Denver: Over 1200 march against ICE killings

Denver, CO – On Sunday, January 25, over 1200 protesters arrived at the Colorado Capitol in Denver, Colorado, to stand in solidarity with the fight against ICE in Minneapolis. The noon time action was led by the Denver Coalition Against Trump to protest the second ICE murder in Minneapolis in the past month.

Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old Minneapolis ICU nurse, was tackled to the ground by multiple ICE agents, and repeatedly shot. The people of Denver came together in the cold to protest and to fight back against Trump’s attacks on the people by saying no to more ICE activity.

Protesters gathered at the capitol steps to listen to speeches. Jeanette Vizguerra, a long-time activist and political prisoner who was detained and held by ICE for over nine months stated, “In case the situation in Minnesota comes here, the people are prepared!” While talking about the campaign that set her free along with the preparation from organizers to deal with ICE, Vizguerra encouraged the crowd saying, “I am very proud of my community! I am very proud of Colorado!”

Kyle Burroughs of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization spoke on the difficulties shared by the people in the U.S. and the need to organize for a new society, stating, “Exploitation, inequality and oppression are rewarded in this system and we need to name it and shame it – I’m talking about capitalism,” to shouts of “Shame!” from the crowd. Burroughs continued, “Capitalism, the same system that produced Donald Trump and that will produce even more Trumps unless and until we stop it– until we turn this system on its head!”

After listening to speeches, the crowd walked down the steps of the capitol and into the streets to march. Throughout the march, the crowd made sure that downtown Denver could hear them loud and clear. While chanting, “Say it once, say it twice, we will not put up with ICE,” the crowd also joined in with blowing whistles and making noise downtown. The crowd joined in calling for justice for the victims of ICE murder. The emcees led the crowd in saying the names of the recent victims of ICE murder, Renee Good, Alex Pretti and Keith Porter.

After passing by the Denver Immigration Court, the location where ICE used to stage for deportations before being chased out by community organizers, the march returned to the Colorado Capitol steps.

The protest ended with a speech from Bailey Heaton of the Denver Students for a Democratic Society, “This is the third murder by ICE agents in three weeks! On top of this, they have started kidnapping toddlers and separating them from their families when they’re barely in kindergarten!” Heaton continued, “These attacks are what immigrant students at the Auraria schools are afraid of. They’re terrified of their parents, siblings, and themselves being taken by ICE and deported just because of their immigration status. They’re scared of being taken while they’re in class or walking to their car on campus.”

The protest ended with closing remarks from the emcees. who invited the crowd to check out the tables behind the protest truck so that demonstrators could learn more about organizing efforts in their community and how to fight back against the Trump agenda.

#DenverCO #CO #ImmigrantRights #ICE #KillerICE #DCAT #FRSO #SDS