Over 200 gather to voice opposition over ICE
Protestors gather infront of Salty the Seahorse in Mattapoisett. Photos by Mari Huglin
Residents created homemade signs protesting ICE and Donald Trump.
Residents of all ages came out to the protest.
Protestors met on all four corners of North Street and County Street on Route 6.
Jordan Johnson from Wareham stands with his handmade sign.
One woman holds a sign for cars to see as they drive past.
Mutliple protestors hold a sign spelling out "End the ICE age".
Friends and families gathered to protest ICE.
One corner is full of protestors ready to be heard.
One man stands with his "No Kings" sign, a protest that happened earlier in the fall. 
American flags and pride flags were common among the crowd.
More signs call for justice.
One man brought a cowbell as the crowds chanted.
The four corners were full of protesters from across the South Coast.
Protestors gather infront of Salty the Seahorse in Mattapoisett. Photos by Mari Huglin
Residents created homemade signs protesting ICE and Donald Trump.
Residents of all ages came out to the protest.
Protestors met on all four corners of North Street and County Street on Route 6.
Jordan Johnson from Wareham stands with his handmade sign.
One woman holds a sign for cars to see as they drive past.
Mutliple protestors hold a sign spelling out "End the ICE age".
Friends and families gathered to protest ICE.
One corner is full of protestors ready to be heard.
One man stands with his "No Kings" sign, a protest that happened earlier in the fall.
American flags and pride flags were common among the crowd.
More signs call for justice.
One man brought a cowbell as the crowds chanted.
The four corners were full of protesters from across the South Coast.
MATTAPOISETT — Over 200 people from across the South Coast showed up to an anti-ICE rally in front of Salty the Seahorse in Mattapoisett, Sunday, Jan. 11.
Protests took place all over the country in response to the murder of Renee Good, a 37-year-old United States citizen, by an Immigration Customs Enforcement, or ICE for short, agent in Minneapolis on Wednesday, Jan. 7.
The protest was organized by members of five Democratic town committees from Mattapoisett, Marion, Rochester, Fairhaven and Acushnet.
Protesters lined 4 corners of North Street and Country Street on Route 6 with homemade signs, chants and flags.
“Any local community needs to be involved because it starts at the grassroots,” Mattapoisett Democrats chair Nicki Demakis said.
Demakis said today was about visibility to hold ICE accountable, but also to show how important it is for people to vote.
“ICE has to be held accountable just like every other law enforcement organization in the country. There's a thing called due process,” she said.
Demakis hopes that voters turn out in November, especially young people or people who skipped voting in the last election.
“I have nieces and nephews that are in their 20s and I'm hoping that demographic, that voter cohort, can show up and turn things around,” she said.
Jordan Johnson, an 18-year-old from Wareham, runs the social media for a non-profit citizens activist group Wareham for Law and Democracy. He said he showed up because what happened to Renee Good was "entirely unjust and illegal.”
Johnson added it is important for the community to be vocal to raise awareness and let people know action can be taken.
“Protesting is the first step, but it's not the only step,” he said. “You need to be calling your representatives. You need to be making sure you're voting in midterms and local elections.”
Frances Feliz-Kearns of Mattapoisett brought her teen son to the protest and said she showed up to show her neighbors and community the behavior by ICE is unacceptable.
“Immigrants are welcome here. This is a country that was built by immigrants. I myself am a daughter of an immigrant,” she said.
Feliz-Kearns explained she was here to show solidarity with marginalized communities being one herself.
She hopes that more people will come out to protests, but also educate themselves on what is going on in the national and local governments.
There were no counter protestors in support of ICE or President Donald Trump at the event.
Rochester Democratic Town Committee chairman, who preferred to remain nameless, helped organize the event. The 75-year-old said he comes from a family of immigrants who escaped Yugoslavia and the Nazis.
He said remaining silent is unacceptable and that community members need to use all the power they have to fight injustice.
“It's giving people an opportunity to express their rage and their concern, so that's what's important,” the chairman said. “You can't stay silent at this time.”
