With the increase in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity across the United States, student groups on campus and members of the community are responding with efforts to comfort, inform, and mobilize Rochesterians.
One of these efforts, Baber African Methodist Episcopal Church (Baber A.M.E.) located in downtown Rochester held a community wake Jan. 30 for Rochesterians killed by ICE. The wake was organized by local community organizations such as Metro Justice, Rochester Democratic Socialists, the Rochester Rapid Response Network (RRRN), and Free the People Rochester, and addressed the recent local impact of ICE in Rochester communities as well.
Senior Miller Gentry-Sharp, president of the student campus organization Jewish Voices for Peace (JVP), attended the wake. According to him, most of the nearly 300 in attendance were people from the Rochester community, along with a handful of recent graduates. Gentry-Sharp explained that the wake helps in building a sense of community in similar times of crises: “I think people have been looking for a place to go and a place to mourn,” he said. “It was really important in terms of activating the community and giving people sort of hope and a place to be and action items, things to do.”
“When people are being shot on the street, that is horrifying,” he said. “Seeing the energy in the room at this event … a lot of people are pretty outraged.”
Keynote speakers such as the senior pastor of the Baber A.M.E. James Simmons emphasized these action items, including what to do if you see ICE in your neighborhood, what to do if you see ICE try to detain someone, and general ways community members can offer support during these difficult times.
The wake is one example of how the city of Rochester has been reacting to ICE’s presence, and it is not the only response students have had.
JVP and the Students for Democratic Society (SDS), another group of which Gentry-Sharp is an executive board member, have also been working to engage with the student population in helping them stay informed and prepared. Gentry-Sharp mentioned in an interview that clubs on campus like JVP have been organizing workshops this semester such as “know your rights training” which show people what they can do if met with police or ICE violence.
Last semester, SDS invited the RRRN to train students in responding and keeping communities safe. The network was credited to making federal agents spotted in downtown Rochester turn around and go home without arresting people, according to Gentry-Sharp.
ICE has also been spotted closer to campus, specifically in the Mount Hope area. An alert was issued Jan. 20 by the Stop ICE Raids Alert Network to warn students and community members of ICE officers nearby. In response to this, Gentry-Sharp emphasized the need for students to take action as well as be more informed.
“The most important thing right now is that more students get involved with Rapid Response and just stay tuned into what’s going on and where they can be most helpful,” he said.
“Having people who are organized and together and speaking out is the thing that will help protect us,” he said. “I really want more people to get involved, get out in the community and do whatever they can to push that.”
