Amenia protesters brave bitter cold to deliver anti-ICE message

AMENIA – A group of protesters braved 9-degree temperatures for their weekly anti-Trump demonstration in Fountain Square on Saturday, Jan. 24, as news broke of another alleged fatal shooting of a U.S. citizen in Minnesota involving federal agents – developments that organizers said reflected the urgency of their message.

The group, which described itself as “small but mighty,” drew seven people who stood along the road holding signs expressing opposition to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), including slogans likening the agency to Nazis and messages in support of immigrants.

Protest organizer Kimberley Travis, who began the regular demonstrations last June with signs bearing the anti-Trump slogan “No Kings,” has remained among the fluctuating number of protesters each week.

Travis said her garage is full of handmade signs – a reflection of the rapidly-changing news cycle and her need to keep up with current events. On Saturday, many of the signs focused on what protesters described as the increasingly extreme actions associated with ICE.

Large, simple signs planted in the snow read, “ICE Out for Good,” a phrase inspired, Travis said, by the recent killing of a Minneapolis mother by a federal agent.

Protesters hold a banner reading “ICE Out for Good” during a weekly demonstration in Fountain Square on Saturday, Jan. 24.By Aly Morrissey

“We're here today – and every Saturday – because we’re tired of what's happening to our democracy,” Travis said, who believes that the Constitution is being “demolished on a daily basis.”

Gesturing toward the other protesters, Travis said, “We, the people, must stand for our democracy, our constitutional freedoms, and we need to stop the murder in the streets and the kidnapping.”

Millerton resident Greg Swinehart said he has attended the Fountain Square protests between eight and 10 times, motivated by what he described as the growing militarization of the country and the violence committed by ICE.

“We need to resist that in a peaceful, nonviolent way,” Swinehart said. “We’re trying to raise awareness in our local community by helping people see messages they might encounter in the national media through the voices of their own friends and neighbors.”

While most passing drivers either honked and waved in support – or simply drove past – a few showed disapproval. One man slowed his vehicle to hurl a string of expletives at the protesters, telling the group to go home.

Still, neither the occasional hostility nor the bitterly cold weather deterred the group, which gathers each Saturday from noon to 1 p.m. “Every car honk feels like another drop of hope,” one demonstrator said.

A small group of demonstrators at Fountain Square on Saturday, Jan. 24.By Aly Morrissey

When asked if they were afraid to protest so publicly after reports of lethal shootings in Minnesota, the residents generally shared the same response.

“I probably should be,” Travis said. “But they will not intimidate me, and they will not stop me.”

Since beginning the protests last summer, Travis said she has experienced threats and intimidation and has, on one occasion, had to call the police. Even so, she said the encouragement she receives far outweighs the hostility.

A longtime activist, Travis said she has been protesting for causes she believes in since she was a young teenager during the Vietnam War and doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon.

Swinehart said he has not felt threatened and hopes the gatherings will continue to grow.

“I hope that more citizens join us,” he said. “I hope more people will speak out for what they think is right, and to enjoy the camaraderie of standing alongside people who care deeply about America.”

Protesters gather in Fountain Square on Saturday, Jan. 24By Aly Morrissey