Minneapolis "crucifixion" pilgrimage visits George Floyd site, memorials for 2 killed by ICE agents
On this Good Friday, dozens of people in Minneapolis marched in the rain to acknowledge a connection they feel exists between how Jesus was crucified and the trauma community members experienced in recent years.
A somber tone mirrored the gloomy skies above the dedicated crowd as they embarked on a pilgrimage where each stop carries a certain pain all-too familiar for Christians.
"Jesus was unjustly taken. He was unjustly crucified, murdered as a public spectacle," said Rev. Dr. Jia Starr Brown. "Each of these sites (we're visiting) is where the same thing has happened, where people are continuing to be unjustly crucified."
It began next to Say Their Names cemetery, honoring people killed at the hands of law enforcement, a common theme throughout the three-hour journey. Re. Jim Bear Jacobs (Mohican) first honored the native lives lost years ago at Bdote, a spiritual site for the Dakota people that is now where the Whipple Federal Building stands. It became the ICE headquarters during Operation Metro Surge.
Next, the group walked to 38th and Chicago Avenue, where police killed George Floyd in 2020. At each site, a witness would tell the story of what happened in that location, followed by religious leaders drawing its connection to the bible's story of crucifixion.
"We want to take time to honor their life and also to lament the injustice that continues to happen," said Starr Brown.
The next several stops on the pilgrimage were connected to Operation Metro Surge, specifically ICE's presence on the city's south side. It's where immigrant families lived in fear and two U.S. citizens were killed.
As a chilling rain started to fall, the group marched to the memorial for Renee Good, the mother shot to death in her vehicle by an ICE agent. Since cameras weren't allowed at that location, WCCO caught up with crowd at the Karmel Mall. That's where Somali businesses struggled due to customers worrying that ICE might arrest them while shopping.
Down the street at 29th and Pillsbury, the group acknowledged an ICE operation in December that led to a chaotic arrest attempt. A woman who was handcuffed was dragged by an agent across the street at that intersection that day, as an angry crowd of onlookers hurled snowballs and blew whistles to scare the agents away.
The last stop on the pilgrimage was on Nicollet where federal agents killed Alex Pretti. Their journey started at noon and ended at 3 p.m. That three-hour stretch is called "Three Hours Devotion," commemorating the time Jesus hung and died on the cross.
Despite the religious thread throughout the event, Starr Brown said people from all walks of life can stand in solidarity with their cause.
"Whether you are someone who is not engaged in the church at all, we all have core values. We all have a core, moral compass that guides us. So, there's something within us to say, that should be saying, 'This isn't right. This is unjust'," she said.
