Protesters decry Minneapolis woman killed by ICE agent

ELYRIA – Protestors lined the side of Cleveland Street Saturday morning for the first Stand Up Lorain County event of the new year. With signs decrying recent actions tied to the Trump administration, including the fatal shooting of a woman in Minnesota by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Wednesday, more than 100 people filled the corner of Cleveland Street and state Route 57. Organizer Nichole Geibel, co-chair of the North Ridgeville Democratic Party, said originally the focus was going to be the military action in Venezuela, but after the shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis, it changed. Good, 37, was shot by ICE officer Jonathan Ross on Jan. 7 in Minneapolis. Online registration, though not required, for Saturday's protest, skyrocketed after Wednesday, Geibel said. "People want to come out and have their voices heard and let Trump know that we don't want this – this is not what America is," she said, adding there were "so many issues" that brought protestors out that morning. Beyond the anti-ICE signs, some called for the release of the Epstein files, while others waved "No Kings" posters or slogans against the U.S. involvement in Venezuela and its oil reserves. One man waved a sign calling the president a pedophile, while another person donned an inflatable frog suit reminiscent of costumes worn by protestors during national "No Kings" marches last year. Louise Fogarty said she has been actively attending Stand Up Lorain County actions since July. "I felt it was important to come to this one with everything going on with ICE," she said, holding a sign calling for the protection of immigrants. She became politically active during Donald Trump's first term in 2016, and said she has "gotten louder" since his reelection in 2024. Longtime United Auto Workers member and Lorain County Community Action Program Council President Jim Slone held a sign calling for "love over hate" as cars buzzed past, the majority offering supportive honks. Slone's presence at Saturday's protest was in an effort to fight for everyone, he said, not just UAW or union workers, but the future generations of the country. "All of us that are out here are here for the same reason," he said, noting many of the older attendees had "fought this fight once before." Fellow UAW member CAP Council Second Vice-President Zachary Boggs estimated 120 to 150 people attended Saturday's protest. He said he saw a lot of friendly faces and felt support was starting to grow in the county. Boggs and Slone will join other UAW members in Washington, D.C. next month to lobby for what Slone called "kitchen table issues" like better healthcare and improved wages. Lorain County Democratic Party Chairwoman Sharon Sweda said the matters that drew people to the sidewalk on Saturday, despite the cooler temperatures, were not party issues. "It is a right and wrong issue," Sweda said. Amid the chaos of the ever-changing news cycle, Stand Up Lorain County has become a community for like-minded people from across Northeast Ohio to come together in a time when they feel the country is being torn apart. "They're pitting us against each other when that's not how it has to be," Geibel said. "I love the community that we've built here." Stand Up Lorain County's next regularly scheduled protest is 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. in Avon at the corner of Nagel Road and Middleton Drive on Jan. 24. For more information on Stand Up Lorain County, join its Facebook group or contact Geibel at geibel.nrdems@gmail.com. Contact Carissa Woytach at cwoytach@chroniclet.com.