ATLANTA — Peaceful demonstrators took to the streets of Atlanta for a second straight night following the fatal shooting of a woman by ICE agents in Minnesota and another shooting involving federal agents in Oregon.
Dozens of protesters lined the street outside the Georgia State Capitol before marching to a nearby ICE field office to protest the shooting death of 37-year-old Renee Good in Minneapolis. Demonstrators with the Party for Socialism and Liberation are calling for an end to mass deportations and the abolition of ICE.
Organizers say they also want Georgia lawmakers to publicly condemn Good’s killing and review local agreements with ICE. Protesters carried bright yellow signs reading “Stop ICE Terror Now” and repeatedly chanted, “the racist system has to fall!”
Good was shot and killed while sitting in her car in Minneapolis. The White House and federal officials say the shooting was an act of self-defense, claiming Good tried to use her vehicle as a weapon. Some witnesses, however, say Good was peaceful at the time of the shooting. Demonstrators are now protecting the area surrounding the site where she was killed.
Protests are also growing in Minneapolis, where activists and community members have taken over the city block where the shooting occurred. Ashley Horan, who says she witnessed the aftermath, described seeing numerous unmarked federal vehicles and ICE agents holding firearms.
“There were probably 20 unmarked federal vehicles that were there,” Horan said. “ICE was present in the street, they were holding their firearms and actually pointing at folks on sidewalks.”
Horan says the community is experiencing heartbreak, rage and fear.
The demonstrations in Atlanta are also tied to another shooting involving federal agents in Portland, Oregon. Officials there say Border Patrol agents shot a man and a woman during a traffic stop. Both were taken to the hospital, but officials have not released information on their conditions yet.
The Department of Homeland Security says it believes the two people shot in Portland have ties to Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang. Portland Mayor Keith Wilson says he wants answers and is calling on ICE to halt all operations in the city until a full investigation is completed.
“We know what the federal government says happened here,” Wilson said. “There was a time where we could take them at their word. That time has long passed.”
The mayor of Minneapolis has made similar remarks, urging federal agents to leave the city.
Portland Police Chief Bob Day is urging protesters across the country to remain peaceful.
“The uncertainty and the fear and the sadness within our community is real,” Day said. “We are doing everything in our power to maintain that level of peace, calm and safety.”
Minnesota investigators say the FBI is blocking them from evidence related to the ICE shooting in Minneapolis. Good’s death has sparked protests in cities across the country, including Atlanta, where demonstrators say their demands are clear: an independent investigation, an end to mass deportations, and an end to ICE operations.
WSB Radio’s Austin Eller and Jennifer Perry contributed to this story.