Laura Kinkead lives in the Cedar-Isles-Dean neighborhood.
On Saturday, Jan. 3, I took my 7-year-old grandson sledding in Kenwood Park.
It was a wonderful morning, crisp with no wind.
This 65-year-old made it down the hill without hurting too many parts. We had a great time until we were getting ready to leave.
We heard a disturbing noise and looked over to see a black SUV with its siren blaring pull over a car on Franklin Avenue.
My grandson loves all things police, ambulance and fire truck, so he was very focused on what was happening. But these were not individuals trained to help. This was ICE.
Agents jumped out wearing body armor vests like those we have seen on television. They pulled people out of the car, forced them into the SUV and drove off. People who are someone’s father, uncle, brother, neighbor were taken.
People quickly gathered to witness what was happening. I was near the playground and wary of getting too close with my grandson. I often carry a whistle to alert others that ICE is nearby, but I did not have it with me and had never needed to use it before.
“My grandson loves all things police, ambulance and fire truck, so he was very focused on what was happening. But these were not individuals trained to help. This was ICE.”
I do have a powerful two-finger whistle, so I tried that, though it had little effect.
ICE abandoned the car, leaving it on the no-parking side of Franklin Avenue to be towed. This will be another hardship for a family that relies on the vehicle.
I was able to take a photo of the license plate and the car and shared it with an organization I know that tries to alert families when someone has been taken.
That group can also, I hope, connect with a towing company that has been towing vehicles for free so the car, often a significant asset for a family, is not lost.
I noticed a rosary hanging from the rearview mirror and a registration for a residential parking permit.
It is hard to believe that a hardened criminal, “the worst of the worst,” would take the time to register for a parking permit.
My grandson lives in a neighborhood where ICE has been active. He had not witnessed this before, but his mother has talked with him about ICE.
“The events of that morning weigh heavily on me.”
When we returned home, I noticed him sitting quietly on the couch, looking out the window and blowing a whistle on a toy he received for Christmas.
The events of that morning weigh heavily on me. I think about the harm to the individuals taken, their families, those who witnessed it and even those carrying out the act of disappearing people from our community.
It has been reported that 73% of those taken have no criminal record and that only 5% have been convicted of violent offenses.
We do what we can from where we are. I encourage you to help in whatever way you are called.
