Hundreds attend vigil.
Hundreds gathered outside the Z.J. Loussac Library on Jan. 11 to mourn the death of Renee Good. Good was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis on Jan. 7. The vigil was organized by the nonprofit Stand Up Alaska.
Attendees were given an opportunity to speak. A shareholder with NANA Regional Corporation — a for-profit Alaska Native Corporation — said she felt ashamed that the corporation invests in detention facilities operated by ICE, as reported by Alaska Public Media.
She asked attendees to write letters to NANA President John Lincoln, urging him to divest from supporting the facilities.
A local rabbi also spoke to the crowd. He cited a Jewish belief that a person dies two times: The first time when their heart stops beating and again when no one is left to remember them. He encouraged attendees to ensure the “second death” does not happen.
The rabbi said Good was an American, a mother and a poet. He emphasized that funerals help the living to support one another and find motivation and inspiration from grief.
A Jewish prayer known as the Mourner’s Kaddish followed the remarks.
The rabbi ended his speech with a moment of silence.
The event closed with a speaker who led attendees through song.
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