Last weekend, a protest occurred on Ottawa Avenue in Grand Rapids. The protest, anywhere from 70 to 100 people strong, was held in response to the recent increase in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) presence in Grand Rapids, including an ICE office and holding facility on Ottawa Avenue, of course, leading protesters right to that spot.
While there, the protesters noticed a van leaving the ICE office. Believing, with good reason, that they were actively witnessing the transportation of abducted individuals to the GEO detention center in Baldwin, Michigan, the protesters took it upon themselves to try to stop the van. This ended up, considering the department, provoking a response from the Grand Rapids Police Department.
In the aftermath, five protesters were arrested by GRPD and appear to face an ongoing legal struggle in the foreseeable future…