Following the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent Jonathan Ross on Jan. 7 in Minneapolis, protests and rallies have sprung up across the United States in solidarity.

The city of Kent is no exception, with an anti-ICE protest hosted in downtown Kent on Tuesday, Jan. 20, by the Akron branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) organization and another ran by the Kent State Ohio Student Association  (OSA) in Risman Plaza on Friday, Jan. 23. 

“We’re out here to stand against all of the moves [Trump’s] made towards increasingly militarizing the State, towards the building of ICE even further,” Katalina Lynch, an Akron PSL member who attended the downtown Kent protest, says. “But also, to condemn the building of the empire in the ways that every president, since the beginning of this country’s inception, has explicitly built onto this machine that kidnaps civilians and that kills civilians.” 

OSA echoed a similar sentiment in their press release, which The Burr Magazine received a day prior on Jan. 22. 

“This action is part of a nationwide strike to protect our neighbors and oppose authoritarianism,” OSA wrote. “We call all students to sign the petition against ICE in Kent and on campus. At Kent State University, we refuse to stand by as our peers are threatened.” 

Anti-ICE protests weren’t the only major events to occur; Kent faced a rapid decrease in temperatures as winter storm Ferm approached before officially striking on Sunday, Jan. 25. 

“Fuck ICE and fuck frostbite!” one unnamed protester shouted as the downtown Kent protest on the 20th came to a close. The temperature had plummeted to -5 °F due to wind chill and the protest was forced to disperse just an hour after it had begun due to concerns of frostbite and other cold-induced injuries.  

The Jan. 23 protest at Kent State faced similar harsh weather, with temperatures starting at -1 °F due to wind chill when the protest began at 2 p.m., and plummeting rapidly from there. 

“We’re taking a lot of measures to try to minimize any health risks from being in the cold,” Grace Goodin, a senior applied communications major and president of the Kent chapter of OSA, says. “We will be handing out free hand warmers, and we are also only gathering for one hour there, therefore, people can go home and warm up right afterwards.”

Goodin also shares that many students may be hesitant to participate due to safety concerns, especially those in minority or immigrant communities, after having witnessed protesters in Minneapolis being tear-gassed by ICE agents. 

“On the other hand, I think a lot of students have fallen into the category of feeling like they can’t do anything,” Goodin says. “To those students, I would say that when we look at the history of student organizers, students really do have [the] power to make change.” 

Fellow Kent State student Elyse Troiano, a junior fashion design major, echoes Goodin’s sentiment in her interview at the downtown Kent protest.

According to Troiano, attending the protest gave her hope after learning about the events that led to the anti-ICE protests online. 

“I feel like the internet has really isolated us,” Troiano says. “Just being around people and knowing that I’m not the only one that finds what’s happening terrible gives me hope that maybe we can organize further.”

Despite the cold and snowfall from Winter Storm Fern, which is expected to continue into next week, the anti-ICE protests aren’t expected to stop any time soon. 

PSL Akron called for an emergency protest to take place Tuesday, Jan. 20, throughout northeast Ohio, including in downtown Kent, following the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Jeffrey Pretti by ICE agents in Minneapolis on Saturday, Jan. 24. 

“I know that a lot of college students are busy with [their] everyday lives and I know that a lot of people are in a very closed bubble of thinking that ‘it doesn’t matter’ or that ‘you can do it next time’, but right now we are at a pivotal point in our history,” Troiano says. “It’s important to take what you’re learning in classes and realize that you need to stand up, no matter what. Maybe you miss a class. Maybe you miss a shift to work, but like, it’s really important.”

With temperatures set to feel as low as -28 °F on Tuesday, the National Weather Service recommends that anyone planning on spending any time outdoors wear layers of loose-fitting, lightweight, warm clothing, cold-weather gear such as a hat and mittens that fit snug to the wrist and something to cover the mouth to protect the lungs from the extreme cold.

“In terms of protecting each other,” Goodin says, “I would say stay [stick] together. Sticking with a friend, sticking with a buddy, someone else who you trust.” 

Another safety precaution that OSA takes is having the presence of faculty marshals on campus. 

“On the OSA side of things, what we’re doing is making sure that we do have faculty marshals,” explains Goodin. “Those are people who are trained in de-escalation and come to our protests to help the students feel safe and have a third party present.” 

For those who have safety concerns regarding protesting, there are still other ways to be involved. 

“I think other than coming out to these protests, the best thing to do is to just stay organized and keep in touch with the organizations locally that are fighting this machine,” Lynch says. “The party of socialism and liberation is always looking to build our camaraderie, build our members, [and] remain organized, so you can keep in touch with us or with other organizations in the area.”

Goodin also echoes this sentiment, emphasizing that there are many ways students can support local organizations such as OSA. 

“I would say reposting our flyers and kind of spreading the word so that we reach more students who do have the comfortability of attending our protest,” Goodwin says. “Supporting the Ohio Student Association by attending some of our meetings or joining our GroupMe and just collaborating on or organizing the event, but then not attending the event if that’s something that feels too risky for you, that’s always an option.”

Rebekah Hiles is a writer and photographer. Contact her at [email protected].