Rather than look at protests becoming rituals, I here consider a case where ritual as part of protest. I maintain that because of consistent and violent attacks by ICE on protesters in Minneapolis/St. Paul, physical ritual movement became a vital part of protests.
A resident of the area, and was part of the resistance to ICE agents arrest and detention of citizens. Here, I offer my scholarly observations on events, paired with theory on ritual and protest. This includes reviewing Victor Turner and Richard Schechner’s understanding of ritual and protest, considering theatrical and group components. However, I focus mainly on critical understandings of the use of music and dance in protests. To do so, I describe and examine two specific examples from the Minneapolis ICE protests - Westminster Presbyterian church and the Singing Resistance movement, and Native American dances at memorial sites.