'ICE Out Right Now:' Protest in Downtown Bend Draws Over 1,000 - The Source

“Say her name!” one protestor yelled, prompting a packed Jan. 10 crowd at downtown Bend’s Peace Corner to scream back with a chilled fury, “Renee Good!”

Three days prior, Good, a 37-year-old mother of three children, was fatally shot in the head by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement after using her car to block a roadway in residential Minneapolis.

Trump administration officials and allies have disparaged Good and blamed her for the shooting. Vice President JD Vance denied that she was “some innocent woman,” saying her death was a “tragedy of the far left.” Nick Poche, a GOP spokesman and former press secretary for the Oregon House Republican Caucus, called Good “rabid, unhinged,” and a “deranged leftist” in an official press release.

Video analysis by national outlets indicates that, moments before being shot, Good was attempting to drive away from federal agents approaching her vehicle, not driving toward the agent who shot and killed her.

“The government is victim blaming,” said one Bend protestor, Kristina. “This is not normal.”

“JD Vance is lying to the American people,” said Gary, who showed up to “fight fascism.” Credit: K.B.

The atmosphere appeared entirely peaceful and community-minded in downtown Bend. Hundreds of people conversed and took photos together; youth protestors created a small memorial for Good. A passing semi-truck driver waved with a beaming smile and blasted his horn in solidarity, sending a wave of cheers through the crowd.

At one point, three passersby on Newport Avenue jeered at protestors: “Sorry, I support ICE, actually,” one blonde woman said.

“You voted for a rapist!” a protestor yelled back. A man with the blonde responded, “Allegedly,” to incredulous laughter from the crowd. In 2023, President Trump was found civilly liable for sexual abuse and was ordered to pay $5 million to E. Jean Carroll, who had also accused him of rape.

Multiple protesters made comparisons between actions by the Trump administration and the build-up to authoritarian rule in 20th-century Germany.

One attendee, Myrtle Berger, spoke to the Source about her visit to the former Gestapo headquarters – now a historical museum – in Cologne, Germany. “It was the most incredible thing I’ve ever experienced, to have it be so real,” Berger reflected. “And now seeing the same pattern happening here in front of our eyes is gut-wrenching.”

“It’s happening a little slower than it did in Germany.” – Tom Anderson Credit: K.B.

Tom Anderson, a Bend resident and 30-year Navy veteran, said, “There’s definite parallels… Project 2025 is ‘Mein Kampf’ updated and written by committee.” In his opinion, many Trump voters were uninformed on the true nature of that Heritage Foundation playbook and are now witnessing the “frightening” consequences.

“The way that ICE is being used in this country gives me great concern,” Deschutes County Commissioner Phil Chang told the Source, calling Vance’s statements on the Good shooting “completely false.”

Dana Madison, a local organizer for the nationwide protest movement 50501, said that she had heard from a Bend municipal official that aggressive federal action could soon take place in Deschutes County. “It sounded to me like ICE is on their way,” she suggested. “We’ve avoided it so far, but we are going to be next.”

Defiant signs were on display at this Jan. 10 protest. Credit: Kayvon Bumpus

Chang stated that he wasn’t aware of any impending federal action, but he sympathized with community anxieties. “People have legitimate reasons to be afraid,” Chang said. “We have not seen the level of ICE activity in Deschutes County that we have seen in other parts of the state, but that doesn’t mean it’s not coming for us… Our community needs to come together to protect our community.”

One protestor, Shelly, expressed her personal thanks to fellow Bend residents for showing up. “I’m grateful… I just want people to know that one old Hispanic lady appreciates them,” she said.

Protests elsewhere in the county, including Sisters and La Pine, attracted about 400 people altogether.

Madison asked Central Oregon community members to attend a vigil for Good, held by the Bend Action Coalition at 5:30pm on Jan. 11 at the Drake Park Pavilion. “Anyone longing for light in these dark times” is welcome, said Rev. Elizabeth Wheatley-Jones of Trinity Episcopal Church.

Editor’s Note: Updated 1/12 with countywide protest attendance.

This article appears in the Source January 15, 2026.