SUMMARY:
Community organizers and activists gathered at Bloomington City Hall to protest ICE violence following the Minneapolis shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Goode, while also demanding the city end its contract with Flock Safety surveillance cameras. Speakers from various organizations including Bloomington DSA, Exodus Refugee, Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA), and local healthcare workers condemned ICE’s history of brutality, detailed how Flock cameras enable ICE operations through license plate tracking and data sharing with law enforcement, and called for community solidarity networks. The protest emphasized the connection between surveillance infrastructure and immigration enforcement, with speakers urging attendees to organize in workplaces and neighborhoods, support impacted families, and pressure city officials to reject both ICE cooperation and the Flock camera contract.
TIMESTAMPED SPEAKER/TOPIC BREAKDOWN:
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0:00:00 - Opening Speaker (Eli, Bloomington DSA) - ICE History & Minneapolis Shootings
- Condemns ICE since its 2003 establishment
- Details shootings of Alex Pretti (nurse) and Renee Goode (poet/single mother)
- Describes ICE occupation tactics in Minneapolis, Chicago, and LA
- Calls for community organizing and solidarity networks
- References Minneapolis general strike
- Discusses Flock Safety surveillance cameras
0:04:19 - Flock Camera Technology Explanation
- Details how license plate readers work
- Explains “vehicle fingerprinting” technology beyond license plates
- Describes marketing claims and data sharing with law enforcement
- Notes local Flock camera locations (parking garage, Pete’s Greens, Kroger)
- Connects surveillance infrastructure to ICE operations
0:05:49 - Erin Aquino (Director, Exodus Refugee Bloomington)
- Introduces Exodus as refugee resettlement agency
- Explains refugee vs. immigrant status
- Details threats to refugee community from surveillance
- Describes how Flock data could enable ICE tracking
- Calls for ending Flock contract to protect vulnerable populations
- Emphasizes refugees came fleeing persecution, not for economic opportunity
0:11:36 - Transition/Chants
- “ICE out everywhere” call and response
- “No Flock here” chants
- Community organizing calls
0:13:32 - Aaron Litherland (Healthcare Worker, 25+ years experience)
- Speaks as healthcare professional bound by “do no harm” pledge
- Not representing political party affiliation
- Details ICE detention deaths and medical neglect
- Discusses family separations including nursing mothers from infants
- Mentions 5-year-old separated from family
- Calls out preventable deaths and cover-ups in ICE custody
- Criticizes lack of medical care for detained children and adults
0:17:36 - National Guard & Federal Overreach Discussion
- Criticizes potential National Guard deployment to cities
- Notes National Guard trained for military operations, not community policing
- Condemns consolidation of authoritarian power
- Details federal immigration enforcement abuses
- Calls out homicide cover-ups labeled as suicides
0:22:31 - New Speaker (Unidentified) - Solidarity Message
- Thanks gathering for solidarity against ICE
- Discusses US government brutality against immigrant and BIPOC communities
- Condemns mayor and city council for Flock contract approval
- Criticizes lack of transparency in surveillance implementation
- Notes contract approved without public input or notification
0:23:01 - Continuation - Community Safety vs. Surveillance
- Challenges notion that cameras provide safety
- Argues surveillance is about control, not protection
- Details how Flock enables boss/employer tracking of workers
- Connects to ICE raids on food trucks and workplaces
- Frames anti-Flock organizing as labor struggle for worker control
0:29:11 - Worker Organizing & Flock Resistance
- Discusses Organized Graduate Workers (OGW) perspective
- Frames fight against Flock as fight against bosses
- Connects surveillance to wage suppression and worker control
- Emphasizes cameras track workers for employers and ICE
0:33:59 - IU Career Services Criticism
- Condemns Indiana University for posting ICE jobs on career website
- Calls IU “complicit with their mouths and actions”
- Urges contacting President Pam Whitten
- Demands removal of ICE job postings from university platforms
0:38:36 - Community Organizing Strategies
- Discusses rapid response networks
- Emphasizes workplace organizing and union formation
- Calls for neighborhood solidarity building
- Encourages ongoing activism beyond protests
0:44:53 - Diego (YDSA - Young Democratic Socialists of America)
- Introduces YDSA as youth section of DSA
- Notes student activism history (Vietnam, Civil Rights, Palestine)
- Urges students not to limit activism to protests or social media
- Invites students to join ongoing organizing work
- Emphasizes sustained commitment to organizing
0:46:46 - Closing Remarks & Whistles Distribution
- Instructions about keeping whistles for future use
- Discussion of whistle networks for rapid response
- Community safety tool distribution
0:47:24 - Final Speaker - Bryce Green, Bloomington DSA
- Promotes givebutter.com/bloom4justice donation link
- Describes Bloom for Justice supporting affected families
- Emphasizes community front against state violence
- Repeats donation information multiple times for retention
- Final thanks and call to action
0:59:17 - Event Conclusion
- Final acknowledgments
- Protest ends
KEY ORGANIZATIONS MENTIONED:
- Bloomington Democratic Socialists of America
- Exodus Refugee Bloomington
- Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA)
- Bloom for Justice (mutual aid/family support)
- Indiana Graduate Workers Coalition
- Flock Safety (surveillance company opposed)
KEY DEMANDS:
1. End Bloomington’s contract with Flock Safety cameras
2. No cooperation between local law enforcement and ICE
3. Remove ICE job postings from IU career services
4. Build community rapid response networks
5. Support families impacted by ICE through Bloom for Justice
