Members of the Black Panther Party were seen at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protest in Philadelphia following the tragic death of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis, saying “if we were there, not a single person would have gotten touched,” The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
The group, which identifies as part of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, is an entity of the 1960s militant Black power group founded by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale. Members showed up to the Jan. 8 anti-ICE protest at Philadelphia City Hall, with military-style weapons in hand, in response to the violence dished out by the Trump administration.
Paul Birdsong, who labels himself
as the group’s national chairman, and attending members feel ICE should be abolished and the current administration should be held accountable for its actions. After Good was killed by ICE agent Jonathan Ross, President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance defended the agent, saying he “was doing his job” and issued sentiments of “absolute immunity” without proper facts.“You got people that are part of a cabal, that are self-serving … and they prey on the common folks of the United States,” Birdsong said.
Trained by some of the original party’s surviving members, the Black Panther Party is known in the City of Brotherly Love for hosting weekly free food
programs in North Philly for years. Community members who stop by for free food are used to seeing the group’s members armed and ready, which creates a sense of security for those they serve.Older members of the community call them role models and remember the days when their party held events at the Church of the Advocate. “They primarily were always community-oriented,” said 63-year-old Jerome Hill, saying he is happy to see the group still serving the community.
Member Comrade Arch, who also carries a firearm, says he feels “like we’re welcome” as Birdsong admits to feeling “safe.” “No police, no drug dealers doing anything to us here.”
With under 100 members, Birdsong
started to recruit members following the 2020 murder of George Floyd, which sparked massive protests, similar to the ones taking place in Good’s memory. According to 6 Action News, speakers like Anita Raihan of No ICE Philly said it’s only a matter of time before the same thing happens in Philadelphia — if people don’t act now. “If you do not act, it will happen here,” Raihan said.“And if you do not act, ICE will continue to kidnap and disappear members of our community every single day.”
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner issued warnings to ICE agents as Trump pushes for a greater presence in America’s metro cities. “Don’t even try this in Philly,” Krasner said. “Do you hear me, ICE agents? You’re going to jail if you commit crimes in the city of Philadelphia.”
As organizers labeled the protest as “a catalyzing moment when people are coming together,” they plan to host demonstrations outside the local ICE field office every Monday morning.
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