killed Jan. 7 during a confrontation with an ICE officer.
“We’ve been out here every Wednesday since the first Wednesday in August; all of this is in response to Catholic social teaching and to the Gospel in standing with our neighbors,” said Kim Redigan, a parishioner at Gesu Parish in Detroit and director of campus ministry at Detroit Cristo Rey High School.
“We’ve been out here every single Wednesday, regardless of weather, because of the Gospel mandate to love one another,” Redigan added.
The vigil began years ago, started by a group of women religious concerned about harsh immigration policies. Since then, it has been promoted by Strangers No Longer, a Catholic apostolate dedicated to serving the needs of migrants, and groups from various Christian denominations.
Typically, 20 to 30 people attend the weekly vigils from 7:30 to 8 a.m., but this Wednesday’s outing was more robust in the wake of Good's death. Redigan said arrests and violence against immigrants and advocates have heightened the need to call for human enforcement of immigration policies and procedures.
“I think people have always been advocating, but (Good’s killing) certainly was a crystallizing moment,” Redigan said. “But we know that there are many others who died in detention, especially people of color, and sometimes their stories aren’t lifted as much. So yes, I do think this was a mobilizing moment for people, but these are folks who’ve been doing the walk of following Jesus week in and week out, year in and year out, for a very long time, decade after decade.”
Demonstrators along Michigan Avenue spoke of other reasons for attending the vigil, from calling for an end to ICE agents masking during raids, to stopping immigration enforcement at religious sites.
For others, the weekly vigil simply provides an opportunity to stand in solidarity with their immigrant brothers and sisters and with one another.
Sr. Cathey Desantis, CSJ, said at times the news can make her feel helpless, seeing all the strife and violence, but that standing in silent prayer in a way to witness and take action.
“I think people see all of this happening and, like me, feel helpless about the situation,” Sr. Desantis said. “This gives folks an opportunity to show their support, whether that’s holding a sign or honking their horn. They’re in solidarity with what’s happening; they wave.
“It’s an opportunity to support people in Minneapolis; it’s an opportunity to say with our signs, that what we’re doing to immigrants is wrong, and we’re not going to stand for it,” Sr. Desantis said.
On this brisk Wednesday morning, with the sun yet to emerge from above the buildings of downtown Detroit, the gathering of people of different faiths was a witness to the Christian mission to treat every man, woman and child — regardless of legal status — with the dignity befitting of a child of God, Redigan said.
“I like to think that we’re doing God’s work,” Redigan said. “The outcomes are not in our hands; all we do is respond to Jesus’ call to be bold, to take a stance, to live the beatitudes, to live our Catholic social teaching, to live the Gospel. The outcomes happen by the grace of God.
“I’m hoping that by people seeing us out here, it may raise consciousness and send people to a place where they focus on the choices that are being made that disrupt family life and community life, and call for a more just world,” Redigan said.
Photos by Daniel Meloy | Detroit Catholic
