"On the evening of July 4, 2025, around a dozen people arrived at the ICE Prairieland Detention Facility in Alvarado, Texas, for an event they characterized as a noise demonstration. They wore black and brought with them Roman candles, first-aid kits, bubbles, a bullhorn, and a flag that read 'Resist Fascism, Fight Oligarchy.' A few of them also brought body armor and firearms."
"An officer of the Alvarado Police Department drove up, got out of his car, and drew his weapon. One of the protesters, a then thirty-two-year-old named Benjamin Song, shouted, 'Get to the rifles,' then fired his AR-15-style weapon. The officer, who was struck near his collarbone, returned fire."
"Initially, Song and others who were at Prairieland that night were charged with attempted murder. Then, on September 10th, the conservative activist Charlie Kirk was killed at an outdoor event at a college in Utah. President Donald Trump blamed the assassination on 'the radical left' and vowed a crackdown."
On July 4, 2025, a group protested at the ICE Prairieland Detention Facility in Texas, engaging in a noise demonstration. They brought fireworks, body armor, and firearms. Tensions escalated when a protester, Benjamin Song, shot an officer, leading to chaotic confrontations. Initially charged with attempted murder, the situation intensified after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, prompting President Trump to blame the radical left and announce a crackdown on Antifa, further politicizing the incident.
Read at The New Yorker
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