Two protests, worlds apart – Jean-Christophe Dick

When I got into photography too many years ago because of a girl, I didn’t really know where it would lead me. I first started just observing and capturing the world around me, after a while, getting into Fine-Art photography and getting pictures into art patrons’ homes.

However I wanted to capture more, the way our world was evolving. Protests and peoples movements seemed to be the most natural way to capture these evolutions. By definition they are at the fault lines of society, protests often met with violence.

Minneapolis 2026

Protests in response to fatal shooting of US Citizen Renée Good in Minneapolis on Jan. 7, 2026 & Immigration and Citizenship Enforcement arrests and tactics in US cities, in particular Minneapolis MN.

Hong Kong 2019/2020

Protests in response to legislation imposed on Hong Kong from Mainland China authorities, the erosion of democratic governance, and police tactics and behavior towards protesters. These were distilled into five specific demands. In addition, a University student Chow Tsz-lok fell in a car park that ultimately led to his death a few days later. He was pursued by police into the car park and the circumstances of his fall remain under debate.

Crowds

In both cases, it felt that the entirety of each city came out and protested. It was the everyman/everywoman event. Old, young, whole families and generations came to both protests. Both protests assembled first in public parks before marching through local streets.

This protest in Minneapolis occurred on Jan 10, 2026 assembling first in Powderhorn Park in Southern Minneapolis before marching through the local neighborhood.

This protest in Hong Kong occurred on Jan 1, 2020 assembling first in Victoria Park on Hong Kong Island before marching on Hennessy Road towards Admiralty.

Star Spangled Banner

The flag of the United States of America in the context of the protests does not represent the government of the United States, but rather the founding concept of “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness” echoed in the pledge of allegiance “indivisible with liberty and justice for all”. These words and concepts appeared in both protests not as a rallying cry for a country, but for the notion that the United States had championed, somewhat imperfectly, since its inception, of freedom and justice. It was ingrained in the cartoons we watched as kids in the US and exported to the rest of the world with the implied promise that the US, its people, would fight for freedom and democracy anywhere in the world. During President Kennedy’s 1961 inauguration speech, the following promise was made to the world: “We shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty”. To many, myself included, Americans and others, this is what that flag stands for.

The US flag was a constant during the protest. Occasionally, it was hung upside down, a sign of extreme distress or danger.

I was not expecting to see American flags waving at a foreign protest. Often at protests abroad they are being displayed several degrees hotter. These were not Americans celebrating the American standard.

Community

One of the heartening things to see across protests was how protesters and local community members helped each other out. In Hong Kong, Chow Tsz-lok spontaneous memorial (it happened hours after he died in hospital) in the car park, people handed out candles, face masks (to avoid face recognition cameras), water.

In Minneapolis, protesters set up a fold out table with hot beverages, face masks and hand-warmers. At the Federal Whipple Building, a man appeared out of nowhere to give protesters bags of face masks and facial protection. At the Renée Good memorial where she was shot, Somali women were handing out hot Somali Sambusas and Tea.

A member of the Somali community hands out Somali Sambusas and tea.

A shop owner in Hong Kong handing out water bottles for protesters.

Medic

Another sign of community helping each other out was volunteer medics showing up for the protests, knowing that previous encounters with authorities had led to injuries, some serious, and some fatal. They were here for the man or woman next to them.

Volunteer medics hanging off the back of their pickup truck at Powderhorn Park, Minneapolis.

University students volunteering as medics at the Alex Chow Tsz-lok memorial in Hong Kong.

Memorial

Renée Good was shot in Minneapolis. Alex Chow Tsz-lok died in Hong Kong. Both populations honored their dead with memorials adorned with flowers, messages, candles and trinkets.

Even though Renée Good was not an immigrant, she was there for them on January 7th. In this memorial, they were there for her. Not just immigrants, but Americans as well, the descendants of immigrants.

In the car park in Hong Kong where Alex Chow Tsz-lok crashed. Tributes including flowers, post-it notes and candles.

Tributes to the fallen

Through both protests. Minneapolis 1/10/2026 and Hong Kong 1/8/2019, reminders of those that fell, their names, photos when they were happy.

Signs

Signs are a constant, must-have fixture at any protest. Ranging from messages of hope, to sadness of loss, to statements of democratic values or plain human decency.

A teenage or twenty-something woman standing guard early in the morning of January 11th, one of a handful of mostly young protesters opposite the Whipple Federal Building, ICE staging base.

University Student, car park, Hong Kong, referring to the death of Alex Chow Tsz-lok.

“We said we would rise and fall together, and no one would be left behind because of your departure, we are heartbroken and outraged, and vow to do everything in our power at any cost to reveal the truth. To you Hong Kong owes you this, too much.”

The March

It moves, it is an entity comprised of the hopes and rage of its members.

Future Generations

Children were present at the protests. After all, the world they will inherit will be formed partially on that day. The hope is they remain involved and become active citizens.

Crucial Differences

While protests in themselves had many similar characteristics, some key differences could determine different outcomes of the protests. While Hong Kong had a governance system inherited from British Rule, being a part of the People’s Republic of China with different policies towards freedom of speech and assembly than the United States where Freedom of Speech and Assembly are codified in the founding documents.

The protests in Hong Kong were specific to the erosion of civil liberties in Hong Kong, and not that of the mainland. Though Hong Kong is a part of China, there are key differences between mainland China and Hong Kong including the legacy of British colonial rule but also cultural differences that go beyond colonial rule. This has led to two distinct identities. This also meant that the protests in Hong Kong were specific to Hong Kong. With Hong Kong representing only 0.5-0.6% of the total population of China, there was no follow through on the mainland. This is compared to the Anti-ICE protests in the United States which occurred in each of the 50 states where Freedom of Speech and Assembly are protected rights and where ICE action has increased in urban and rural areas across the country.

