Quick Take:
As hundreds gathered to protest the killing of Renee Nicole Good by a federal immigration agent in Minneapolis last week, organizers urged the public to get involved. ”Find a political home in Santa Cruz County,” one organizer told Lookout, as ICE monitoring activity grows locally.
A huge crowd gathered at the intersection of Ocean Street and Water Street in Santa Cruz on Sunday afternoon to protest the federal agency Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) following the killing of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by one of its agents last week.
The protest saw a large turnout, with all four corners of the Ocean Street and Water Street intersection flooded with people holding signs slamming ICE, President Donald Trump and other members of the administration, the Supreme Court, and more.
At its peak, the crowd stretched all the way from the Santa Cruz Diner to the north of the intersection all the way past KindPeoples dispensary near the Ocean Street and Soquel Avenue intersection. The near constant blaring of horns from passing cars, some of whom waved and shot fists out of their windows in support, drowned out music that accompanied some of the protestors.
Denise Allen, a co-leader with Indivisible Santa Cruz County, which organized the protest, said that 450 people had registered by Saturday. She added that the registration number is typically about a third of the true number of attendees, and that June’s “No Kings” protest saw 10 times the number of people attending than were registered. She believed that Sunday’s turnout was likely over 1,000.
“It makes me want to cry with joy that the country is sane, even though our administration — or regime — is not,” Allen told Lookout. “We see the truth, and everybody here sees the truth with their own eyes. We will not be lied to.”
Beyond Gold, at least 32 people died in ICE custody throughout 2025, making it the federal agency’s deadliest year, according to a report from The Guardian. Indivisible member Roya Ghodsi carried a sign with all 32 names written down, with their ages next to them.
“It hit hard, because I’m the same age [as Gold], so that was extra devastating,” she said, speaking of Gold’s killing. “We live in a really great area, but it still makes you scared to come out. I had some nervous energy today.”
Rusten Hogness, a volunteer with the grassroots organization Your Allied Rapid Response (YARR), a network of volunteers who monitor possible immigration enforcement activity in the county, agreed. Hogness was passing out information about upcoming YARR educational sessions for locals to take training to become legal observers and rapid responders in the community, as well as more general introductory meetings.
“It really brings it home,” he said, adding that Good was also a trained legal observer. “It just drives the point that we have to get out and get prepared now. We can’t just wait until ICE is here. We need as many people in the community aware, looking out, and calling [our hotline] number.”
YARR is hosting online introductory sessions on Monday, Jan. 12, Monday Feb. 9, and Wednesday, March 4, at 7 p.m. Click here to register. For the upcoming session on training in verification and legal observation, click here to register. People may call the YARR hotline at 831-229-4289 if they witness immigration enforcement activity, or even suspect it.
No matter which organization one gets involved with, Allen said that doing so is imperative.
“Find a political home in Santa Cruz County. The ACLU is active, the NAACP is active, Swing Left is active, and Standing Up For Racial Justice is active,” she said. “We are going to have more opportunities for engagement within the community and neighborhoods across the whole county.”