21 Jan Richmond Rally Remembers Victims, Calls for End to State Violence After ICE Killings

 At a unity vigil held Jan. 19 in honor of people killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, most community members raised their hands when asked if they felt fearful of state violence.

Photo essay, Joe Porrello

“We matter.”

That chant echoed across Civic Center Plaza in Richmond on Monday afternoon as about 50 residents, faith leaders and local officials gathered for a peaceful, multicultural vigil in response to recent killings by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents nationwide.

Organized by Faith in Action East Bay and The Freedmen Federation, the event featured speeches, prayers and calls to end state violence. The gathering was supported by the city of Richmond.

The rally comes less than two weeks after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis. According to The Trace, a news organization dedicated to covering gun violence in the U.S., ICE agents have opened fire on 17 people since the Trump administration’s current immigration crackdown began, killing four and injuring another eight. It says these numbers are likely an undercount, however, as shootings are not always publicly reported.

 

Event organizer Kira Lee, with FIA East Bay, served as emcee, introducing speakers including City Council member Claudia Jimenez, former City Council member Melvin Willis, United Teachers of Richmond President Francisco Ortiz, Richmond mayoral candidate Ahmad Anderson, and District 1 Supervisor John Gioia.

Held on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, many channeled and quoted the civil rights icon with various messages, all opposing state violence.

“The things that divide us are the lies, and the only thing that can bring us together is the truth,” Lee said.

 

In a powerful moment, the names of those killed by ICE agents were repeated by the crowd in unison.

“If we decided that life was sacred before today, the names that we read off together would still be here,” Lee said.

Willis praised Richmond residents and their willingness to affect positive change by showing up when it matters.

“Community members know what we’re seeing is wrong, and we may not feel like we have power, but we do have the power of our voice… the power to show up and the power to shift the narrative,” said Willis. “We will always stand up and fight for justice, we will always stand up to fight for our neighbors, we will always stand up to fight for our families — not because of any obligation — because it is the right thing to do.”

 

At one point, Lee asked attendees to raise their hands if they were immigrants, and then if they were afraid of state violence. Nearly everyone raised their hands.

“This is not about immigration — this is about fear and deciding who belongs and who does not,” said Lee.

Jimenez said the trepidation is present everywhere.

“When they show up in our neighborhoods, in our schools, in our churches — nobody is truly safe, not immigrants, not citizens, not children, not the elderly,” she said. “This kind of unchecked power threatens the very foundation of our democracy.”

To combat such fears, the nonprofit community safety group Reimagine Richmond started a 24-hour hotline and chat groups where community members can acquire information in real time, as well as a community watch with volunteers trained to be “legal observers” who can verify ICE vehicles and spread the word quickly.

 

The event also marked the public launch of Richmond’s 2026 Justice in Education strategy, a community-driven proposal that aims to remove law enforcement practices which harm Black and Brown families by making larger investments in school facilities and infrastructure, along with providing more access to culturally responsive counselors and service providers.

“Education is the thing fascism attacks first,” said Lee.

 

Richmond’s sanctuary protections prohibit ICE operations in public spaces, and the city has allocated more than $1 million from its general fund for immigrant legal aid.

Gioia said the next step is the state and federal government adopting Richmond’s successful local policies that decrease state violence. Before handing off the microphone, he noted the importance of translating the energy from Monday’s gathering into yearlong advocacy, as opposed to just one day remembering victims of state violence.

Faith in Action East Bay holds Ceasefire Night Walks on varying Fridays from 6-8 p.m. in different Oakland locations. The next will be this Friday and Jan. 30, followed by three walks each in February and March.