Pocatello Citizens for Democracy Protest ICE Activity

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) – The Southeast Idaho Citizens for Democracy held a protest near the Bannock County Courthouse in Pocatello earlier today.

The protest was planned last-minute following the fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis. Protesters held anti-ICE signs and many boasted slogans advocating for democracy.

Elmer Martinez, founder of Southeast Idaho Citizens for Democracy and one of the organizers of the protest told us, "They're agitated. They're pissed off about it. Many of them watched the news. They watched the vice president J.D. Vance refer to the woman that was killed as a domestic terrorist, making her seem like the bad guy in that whole thing. And that's not how it was."

Protesters of all ages showed up on the streets of Pocatello today. One protester, Suzanna, told us she believes ICE is a terrorist organization that should be out of the country entirely.

"Trump is a bad man. He doesn't care for people. He's having nice people kill people indiscriminately. They could care less," said Kathleen Stevens, a Pocatello protester. "We just saw murder and we won't stand for it. We'll be out like this whenever we can."

Lena Contor, another protester, is originally from the USSR and said the current events in the US are shockingly similar to those overseas. "The fact that you don't feel safe, that's number one. And I remember when I was growing up, when people wanted to say something, they would lower their voices and just look around to see that no one is listening. And right now we're not quite there yet, but we can see that we're going that way. That's why we want to stop it before we get to where it's too late." 

Martinez said people want to speak out about the severity of the issue, which is why the substantial crowd gathered despite the cold weather. "Don't be afraid. They want you to be afraid," Martinez said. "We have to speak up."

Stevens and her husband advocate for a total regime change, saying "I hope the people who are Republicans, they know they made the mistake, change it. You can change it in the next election."

The Southeast Idaho Citizens for Democracy tell us more organized protests are in the works for Pocatello in the coming months.