PARSONS — A few dozen protesters gathered on 16th and Main Street in Parsons, holding signs, playing music, and waving American flags. The signs they carried read: “We are all immigrants,” “Reject fascism,” When tyranny becomes law, resistance becomes duty,” as well as those denouncing ICE.
They were gathered to protest the recent Minneapolis shooting of citizen Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, Jonathan Ross, which occurred on Wednesday, Jan. 7.
Saturday’s local protest was organized by the Southeast Kansas Democratic Socialists of America, the Labette County Democrats, and another local organizer, Melissa Lunsford.
“Everybody out here is standing for justice against all the people who have been hurt and murdered by ICE and border patrol actions last year and this year,” said Zac Sellers, an Altamont City Council member and a member of the SEK Democratic Socialists of America.
Cathy Dean, the chairperson for the Labette County Democrats, said she was protesting because she was concerned about how ICE is operating.
“Everyone is focused on Renee Good, but there has been a lot of things that have been covered up, and so far, this government has not held any of these ICE agents accountable for any of their actions,” Dean said. “In fact, they’ve encouraged it.”
Dean said she was also concerned about the agents being masked to prevent identification nd the potential doxing of agents.
“But they don’t worry about the people — their tax dollars pay these agents’ wages,” Dean said. “There just has to be some accountability.”
She noted that just over a week into the new year, a foreign president has been extradited, and at least one citizen has been assassinated.
Tom Tongier attended the protest with his wife, Joan. He said he was happy to be protesting.
“It’s important to realize that if the officer was afraid, the remedy for the solution was not shooting. Because I don’t believe his life was ever in imminent danger where he had to use deadly force,” Tongier said.
“I feel like we need to stand up and speak out for all of our neighbors and that this brutality needs attention,” Lunsford said. “I was really glad to see so many people show up.”
Lunsford said protesting can be encouraging to others.
“Protesting isn’t for everybody, there are some people that this is way out of their social comfort zone, and they might think that they are kon of on their own,” Lunsford said. “But when they happen to see, whether it’s on Facebook, or driving by, and they see that there are people who think like them, and they aren’t alone.”
Lunsford said that even in small numbers and in small communities, protesting like this shows other individuals that their voice matters.
Lunsford noted that Good has not been the only citizen who has been similarly killed by an ICE agent. She posted a sign in the grass highlighting dozens of individuals, and held a sign that read: “32 people died in ICE custody in 2025, making it the agency’s deadliest year in more than two decades.”
Sellers said the responses to the protest from passersby were mixed. Many people honked or shouted messages of support as they drove past.
Others gave “colorful gestures,” according to Sellers. Those included many people sticking their thumbs down at the protesters or displaying their middle finger. Some even made gestures alluding to shooting the protesters.
A common critique of the protesters included the phrase “get a job,” Which was shouted at them from passing vehicles, including one man who yelled: “Get a job, you f—ing bums.”
The majority of the protesters were currently employed, retired, or students.
“I’m not sure what protesting on a Saturday afternoon has to do with being unemployed in their minds,” Lundsford said. “
“I think it’s good because whether you’re getting a yes or no, they are paying attention, so hopefully they are going to think about it,” Kim Sands, a protester, said.
Sands attended the protest with her granddaughter, Ava Favela, of Erie, Kansas.
“Her mom was kind of scared; she worried about her coming to these kinds of things. I told her, you’ve got to get out of your bubble,” Sands said. “You can’t just stay in your little bubble, because there are people hurting. It’s sad.”
For Favela, it was the 16-year-old’s first time attending a protest.
“I think it’s really eye-opening, especially just to see everyone here willing to advocate for Renee, especially being someone from the Hispanic community and having Hispanic family members.”
Another first-time protester, Kelsey Reeves, said the recent shooting spurred her to get involved.
“I saw the shooting of Renee Good, and it is wrong. Everything that is going on right now is not right,” Reeves said. “I finally decided to take a stand against it. I’ve always been against Trump, but this shooting in cold blood just didn’t sit right with me.”
Since the events on Wednesday, there have been protests popping up in cities across the country. Some protesters are there not just to speak against the killing of Renee, but to encourage their local citizens to stay informed on what is going on in the federal government, such as Julia Rosenberg.
“People need to educate themselves, because they shouldn’t believe what the internet or a bot corporation gets to say. People need to educate themselves about government and public policy,” Rosenberg said. She added, “The Constitution states that we should all have equal rights. Every person should have equal rights.”
Darah Miller said she wanted to protest because as a country, the United States is a scary place right now.
“If ICE agents can just go ahead and murder our citizens and take our neighbors and harm us, we are not safe. This is not a democracy, and we need to do something about it, and I think more people need to wake up to that,” Miller said.
In addition to Labette and Neosho county residents, some protesters attended from Woodson County, such as Nancy Kelly.
“It makes you feel good to come to these things because of all the craziness going on. It just makes you feel good to be around other people who think its crazy too,” Kelly said. “It keeps you grounded, and it feels like you do something, at least. I’m not going to be one who just gets run over.”
Ray Semrad said he’s attended several protests with the Labette County Democrats, but that things at the federal level keep getting worse and worse.
“The government is attacking the United States right now,” Semrad said. “So with this thing that happened in Minneapolis, with ICE, to me, that should be the last straw for anybody. It’s something that people have to wake up to and take a look at. If they don’t, it’s going to affect them personally, and once it affects them personally, it’s too damn late.”
While in his opinion, things keep getting worse with the government, he says he sees more agreement from the community.
“It’s like people are starting to finally pay attention, thank God. We just need more people to pay attention,” Semrad said His wife, Linda, said she has been to many protests, but said Saturday’s protest was special.
Another protester, Cathy Joy, said she was protesting for a list of reasons, including the actions of ICE, the lack of affordable health care, inflation, cryptocurrency, and banking policy changes.
“I’m not okay with what is going on right now. We really need to take back our country for the good of the people, not the millionaires,” Joy said.
Editor’s Note: The national news surrounding this story continues to unfold, and we at the Chanute Tribune recommend reading news coverage from multiple sources to develop a deeper understanding of this nuanced topic.
Hannah Emberton | Tribune Photo
Ton Tongier, left, stands next to his wife Joan Tongier, center, during Saturday’s protest against ICE. They are joined by Linda Semrad, right.
