Hundreds of protesters took to Richmond streets Saturday, marching from Maggie Walker Memorial Plaza to Abner Clay Park to condemn ICE after an agent fatally shot Renee Good in Minneapolis.

The “ICE Out of Virginia” protest, organized by Party for Socialism and Liberation-Virginia, Indivisible RVA and 50501 Virginia, lasted over an hour and halted traffic on Broad Street. 

“We are here today to make a loud stand against ICE and this regime that has not represented us, has used our tax dollars to rip our neighbors away from us, has murdered our neighbors in front of us,” said Reed Baldwin of the PSLVA as he addressed the crowd gathered in the pouring rain at Walker Plaza. 

The local protest was one of roughly 500 organized nationwide as part of the “ICE Out for Good” weekend, with demonstrations in nearly 1,200 cities and towns after the shooting, according to national organizers. 

Trump administration officials have said the shooting was an act of self-defense after Good allegedly tried to hit the agent with her vehicle. Multiple videos contradict that account. 

Residents, organizers and speakers from several Richmond groups joined national criticism of the fatal shooting and the Trump administration’s explanation of the incident. They also raised concerns about ICE’s treatment of immigrants. 

“They tell us that the immigrants are the problem, that they’re criminals, that Black and brown people are the problem, that trans people, that transkids are the problem,” said Richmond Defensa organizer Violeta Vega. “They tell those lies to our face every day to justify this violence, to justify this terror.” 

Demonstrators also criticized decades of increased federal spending on immigration enforcement and border patrol, saying needs such as housing, health care and education have been overlooked. 

Speakers encouraged protesters to prepare for a general strike and to organize in defense of themselves and their communities. They also urged people to call on local and state officials to end operations connected to ICE and to reconsider Richmond’s use of Flock Safety cameras, which some activists criticized as surveillance tools. 

“The majority of the progress that has been made, it’s been made by, every single day, ordinary working-class citizens,” Te’Shaun Cleckley said. “So, honest to god, I think it’s up to us.” 

In a statement, Mayor Danny Avula reiterated that the city and Richmond Police Department do not coordinate with ICE on deportations. He did not say whether the city’s contract with Flock Safety cameras would be ended, instead stressing that the department uses the technology with transparency and for public safety. 

Organizers said they plan a peace vigil outside the Virginia War Memorial on Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday and a walkout on Tuesday in response to Good’s fatal shooting and federal immigration policies they oppose. 

Hundreds of protesters march through Richmond on Saturday with signs and umbrellas to condemn actions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement after an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Good in Minneapolis, igniting national outrage. (Julianne Tripp Hillian/Richmond Free Press)