By RICK MILLER
Olean Star
OLEAN — “ICE Out Everywhere,” part of a nationwide response to the recent deaths of protesters in Minneapolis, will be held in Olean Saturday.
The protest at Lincoln Park, scheduled from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., will remember the lives of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both of whom were shot and killed by masked Homeland Security agents.
Voices of the People Movement and the Cattaraugus-Allegany Liberation Collective are mobilizing local people for Saturday’s national day of action. A third American, Keith Porter Jr., was killed by an off-duty ICE agent in Carson, Calif., on New Year’s Eve.
Olean-ara protesters, according to Cara Kretschmer, one of the organizers, will join “ICE Out Everywhere” demonstrations in all 50 states where communities will come together to protest and to demand the blocking of DHS funding until ICE and CBP are permanently removed from our streets, the abolition of ICE and dismantling of DHS, and justice for the murders of 38 detainees, as well as Keith Porter, Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti.”
Kretschmer said, “The execution of Alex Pretti is part of a brutal pattern of ICE entering American communities, terrorizing its citizens, and abducting and killing innocent civilians. Alex Pretti’s execution was not the first tragic incident to occur since ICE paramilitary forces invaded Minnesota.
“There have been countless abuses against civilians, families have been ripped apart, children have been used as bait and abducted, and ICE has murdered multiple civilians while on patrol or while holding civilians in ICE facilities,” she said.
“The onus is on the US, the people, to stop this campaign of terror,” Kretschmer said. “This is a direct attack on our communities AND our democracy. The Trump administration is trying to strike fear and docility in the hearts of our community members: we will not comply.”
Kretschmer said the weather will be very cold on Saturday and said protesters would not feel obligated to stay for the full 1 1/2 hours. “We recommend wearing lots of layers and maybe bringing a warm beverage,” she added.
