Protest forms outside of Department of Homeland Security office in Spokane after Minnesota ICE shooting

After Renee Good was shot and killed Wednesday morning in Minneapolis by a federal immigration enforcement agent, some Spokane residents joined the national outcry and took to the streets in protest.

Carlos Menendez organized a protest outside of the Department of Homeland Security’s Office in Spokane next to the Podium. While vehicles passed along Washington Street, Menendez spoke about the reason for the impromptu protest.

“What we witnessed was a public execution,” he said, of Good’s death. “There’s no other way around it. A woman was shot and killed in broad daylight.”

Since the release of the video showing ICE agent Jonathan Ross shooting the 37-year-old Good , there have been mixed assessments of exactly what happened. Menendez and many other protesters believe she was unjustly killed and that she made no attempt to harm any of the agents.

But Vice President JD Vance said in a news conference at the White House that Good aimed her car at a law enforcement officer and pressed the accelerator. He claims Ross’ actions were out of self-defense.

“I can believe that her death is a tragedy while also recognizing it’s a tragedy of her own making,” Vance said.

As Menendez spoke about what unfolded, some vehicles driving past on Washington Street rolled their windows down and gave the protesters the middle finger, while most honked exuberantly in support.

A staff member with the Department of Homeland Security told KHQ NonStop Local that they sent all nonessential workers home for the day in the morning.

While the sporadic protest did not draw in the biggest crowd, it is likely a prelude of a much larger demonstration to come.

Starting at 2 p.m. Saturday at BA Clark Park, Spokane Indivisible and Indivisible Spokane are planning a protest.

Sami Perry with Spokane Indivisible said it is hard to know for certain, but she expects at least 500 people to show up. The cold weather is a deterrent, but she hopes the presence of soup and bread rolls and the violence that went down in Minneapolis will encourage folks to make an appearance.

Over the course of Friday’s protest, a steady stream of protesters coming and going kept the total around 10. When Menendez started at 9:50 a.m., there were even fewer people standing next to him with signs. He expected more people to join as the day progressed.

“I’m making sure we’re not leaving any garbage,” he said. “My biggest thing is, as a group, I want to make sure we’re not coming off bad in any way.”

Karl Boettner, 68, came out to protest outside the DHS office because he believes ICE is out of control and completely unaccountable. He is infuriated by Vance’s defense of the shooting and believes Americans are in danger as long as ICE exists.

“Right now, people need to remember the name, Renee Good,” Boettner said. “Renee Good. They need to say her name. … It’s time for ICE to withdraw from our towns and cities.”

Menendez said organizing a protest was nerve-racking, but slightly easier than he imagined. He was hoping to order pizzas around dinnertime, and the water, N95 masks and safety glasses all came out of his own pocket. He brought masks and safety glasses in case they ran into resistance in the form of tear gas or rubber bullets.

“Obviously we don’t want to antagonize or cause any issues,” Menendez said. “We don’t want what happened last time (in Minnesota) to happen this time. I don’t want anybody getting hurt.”

Sami Perry with Spokane Indivisible said she is asking for volunteers on Saturday to bring a food donation that will then be given to Second Harvest. Perry said that they have a hard cut-off time of 4 p.m. when they want everyone to go home so as not to incite any violence as night falls.

A protest is also scheduled in Colville from noon until 1:30 p.m. outside of the town’s Walmart.