Celebrities Wear Pins Protesting ICE on the Golden Globes Red Carpet
Some celebrities wore anti-ICE pins to the Golden Globes on Sunday to honor Renee Good, who was shot and killed in her car by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis this week.
The black-and-white badges featured slogans such as “BE WELL” and “THE ICE IS OUT,” giving the awards ceremony a political twist after last year’s relatively apolitical ceremony.
Mark Ruffalo wore such a pin on the red carpet, and other celebrities were expected to show them off as well.
Protests have erupted across the country since Wednesday’s shooting, calling for accountability for Good’s death as well as for a separate shooting in Portland in which Border Patrol agents injured two people. Some protests have resulted in clashes with law enforcement, particularly in Minneapolis, where ICE conducted its largest immigration enforcement operation to date.
“We need civil society and all segments of society to speak out,” said Nelini Stamp of Working Families Power, one of the organizers of the anti-ICE banners. “We need our artists. We need our entertainers. We need people who reflect society.”
Members of Congress have promised an assertive response, and the FBI investigation into Good’s killing continues. The Trump administration has been even tougher in defending the ICE officer’s actions, arguing that he acted in self-defense and thought Good was going to hit him with his car.
Just a week before Good was killed, an off-duty ICE officer fatally shot 43-year-old Keith Porter in Los Angeles. His death sparked protests in the Los Angeles area calling for the arrest of the officer responsible.
Organizers build grassroots support for Golden Globes parties The idea for “ICE OUT” badges began with a late-night text exchange earlier this week between Stamp and Jess Morales Rocketto, executive director of Latino advocacy group Maremoto.
They know that high-profile cultural moments can introduce millions of viewers to social issues. This is the third year of Golden Globes activism for Morales Rocketto, who previously rallied in Hollywood to protest the Trump administration’s family separation policies. Stamp said he always thinks of the 1973 Oscars, when Sacheen Littlefeather stood in for Marlon Brando and rejected his award to protest the American entertainment industry’s portrayal of Native Americans.
So, the two organizers began calling on celebrities and influencers they knew, who in turn took their campaign to the more prominent people in their circle. That early support included labor activist Ai-jen Poo, who walked the Golden Globes red carpet with Meryl Streep in 2018 to highlight the Time’s Up movement.
“There is a long-standing tradition of people who create art standing up for justice in moments,” Stamp said. “We will continue this tradition”
According to Stamp, the movement’s allies are participating in “fantastic events” taking place in the days leading up to the Golden Globes. They hand out the badges at parties and pass them out to neighbors who will be attending tonight’s ceremony.
“They put this in their bag and say, ‘Hey, can you wear this?’ they say. “This is a very grassroots thing,” Morales Rocketto said.
Organizers have vowed to continue the campaign throughout awards season to ensure the public knows the names of Good and others killed by ICE agents in the shootings.
