Why Thomas Paine Still Matters, and Why Peaceful Protest Is Our Power

Friends, it’s time to get clear about power — who holds it and who it should serve.

In 1776, Thomas Paine wrote Common Sense not as call-and-response cheerleading, but as wake-up reality: governments are instituted to serve the people, not the other way around. He didn’t mince words. He knew that when power forgets its purpose, the people must remind it — firmly, peacefully, and with moral clarity (Paine, Common Sense).

Today, our nation is facing a stark reminder that power unchecked can cause serious harm — especially when it forgets whom it was designed to protect.

🔥 What’s happening with ICE right now

This past week, a major controversy erupted after an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, during a federal immigration operation in Minneapolis. The incident has sparked peaceful protests and vigils across the country as communities call for accountability and justice.

🔗 “The Latest: ICE officer shoots and kills a woman during Minneapolis immigration crackdown” — AP News: https://apnews.com/article/91dcbe225e852d9c592f059b0d9c7738 (AP News).

Renee Good’s death — caught on video and now the subject of national debate — has ignited outrage from neighbors, local leaders, and everyday citizens who see this as an unacceptable use of deadly force. Her wife described her as someone who “sparkled,” and communities are demanding that the government explain why this happened.

🔗 “’Made of sunshine’: Renee Good’s wife speaks out” — ABC News: https://abcnews.go.com/US/renee-good-37-year-woman-killed-minneapolis-ice/story?id=129018464 (ABC News).

Across the United States, people have organized what’s being called the “ICE Out For Good Weekend of Action” — a nationwide, peaceful mobilization calling for ICE accountability and reform.

🔗 “ICE Out For Good Coalition Announces Nationwide Weekend of Action” — Indivisible / Public Citizen: https://www.citizen.org/news/ice-out-for-good-coalition-announces-nationwide-weekend-of-action-demanding-accountability-after-ice-killing-of-renee-nicole-good (Public Citizen).

Hundreds of protests from Minneapolis to the Bay Area and Akron — and thousands more nationwide — are taking place peacefully, with organizers emphasizing lawful demonstrations and moral witness.

🔗 Signal Akron reporting protests here: https://signalakron.org/anti-ice-protesters-gather-in-downtown-akron-renee-good-minneapolis/ (Signal Akron).

🗽 The government should be by and for the people

Paine wrote during a time when monarchy seemed unshakable. He reminded ordinary people — that’s you and me — that government’s legitimacy depends on serving the public’s wellbeing (Paine, Common Sense). That principle still holds: leaders and agencies exist to protect life, liberty, and justice — not to become power unto themselves.

But when agencies like ICE execute policies or use force without meaningful transparency, we are within our rights to question and respond.

✊ Why peaceful protest matters

Protesting isn’t a breakdown of order — it’s an affirmation of democracy. Peaceful assemblies across the country are:

Bearing witness to truth instead of silence. Demanding accountability from agents of the state. Asserting collective moral authority over unchecked enforcement. Reminding government whom it is meant to serve.

Peaceful protest has a long track record of driving meaningful change — from civil rights movements to modern calls for justice and reform.

🛤️ Peaceful protest: not weak, but strategic

You don’t need a title. You don’t need a permit.

You only need a conscience and a commitment to nonviolence and accountability. The crowds gathering today — with songs, candles, signs, and unified voices — are doing exactly that.

This is democracy in motion: people showing up to hold power accountable.

🧭 Your role in this moment

Here’s the hard but simple truth:

It’s not the politicians, presidents, or federal agencies that breathe life into government — it’s the people.

When we show up with conviction:

Demand justice instead of excuses. Seek clarity instead of confusion. Amplify truth instead of fear.

We honor the spirit of Paine’s message — that government derives its power from the consent and wellbeing of its citizens.

So today, and every day after:

Speak truth clearly Demand accountability loudly Protest peacefully with dignity Remember — we are the final source of power in our republic

Not presidents.

Not mayors.

Not agencies or federal titles.

You — the citizen — are the true foundation of government.

Let’s act like it.