KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – One person was taken into custody Thursday evening, following a large-scale protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in downtown Kalamazoo.
The demonstration, which drew between 300 and 400 participants, was organized by a coalition including Indivisible Greater Kalamazoo and the Southwest Michigan Democratic Socialists of America, in response to the January 7 shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis.
While protesters marched from the Judge Charles A. Pratt Justice Center to City Hall carrying banners that read “No one is illegal on stolen land,” the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety (KDPS) reported that the individual arrested for obstructing the road and resisting police did not appear to be an official participant in the organized rally.
The arrest occurred as the demonstration concluded, with bystander video capturing officers on bicycles pursuing the individual while onlookers shouted in protest. Although the Kalamazoo Immigrant Solidarity Coalition described the atmosphere as emotionally charged, they utilized de-escalation volunteers to maintain order throughout the event.
The gathering was one of several held across Michigan—including similar actions in Grand Rapids and Battle Creek—as activists nationwide contest federal claims that the shooting of Renee Good was an act of self-defense. Despite the tension surrounding the police intervention, organizers maintained that the primary focus remained on their peaceful call for “No Justice, No Peace.”
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