Protest held in Collier County over racial injustice

Many people across the country have been monitoring the way protesters in Portland, Oregon, have clashed with federal law enforcement.

“Federal troops have been going there to Portland and have been causing a lot more damage than help,” said Jemeson Ciprius, member of Collier Youth for Black Lives.

Ciprius and about a dozen others from Collier Youth for Black Lives and other organizations got together Saturday and, using just signs and their voices, showed their displeasure with the way law enforcement treated those protesters.

But it isn’t just about what’s happening in Portland, it’s about what happening right in their community, which is why they marched from the courthouse to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

“A lot of people are really shocked about what’s happening in Portland but immigrant communities have been warning us about this behavior by federal agents for years,” said Ellen Hemrick, Naples meeting leader of Showing Up For Racial Injustice.

Christopher Charlestin, another member with Collier Youth for Black Lives, said he’s seen first hand how law enforcement’s tactics affect people’s lives, even those close to him.

“Members of my own church just suddenly disappearing,” Charlestin described.

“We hear words later that they just got deported which is kind of strange to me because they just finally got their papers. They are legal here. They can finally work, start their own businesses and they just disappear,” he added.

Until these practices end, Charlestin and others protesting on Saturday say they won’t stop.

“We don’t need 287-G and we’ve asked our commissioners to stand with us,” said Angela Cisneros, co-founder of Collier for Dreamers.

Protesters are calling for the complete removal of 287-G as well as calls to defund the police.