People braved the cold to stand outside in solidarity at a community vigil and protest on Sunday evening, Jan. 11, at the Ela Peace Pole in downtown Lake Zurich.
The event was organized by residents, artists of Preserve Collaborative, and supporters of the Ela Peace Project.
The event was promoted as a “protest for all people affected by the inhumane actions of ICE and in response to the killing of Renee Nicole Good, whose life was taken by a federal ICE agent on Jan. 7 in Minneapolis,” according to information published by organizers to spread the word about the gathering.
The community vigil and protest on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026 at the Ela Peace Pole in downtown Lake Zurich. (Karie Angell Luc/Pioneer Press)
“We stand together in community and solidarity against injustice,” organizers also posted. All were welcome to bring a candle and attend with peaceful intent. People were asked to pause and reflect in silence, too, as a group.
Good, 37, was shot and killed while at the wheel of a moving vehicle during the confrontation with ICE agents.
Viewers who have seen the multiple video versions of the same incident are divided in their interpretations about how the situation should have been handled.
Lake Zurich residents Cathy McCauley (raised in Buffalo Grove), Alicia Timm, elected in 2025 as a Lake Zurich Community Unit School District 95 school board member, and Shari Gullo, active in the community, were the three protest organizers.
The community vigil and protest on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026 at the Ela Peace Pole in downtown Lake Zurich. (Karie Angell Luc/Pioneer Press)
“We are in a profound moment in our country in the wake of the violence that’s taken place,” McCauley told those in attendance. “We stand together to honor the many lives taken by ICE.”
Organizers chose to share the words of Renee Good’s widow. All three organizers spoke, followed by remarks of local elected officials, Dist. 51 Illinois State Rep. Nabeela Syed and Jessica Vealitzek of Hawthorn Woods, Dist. 10, Lake County board member.
One vigil organizer told attendees there was a social media push to remove the word “protest” from the event name, but that request was refused with defiance.
Throughout the program’s duration, children were seen standing and sitting on raised playground equipment, watching the approximately 30-minute honorarium and protest.
Two people stood across Main Street holding counterprotest signs. One person at the protest made a point to stand with their backs to block the view of the two counterprotesters.
Another person attending the vigil held an illuminated hurricane-style candle and whispered, “I’m mad, and I’m sad.”
The community vigil and protest on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026 at the Ela Peace Pole in downtown Lake Zurich. (Karie Angell Luc/Pioneer Press)
Installed at 95 E. Main St. next to the Ela Historical Society and Museum on May 11, 2023, and dedicated on Sept. 21, 2023, Lake Zurich’s peace pole stands at nearly 15 feet, made of stainless steel, and has the word “Peace” translated in 60 languages spoken in Ela Township. Included are references using Braille and sign language.
Karie Angell Luc is a freelancer for Pioneer Press.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/12/lake-zurich-community-vigil-and-protest/
