At the end of a vigil in Astoria on Saturday held in part to remember people who died while being detained by federal immigration officers or while in their custody, someone accidentally knocked over a glass candle holder that had been placed at the center of the event space.
It shattered loudly.
“That actually feels appropriate to me,” said Julia Hesse, a leader with Indivisible North Coast Oregon, as people quickly bent to gather up the pieces.
The vigil was held in Astoria’s Garden of Surging Waves, a site created to honor the Chinese heritage of the Lower Columbia River Basin, and was prompted in large part by the death of Renee Nicole Good on Jan. 7. The 37-year-old Minneapolis woman was shot multiple times by Jonathan Ross, an officer with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Good was in the driver’s seat of a car that was partially blocking a road. In video Ross recorded on his phone, Good told Ross, “That’s fine dude, I’m not mad.”
Outside, at the back of the car, Good’s wife commented, “You wanna come at us?” Ross circled Good’s car then fired his gun at Good multiple times when she began to move the car forward and to the right.
President Donald Trump and other administration officials have defended the shooting, saying Good was trying to run Ross over and that Ross acted in self defense. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has called for ICE to leave the city and protests — mostly peaceful — have been ongoing.
Then, on Jan.8, federal immigration officers shot two Venezuelan immigrants at a traffic stop in Portland, Ore., an event that has also prompted a polarized response. According to the Portland police, the two people are in stable condition and in federal custody.
On Oregon’s North Coast, community activist and volunteer groups hastily planned rallies at multiple locations on Friday and Saturday that drew crowds in response — larger crowds than expected given the last-minute nature of the events. In Astoria, an estimated 150 people attended a rally on Friday along Marine Drive.
Protesters KMUN spoke with on Friday said they were horrified by what had happened in Minneapolis. Many had been participating in protests and rallies against various Trump administration policies and actions throughout 2025.
“That could have been any of our daughters, that could have been any of our family members,” said an Astoria resident named Gloria about Good. “She wasn’t doing anything wrong.”
On Saturday, an estimated 130 people attended the vigil at the Garden of Surging Waves, joining nationwide “ICE Out for Good Weekend of Action” protests.
“There is a sense of urgency with all of us that we need to respond in some way,” Hesse told KMUN on Saturday. She called the killing of Good and the shootings in Portland “outrageous” and an escalation in violence by ICE officers.
“The only thing that’s going to stop what’s happening is people and people power,” Hesse said. “So we’re committed to do what we have to do on whatever level, peacefully and non-violently and through community-building. We can’t let this keep happening.”
She added, “I haven’t talked to anybody that’s scared away from doing what we’re doing.”
“What happened in Minneapolis is not an isolated incident,” said Jenny Pool Radway, executive director of Consejo Hispano, an Astoria-based nonprofit that serves the Latine community, in a statement. “It reflects a disturbing and escalating pattern of ICE operating with unchecked force and impunity, a pattern that has made clear what many in our communities have long understood: ICE is a threat to public safety. This shooting is an egregious example of how militarized immigration enforcement endangers all of us, regardless of where we live or where we were born.”
ICE has had a more regular presence on Oregon’s North Coast in recent months. Officers have detained at least 14-15 people in Clatsop County since early November. An ICE spokesman declined to provide any additional details about who officers have detained, why they were detained, their immigration statuses or if they have been deported or on a path to deportation.
Some local law enforcement, including Clatsop County Sheriff Matt Phillips, as well as elected officials have expressed concerns about tactics used by ICE officers in Clatsop County. Recently, ICE officers have worn identifying vests, but in earlier operations there were no identifying badges or clothing.
ICE has also started occasionally notifying local 911 dispatchers that an operation is underway in the area. But police chiefs say they still often hear about an operation first through Facebook posts or from community members.
Astoria Police Chief Stacy Kelly called the shooting of Good “a horrible event.”
“In my opinion, it should have never got that far,” he said, but added it’s still early in the investigation and he can’t speak to what exactly happened.
Kelly said the shooting does not necessarily change how local law enforcement would interact with ICE or respond to reports of ICE in the community. Still, he acknowledged, tensions are high.
“This is a very polarizing event here so I think tensions on both sides could be high,” he said. “I would say if we have the opportunity, we would definitely make sure that we’re there to observe, but up to this point the only notification we’ve received from ICE is that they are in the county. They don’t give us specifics, not even like a city or jurisdiction that they’re in.”
One of his concerns remains the safety of local people who are acting as observers of ICE operations. He said he has been reassured by community partners that people are being trained to stay back and to avoid direct confrontation.
Another protest in Seaside
People were still arriving around 11:30 a.m. for the hour-long protest in Seaside on Saturday. They parked their cars in the Seaside Mall’s parking lot, donning coats and jackets and grabbing homemade signs from their backseats and trunks.
About 125 people lined Highway 101 for about an hour, holding signs and waving at passersby. Many of the signs were ICE related: “End the ICE age,” “I like my ICE crushed,” and “ICE melts under resistance.” A number of others said: “Peace is our superpower.” Many cars and trucks honked in support, while a few others revved engines and yelled out epithets to the protesters. One car drove by blaring the “Y.M.C.A.” song by The Village People.
“Today, we’re honoring Renee Good,” said Kate Besse, the INCO organizer of Seaside’s demonstration. Besse said so far, she has led 37 No Kings protests that are held on Tuesdays.
“I had one lady say ‘Jesus loves you, but I want a King,’ What do you say to that? I said ‘have a nice day.’ Kill them with kindness,” Besse said.
Another protester, Angel Finley, said she was there for her family as well as to honor Good.
“I have two special needs children and a blind husband and I’m here because we’re being targeted by this administration. … And that guy that killed that lady? He reacted, he didn’t respond. We have to respond, not react.” Finley said she had hoped more would’ve shown up. “People are afraid to come out now. They’re afraid they’re gonna get shot next.”
Ali Dubin said she was at the protest with her daughter. “We’re here because we all deserve to be here, we all deserve to be safe.”
Dubin said she’s been alarmed by some of the actions by this administration. “This feels terrifying, like the Holocaust. And it’s frightening.”
Coming together for events like this one gives her some comfort, she said. “It’s nice to stand with people who believe the same thing.”
“I just want all this craziness to stop,” said Richard Mellender. “I’m just sick and tired of our constitution being trampled on. Congress has to actually do something — and they’re not.”
Susan Tate said she was there “to protect our freedoms. We’re losing them. It’s like Nazis are taking over our country and people are sitting back and letting it happen.”
Tate said in addition to attending protests, she donates money, calls and writes letters to government officials. “I’m doing whatever I can to save America.”
Tate said she is hopeful that things can change. She cited a statistic one of her friends sent her. “If 3.5% of the population gets involved in protests, fascism fails. They can’t stand up to that many people rebelling — so I’m doing my part.”
Janet Elliott said she was there “to protest the violence in our streets that’s disrespectful of the law.”
Vernon Fowler, a military veteran, said he is credulous of recent events. “I cannot believe that our country has come to this and that people support Trump and all his toadies is beyond belief. It’s frightening.”
A similar sentiment was voiced by Marty McCullough. “I love this country. I love what this country stands for. If we don’t get back to those values, we won’t have the country we have anymore. Complacency is consent. We have to speak out.”
— KMUN is The Astorian’s media partner. Jeanne Huff, The Astorian, contributed to this story.
