KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Franklin and Douglas counties in Kansas. Share your story idea with Lily.
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Sunday marked the 46th consecutive week protesters gathered at 9th and Massachusetts streets in Lawrence, Kansas.
RELATED | Lawrence protests continue for 17th week, organizers talk grassroots effort
Since the beginning, the weekly protests have largely criticized the Trump administration. This Sunday, Sanctuary Alliance joined the demonstration to protest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) presence in communities across the country.
Lawrence joined nationwide protests after an ICE officer shot and killed Renee Good, 37, in Minneapolis on Wednesday.
READ | SUV involved in deadly ICE shooting Wednesday in Minneapolis was registered out of KCMO
“Usually, we’ve been running about 200 people, but this week it’s much bigger," said Gaby Holcomb, a Lawrence resident who attends the weekly protest.
Neil Barnhart, a regular at the weekly protest, was joined by his granddaughter on Sunday.
“Finally, people are taking notice, and it’s just a damn shame that it took a murder to get people out," he said.
Lawrence resident Jenny Sodergeren has made it a habit to record the weeks of protest on her sign.
“I just love hearing the loud voices and the energy," she said. "People, they’re just not going to take it.”
Sodergeren said she and others at the protest have also used their voices to call their representatives.
“It’s (protests) happening all over the country," she said. "You just wonder when someone’s going to actually listen. We try to call our congressmen and complain and let them know what our feelings are, and I don’t know if they’re listening.”
Protesters say they'll return next Sunday.
“Lawrence has always been here, and Lawrence will always be here when things like this happen," said one protester.
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