The heat index in Minneapolis reached 113 degrees on July 4, but the Mass Funeral March continued.
Protesters moved through dangerous conditions to demand accountability for the 52 people who have died inside ICE detention centers. They also marched for Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both killed by federal ICE agents earlier this year.
Attendees wore black to maintain a funeral tone. No signs. The focus was on the dead.
Pallbearers carried 52 cardboard coffins to represent each migrant who died in ICE custody. The singing resistance led the crowd in song as the march covered nearly two miles, crossing the Mississippi and ending at the United States District Court.
The coffins were placed in front of the federal building. Speakers addressed the crowd while the heat kept rising.
The machinery did not pause for the holiday. Hundreds gathered in black. No signs. Only weight. Fifty two cardboard coffins carried through the streets. Each one a record. Each one a fracture.
Singing Resistance held the line. The procession crossed the Mississippi and moved toward the federal courthouse. Coffins placed on the steps. Speakers read the names. No euphemism. No softening.
The fifty two documented deaths in ICE custody under the current regime. Medical neglect. Overcrowding. Profit driven camps. Preventable. Engineered. The count excludes Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both U.S. citizens killed by ICE agents in Minneapolis while defending their neighbors.
This was not theater. This was witness. The coffins stayed. The demand stayed. Accountability or abolition. Nothing less.
The ledger is logged. The pressure builds. The resistance does not forget.
