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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tby Sharelle B. McNair <\/a><\/p>\n January 13, 2026<\/p>\n The group\u2019s national chairman, and attending members feel ICE should be abolished and the current administration should be held accountable for its actions.<\/p>\n Members of the Black Panther Party were seen at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protest in Philadelphia following the tragic death <\/a>of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis, saying \u201cif we were there, not a single person would have gotten touched,\u201d The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.\u00a0<\/p>\n The group, which identifies as part of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, is an entity of the 1960s militant Black power group founded by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale. Members showed up to the Jan. 8 anti-ICE protest at Philadelphia City Hall, with military-style weapons in hand, in response to the violence dished out by the Trump administration.\u00a0<\/p>\n Paul Birdsong, who labels himself as the group\u2019s national chairman, and attending members feel ICE should be abolished and the current administration should be held accountable<\/a> for its actions. After Good was killed by ICE agent Jonathan Ross, President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance defended the agent, saying he \u201cwas doing his job\u201d and issued sentiments of \u201cabsolute immunity\u201d without proper facts. <\/p>\n \u201cYou got people that are part of a cabal, that are self-serving \u2026 and they prey on the common folks of the United States,\u201d Birdsong said.<\/p>\n Trained by some of the original party\u2019s surviving members, the Black Panther Party is known in the City of Brotherly Love for hosting weekly free food programs in North Philly for years. Community members who stop by for free food are used to seeing the group\u2019s members armed and ready, which creates a sense of security for those they serve.\u00a0<\/p>\n Older members of the community call them role models<\/a> and remember the days when their party held events at the Church of the Advocate. \u201cThey primarily were always community-oriented,\u201d said 63-year-old Jerome Hill, saying he is happy to see the group still serving the community.\u00a0<\/p>\n Member Comrade Arch, who also carries a firearm, says he feels \u201clike we\u2019re welcome\u201d as Birdsong admits to feeling \u201csafe.\u201d \u201cNo police, no drug dealers doing anything to us here.\u201d<\/p>\n With under 100 members, Birdsong<\/a> started to recruit members following the 2020 murder of George Floyd, which sparked massive protests, similar to the ones taking place in Good\u2019s memory. According to 6 Action News, speakers like Anita Raihan of No ICE Philly said it\u2019s only a matter of time before the same thing<\/a> happens in Philadelphia \u2014 if people don\u2019t act now.\u00a0\u201cIf you do not act, it will happen here,\u201d Raihan said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAnd if you do not act, ICE will continue to kidnap and disappear members of our community every single day.\u201d<\/p>\n Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner issued warnings to ICE agents as Trump pushes for a greater presence in America\u2019s metro cities. \u201cDon\u2019t even try this in Philly,\u201d Krasner said. \u201cDo you hear me, ICE agents? You\u2019re going to jail if you commit crimes in the city of Philadelphia.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n As organizers labeled the protest as \u201ca catalyzing moment when people are coming together,\u201d they plan to host demonstrations outside the local ICE field office every Monday morning.<\/p>\n