METHUEN — While small in number, a group of local seniors are determined to make a statement.
On Friday, roughly a dozen people stood with signs outside the Woods at Merrimack Retirement Community. The protest had been prompted in part by the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Minneapolis, organizer Kathleen Regan said.
“Rather than sitting in a room feeling anxious, we wanted to take some power back,” she said. “We are not in agreement with what is happening in our country.”
ICE has been widely criticized by local, state and national leaders, chiefly on the left, for among other concerns brutal and sometimes deadly tactics, incompetence and causing fear among minority communities especially in Minneapolis.
While Friday’s event was brief, Regan said the group plans to return to the location at the same time and day on a weekly basis.
She hadn’t wanted to advertise the protest beforehand as she wasn’t looking to create division with her more conservative neighbors and further increase political polarization.
Regan said the choice to protest in the community rather than attend larger gatherings in Boston had been made in part due to health concerns.
Still, she said the weekly peaceful protests are open to anyone.