Josiah Ahlgren and his wife and sons flooded out of the car on Main Street in Concord with grand-standing flags and handmade cardboard signs to protest the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement.
Ahlgren, standing on the roof of his car while waving the American flag, said he has been an activist his whole life and wants to show his kids that there are others like them that stand up for causes they feel strongly about.
“This seems like our last chance,” said Ahlgren, a Sanborton resident. “If enough people can come out and show our support for this, maybe we won’t have to go further down the road to violence.”
The family joined over 2,000 people in Concord as part of the “ICE Out” protests happening across the United States over the weekend. The city’s downtown was chock-full of signs vilifying the Immigration and Customs Enforcement policies and memorializing Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, who were shot and killed by federal agents. The rhythmic clangs of cowbells rung out in the streets. Decorated cars honked at protesters braving the frigid weather.
Lindsay Degnan and Jessica Sneirson, both from Derry, said they are worried about the world their children are growing up in and their own rights being threatened as members of the LGBTQ+ community.
“The crowds just show that people are sick of it,” Sneirson said. “People are over it and people want change … When you’re here and you see how many people are on the same side of you, it’s just inspiring.”
New Hampshire 50501 organized the rally, leading people in chants and inviting musical acts to sing songs, such as Pete Seeger’s “Which Side Are You On?”
Co-founder Lark Moinoto said the organization, the local branch of the national 50501 Movement, said they felt empowered to see so many people come out against the federal administration, unlike the opinions they see on online forums.
“Especially after the violence that’s happened this past month, I think a lot of people are going to be like ‘wait a minute’ [and] looking at what’s actually going on,” they said.
Moinoto said NH50501 typically holds one protest per month but has held four in January in response to ICE’s actions in Minnesota, including the deaths of Good and Pretti. Greg Alberto, a Newmarket resident, held a picture of Liam Ramos, a five-year-old boy in Minnesota who was detained with his father as he came home from school on Jan. 20.
He said he recently got involved in protests and said it’s important to show up to help like-minded people feel less lonely in their frustrations with the U.S. leadership.
“It’s just horrible to see day after day, week after week, images of people trying to make a better life for themselves, children leaving school being detained and arrested,” Alberto said.
On Thursday, students at Concord High School walked out of their classrooms and marched to Main Street to protest ICE. The Party of Socialism and Liberation organized a smaller protest against ICE on Friday, coinciding with the national shutdown born out of Minnesota, calling for no work, no school and no shopping.
Marlena Rodriguez, from Concord, showed up on Friday because she is a first-generation American whose father is from Mexico and was once undocumented. Because of the opportunities her father and his children were afforded, Rodriguez said she is proud to live in the U.S.
She said she has participated in every election she was old enough to vote and is active in her church and community. As an avid protester, she wants “to be there for people.”
“The part of America that I love is that I’m able to do this, I’m able to stand on the street and say what’s wrong,” she said. “I shouldn’t be in fear of anything and that’s not the case lately, which is making me even more want to be out here and show that you’re not scaring me. I’m going to stay here and I’m going to stand up for what I believe in.”