A vigil was held at the Gazebo off of Springfield Avenue in Maplewood on Sunday for Renee Good, who was fatally shot during an interaction with a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minnesota. Maplewood Mayor Vic DeLuca and South Orange Mayor Sheena Collum and members of both municipalities governing bodies were among the more than 300 people at the event. The event was organized by SOMA Action and SOMA Justice.
The Maplewood Township Committee issued a statement on the death of Renee Nicole Good, who was fatally shot by a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Minneapolis.
The Committee said they join with Minneapolis elected leaders in demanding a full, independent and transparent investigation, adding that accountability is essential to justice.
“The Trump Administration’s militarized immigration raids are destabilizing and spreading fear in communities across the country,” the statement said.
“Sending masked agents into our streets is not making us safer. No one in America should live under siege.” In 2017, the Maplewood Township Committee unanimously adopted a resolution “Expressing Maplewood’s Commitment to Equal, Respectful and Dignified Treatment of All People, Regardless of Their Immigrant Status and to Remain a Welcoming Community.” The Welcoming Resolution prohibits township employees from reporting on individuals based on immigration status. Additionally, the township may not expend funds or resources to enforce federal immigration laws, unless ordered to do so by the courts or the state.
The statement said that the Maplewood Police Department follows New Jersey Attorney General guidelines, under which local police cannot stop, question, arrest, search, or detain any individual based solely on actual or suspected immigration status. The guidelines also say law enforcement officers may not ask the immigration status of any individual, unless doing so is necessary and relevant to the ongoing investigation of a crime, enforce warrants that have not been signed by a judge, or participate in ICE’s civil immigration enforcement operations.
The statement was signed by the mayor and all four of the committee members.
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