{"id":160536,"date":"2026-02-02T18:01:29","date_gmt":"2026-02-02T18:01:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/160536\/"},"modified":"2026-02-02T18:01:29","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T18:01:29","slug":"despite-alleged-attack-from-counter-demonstrators-in-mid-january-last-weekends-ice-protests-in-sacramento-were-energetic-but-peaceful-sacramento-news-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/160536\/","title":{"rendered":"Despite alleged attack from counter-demonstrators in mid-January, last weekend\u2019s ICE protests in Sacramento were energetic but peaceful \u2022 Sacramento News & Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Ken Magri<\/p>\n

On Friday, several hundred Sacramento-area high school students walked out of their classrooms. Some gathered at Howe Avenue and Arden Way while others mustered in front of the Arden Fair Mall \u2013 but most were carrying signs to the State Capital as part of a nationwide walkout.<\/p>\n

Several students from Rosemont High in Rancho Cordova told SN&R that they left their morning classes to join the downtown protests.<\/p>\n

The demonstration eventually migrated to Cesar Chavez Plaza across from City Hall.<\/p>\n

At the plaza, a crowd of roughly 2,000 gathered to hear speakers and march to the John Moss Federal Building, which is a hub for ICE agents in Sacramento.<\/p>\n

Speakers touched on many issues, including human rights, immigrants\u2019 rights, ICE-initiated violence and corporations that benefit from business contracts with the Department of Homeland Security, or DHS.<\/p>\n

Information booths offered literature from progressive advocacy groups including NorCal Resist, Indivisible.org, the Sacramento LGBT Community Center, the Trans and Queer Youth Collective, Camp4Justice and the Sac Immigration Committee, @916EYESonICE.<\/p>\n

\"\"Rosemont High School students at an ICE protest in Sacramento. Photo by Ken Magri<\/p>\n

The rhetoric was heated, and the mood was serious, but protesters remained cheerful. So did the Sacramento Police Department.<\/p>\n

SPD officers on motorcycles and bicycles lined up at 9th and I Streets in front of the group, which had a permit to march to the federal building. Officers smiled and waved as they cleared three blocks of I Street to create a safe walking space for the marchers.<\/p>\n

On a day filled with headlines about the arrest of journalist Don Lemon for filming a Minneapolis protest, this reporter was initially startled when an SPD officer approached on her bicycle. Pointing at my camera, she said, \u201cI am only allowing you to \u2026 photograph me if you get my good side.\u201d The officer then smiled and turned to show her right profile.<\/p>\n

\"\"Sacramento police waiting for te ICE protest march to start. Photo by Ken Magri<\/p>\n

Marchers chanted slogans like \u201cJustice for Alex, Justice for Rene\u201d and \u201cNo ICE, no KKK, no fascist USA.\u201d<\/p>\n

They stopped after reaching the west gate of the federal building\u2019s back parking lot at 6th and N Streets. At that location, marchers were offered political literature, free water, soap bubbles, penny candies and sidewalk chalk.<\/p>\n

A teepee was partially constructed in the far-left lane of N Street. It created a gathering point of sorts, as the block was temporarily closed to traffic. More speeches, chanting and noisemaking followed.<\/p>\n

Many people shook their signs and yelled directly at the federal building in case. Protest organizer Allen O\u2019Brien invited people to speak directly to workers inside by using his bullhorn.<\/p>\n

\u201cSee those busses in the back? Those are detainee buses,\u201d said protestor Scott Stauffer. \u201cIf we see anybody coming into this gate, we keep our focus right here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Allen O\u2019Brien protesting at John Moss Federal Building on Jan 30. Photo by Ken Magri<\/p>\n

Over the sounds of honking horns, Stauffer told SN&R that he, two other protesters and his van were attacked with a baseball bat and bear spray by counter-protesters on January 17. What Stauffer called a \u201cTrump train\u201d of flag-bearing trucks arrived late in the evening, outnumbering him and two other protesters.<\/p>\n

A cell phone video of this incident circulated online.<\/p>\n

Sacramento Police took Stauffer\u2019s report and later arrested Shawn McHune, 53, and Megan Garfield, 41 on charges of assault with a deadly weapon, felony vandalism and conspiracy, according to ABC 10 News.<\/p>\n

By late afternoon Friday, the Sacramento protests broke up with no reported incidents, arrests or vandalism. For his part, Stauffer stayed at the back gate of the federal building, continuing the vigil and urging others to participate.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m here all the time,\u201d said Stauffer. \u201cI\u2019ll be out here all night.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"ICE protesters in back of John Moss Federal Building. Photo by Ken Magri<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Ken Magri On Friday, several hundred Sacramento-area high school students walked out of their classrooms. Some gathered…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":160537,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[78081,121,123,122],"class_list":{"0":"post-160536","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sacramento","8":"tag-ice-protests-in-sacramento","9":"tag-sacramento","10":"tag-sacramento-headlines","11":"tag-sacramento-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160536","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=160536"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160536\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/160537"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=160536"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=160536"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=160536"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}