Hundreds Gather in The Villages to Protest ICE Shooting of Renee Good

Protesters took to the streets in The Villages on Jan. 12 to protest the shooting of Rene Good by an agent of ICE in Minneapolis.

352todayScott Harrell/352TodayA man, who asked not to be identified by name, holds a sign in support of Renee Good at a protest in The Villages on Jan. 12, 2026.

A few hundred individuals gathered at 10 a.m. on the brisk, sunny morning of Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, along Morse Boulevard in The Villages to protest the killing of Renee Good by an agent of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Minneapolis, MN on Jan. 7.

Dozens of golf carts lined Morse Boulevard just past the roundabout at Lake Sumter Landing, many decorated with American flags and handmade signs. Most of those present carried their own signs as well, bearing slogans from the straightforward “We’re Here for our Grandkids” to the provocative “Trump’s ICE = Hitler’s SS” and the witty “I Prefer ICE Crushed.”

Songs like Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It” and Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA” blared from Bluetooth speakers. Cars slowed to honk and wave their own American flags.

“Go give your money to the illegals,” shouted one man from a passing SUV. “Trump! Trump! Trump!”

“This whole thing was put together in, what, 48 hours,” said Bill Knudson of The Villages Democratic Club, crediting well-known Villager and advocate Casey Marr with organizing the protest online. “They did it all on Facebook.”

While there was a substantial law enforcement presence in the form of the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, their attendance didn’t seem overwhelming or intimidating. The protest’s overall level of tension was low, with officers simply observing, talking to attendees and keeping protesters off the Morse Boulevard median.

Protesters were friendly and enthusiastic, but many declined to be interviewed or give their names.

“Three more years of Trump!” cried a woman in a golf visor from a golf cart cruising the paved path behind the line facing the road.

As 11:30 a.m. approached, the large crowd began to thin as participants packed up their placards, their flags and their dogs and climbed into their colorful carts. Those who came on foot from nearby parking lots began to wander back to their cars. One woman carried a small black-haired Barbie-style doll below her sign.

“This is Josefina,” she said. “She has papers but she doesn’t want to be murdered.”

Nearby, another protester gently tied a ribbon around the doll’s tiny wrist, explaining it symbolized the families who now feel marked by fear. Several grandparents said they were marching not only for Renee Good, but for their own grandchildren, whom they worried would inherit a country more divided and less compassionate.

A retired teacher held a sign reading “Justice Has No Borders,” while a veteran quietly saluted passing cars that offered supportive honks. Even as the crowd dispersed, small clusters lingered, exchanging phone numbers and promising to return if more demonstrations were called.