More than 75 people gather in downtown Wilmington for vigil honoring Renee Good

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — On Wednesday night, more than 75 people gathered on the steps of the Alton Lennon Federal Building in downtown Wilmington for a vigil remembering Renee Good, one week after she was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis.

The vigil comes just a few days after hundreds of people gathered for a protest against ICE on the steps of Thalian Hall last Saturday.

Katie Randall helped organize Wednesday night’s vigil, along with the grassroots organization Siembra NC.

The vigil honors not only Good, but others as well.

“All of the victims of ICE violence, all of the victims of overreach from the federal government,” Randall said. “The people that have been harmed by this and are continuing to be harmed by this in communities.”

Several prominent Democratic officials, including three members of the Wilmington City Council and a new Hanover County commissioner, attended the vigil.

John Escobar attended on behalf of his wife, who is a naturalized citizen from Mexico.

He said she’s concerned about her safety and the safety of others.

“My wife is very concerned because she now carries her passport around with her wherever she goes,” Escobar said. “She is actually helping people in the community, a woman who is recently about to be deported back to Honduras. Her husband has already been deported. She has several very small children, they are extremely poor and she’s been helping to motivate the community and work in the community.”

While vigils for good have been held throughout the country, many across the u-s say the officer’s actions were justified.

Doctor Erika Geisler is a psychologist in Wilmington.

She said there’s a reason why the Minneapolis incident has sparked a wide range of opinions and interpretations.

“We all have experiences and ideas and thoughts, and those experiences shape the beliefs that we have,” Geisler said. “And when we have a belief, we look for more information that supports our beliefs, to strengthen our confidence in our belief, and then that’s how we view the world.”

Despite comments and posts on several social media platforms saying they would be there, no counter-protestors supporting ICE were at the vigil.

WWAY reached out to several prominent area Republican officials in the area for comment about the vigil, but did not hear back.