By RICK MILLER
Olean Star
OLEAN — More than 100 demonstrators attended an “Ice Out” protest outside Lincoln Park Saturday.
Many protesters cited the killing by an ICE agent of Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three in Minneapolis on Wednesday as the reason for coming out in 30-degree weather to demonstrate their concerns.
One local resident, Barbara Dyskant, who said she attended her first protest nearly 50 years ago, carried a hand-made sign that read: Stop ICE now.
“I believe in equality and freedom for people,” Dyskant said. “It’s really sad to see cruelty institutionalized by this administration. I feel I have to be out here as a moral duty as a mother and grandmother. I appreciate all these people being out here” to remember Renee Good.
Ronsanna Bontilo of Olean said she was there because “I’m anti-murder. I feel I should have a say in what this ICE officer does as a representative of our government.”
Another woman, Tina, said she came out because as “a woman of white privilege, I feel I should stand up for those who can’t and speak out for these people. My job as an American is to speak out.”
Vince Distefano of Ellicottville, said he came to the protest “because there’s not much we can do except make some noise.”
Jessica Davis, one of several people who helped coordinate the protest over ICE’s killing of Renee Good, said 115 people had been counted as participants in the protest. Many passing motorists showed support by honking their horns.
There was the ever-present counter protester David Nealy of Olean, who carried the American flag, but no bullhorn that he usually has to reply to chants from the other side of the street. “If it wasn’t President Trump, they’d find something else to complain about,” he said.
Protests in Olean over President Trump’s policies started back in March 2025 in front of Rep. Nick Langworthy’s Olean District Office in Blue Bird Square on North Union Street. They soon outgrew that location and most of the nearly monthly demonstrations have been along East State Street outside Lincoln Park.
The No Kings 2.0 demonstration in October that drew more than 7 million protesters at thousands of demonstrations across the country drew more than 400 in Olean.
Last week the local Voices of the People Movement organized another pop-up protest at Lincoln Park over Trump’s invasion of Venezuela.
Next Saturday, Jan. 17, from 2-4 p.m., Voice of the People is holding another demonstration to protest the first anniversary of Trump’s inauguration.
