Philly protesters rally in support of Minnesota after another shooting by federal agents: "It's really scary"
Hundreds of people marched peacefully through Center City Philadelphia Monday, rallying in solidarity with Minnesota and raising concerns about federal immigration enforcement and recent deadly encounters involving federal agents in Minneapolis.
Demonstrators carried signs, chanted and gathered in below-freezing temperatures, describing the march as a show of support for communities they say are increasingly fearful.
"I feel so glad that I came because it really is very rejuvenating," said Jyoti Laverack, a Philadelphia teacher who joined the rally. "It is speaking to a larger cause, and it's also speaking to us and the work that we do."
Organizers also used the event to encourage participation in a general strike scheduled for Friday.
"Let us all support the call from these brave students on the ground in Minnesota who are calling for us to expand the general strike this Friday," said organizer Gabby Ballard, with the Party for Socialism and Liberation and Black Radical Christians.
The protest comes days after federal agents shot and killed Minnesota ICU nurse Alex Pretti in South Minneapolis. While the Department of Homeland Security has said Pretti approached law enforcement with a handgun, that account has been contradicted by sworn witness statements. Bystander video reviewed by CBS News shows Pretti holding a cellphone, not a gun.
Many marchers also referenced the killing of Renee Nicole Good, with signs honoring both victims and calling for accountability.
Kari Kling, a special education teacher, said the events in Minnesota have intensified fears among people she works with and knows personally.
"A lot of my students are either immigrants or not White," Kling said. "A lot of the friends that I do swing dancing with are immigrants, so knowing that a lot of them are scared just to travel to do anything — it's really scary."
Kling said she was angered by the implications of the Minnesota shooting.
"It didn't surprise me, but it did anger me to know that even those of us who are not immigrants or who are White, if we speak up and say something to ICE agents when we see them doing something — assaulting people — then we could get shot and killed for that," she said.
For some attendees, the march marked their first protest.
"I've never been to a protest before, but our country doesn't realize how bad it is," said Andrew Tamagni, of Philadelphia. "We can't just blatantly lie about how we murder people and get away with it."
Patrick Flynn, another protester, carried an upside-down American flag, which he described as an internationally recognized symbol of extreme distress.
"Every person that's here is another physical signal against what's going on in this country," Flynn said. "This government is unaccountable. There [are] no checks and balances."
City officials are also responding. Tuesday at 10 a.m., Philadelphia City Council members Kendra Brooks and Rue Landau are set to introduce what they are calling the "ICE OUT" legislation package, which would limit how city agencies interact with federal immigration enforcement.