The death of Alex Chow Tsz-lok galvanized the population of Hong Kong in a similar way that Renée Good’s shooting had done stateside. While Renée’s shooting was highly documented, including by the shooter. The fatal incident of Chow Tsz-lok occurred without video recordings of any type. I use the word incident specifically as in the following months, different studies were inconclusive as to whether he fell or was pushed by police that were recorded following him into the parking structure.

An unfortunate similarity however emerges that regardless of evidence in one case. The outcome is the same, uncertainty as to whether there was overreach involving the death of a protester.

The ultimate coup de grace for the Hong Kong protests was ultimately the Covid-19 pandemic. While justifiable, the freedom to assemble was curtailed in order to limit the spread of Covid, this removed the best tool that the people of Hong Kong had to fight the regime, all while western democracies were busy scrambling to protect their own citizens.

Minneapolis Debrief

In the wake of Renée Good’s shooting death on January 7th in Minneapolis, protests were organized in her honor and to oppose ICE activity. On Saturday January 10, a large protest at Powderhorn Park began. The park, a couple of blocks away from where Renée Good was shot, is in a typical suburban neighborhood, a Minnesotan mix of neighbors from all backgrounds including immigrants.

Driving straight from the airport I took the closest exit to the Park and saw an SUV pulled over not by Police but what I assume were ICE as there were no markings.

You can tell ICE is not welcome here, most of the houses had some form of ICE Out sign, some including well placed expletives.

Once I found a parking spot (half the city had come to support the community) I made my way to the meeting spot.

It was community coming together, old, young, immigrants, nationals, the hip and the vintage, half the city was here and they were mourning together, angry together. Their streets had been taken over, federally sponsored violence spilling in to the school yards. There were so many people that the march took hours to complete, after a few hours I left and still people were flowing in.

The next day I went to the Federal building which was serving as the base for ICE operations. It is the site of continuous clashes between protesters and Federal agents, where rubber bullets, bear spray and other chemical agents were used against protesters.

It was early in the morning and only 4 or 5 protesters were standing guard opposite the front gate of the building. Beyond the fence line you could see ICE agents getting into cars and going off for their raids of the day. A Norwegian press crew came and asked questions of the protesters, most young in their twenties. Another gentleman showed up with four shopping bags with face masks and eye protection as a gift, he didn’t know these people but wanted to help. Community support was a constant at these protests, people helping each other out, tables with water, face masks and hand warmers for anyone to grab; volunteer medics hanging off the back of a pickup. All this at 21 degrees F.

Later I went to the site where Renee Good was killed, a memorial of flowers, posters, flags, candles and anything that could honor her was up. Members of the Somali community were there giving out hot tea and samosas to anyone who spent a minute there.

I thought I was done for the day, packed up the camera equipment and decided to get a Jucy Lucy burger at Matt’s, a local bar/grill that has been there for over 70 years. A block away from Matt’s the road was blocked, two unmarked SUVs had cornered a white pickup and they had taken someone into custody. The neighbors were already out trying to do what they could, yelling at them to get out. Many rushing out in slippers on a cold Minnesota winter Sunday. A woman put herself in the way of the SUV on the way out as they maneuvered around her. As they sped by me, I could hear one of the ICE agents yell out a victory “yeah!”, as if they had scored a sick twisted touchdown.

All that was left was a white pickup truck with a ladder on top, someone was whisked away by masked agents in an unmarked car for going to work on a freezing Sunday afternoon.

Renée Good, a white American died in defense of immigrants. Her memorial is a tribute from many of them and her fellow Americans, whose majority are descendants of immigrants.

You have here two Americas, the one, the community coming together to defend itself against the other, based on cruelty and a disregard for due process and the law in general.

Hong Kong Debrief

In November of 2019, I booked a trip to Hong Kong. Hong Kong was in the midst of a citywide protest movement against the mainland back Hong Kong Government over reforms that were perceived to erode democratic norms. A few days before my flight, Alex Chow Tsz-lok, a University Student was found unconscious following a fall in car park in east Kowloon. Based on exterior footage, Alex was pursued by Police. Though no definite cause of death could be determined (whether it was an accident, struggle or pushed), his death was the first linked to the protest movement. He died in hospital a few hours after I arrived. I made my way to the taxi stand at the Star Ferry terminal in Kowloon. The taxi driver saw that I was in a safety vest with Press/Media and helmet clipped to my belt. He asked where I was going, “to the car park in Tseung Kwan O.” He knew which car park I was going to and asked me to be careful.

The news was still fresh and people in Hong Kong were still learning of it. I didn’t know if there would be a gathering of people here, I just thought there would. From the moment that I arrived, the crowd grew from a couple dozen to over a thousand people. The car park was still functioning, with cars exiting, and the crowds, lined up and respectful, waiting for their moment to pay last respects to Alex. Only journalists and volunteers weaved their way in between the crowds. Many handing out candles and face masks. It was heavy and beautiful at the same time.

A month later I made my way back to Hong Kong, dragging my parents with me. We celebrated New Year’s eve on the harbor and the next day I went to the protest in Victoria Park that then marched up Hennessy Road. Still with my yellow safety press vest, the crowd motioned me and press photographers to climb with their help on top of the tramway stations so we could get a better vantage of the crowd.

It was people for as far as you could see. Mothers with their children, American and UK flags.

Post Scriptum

I am not a journalist, that is not my profession. There is a lot that can be said about journalism in this day and age, but what becomes apparent, is that we need good journalists now more than ever. The journalists that go out on to the front lines and put themselves in danger, to go where I chose not to because I was afraid to. The light needs to be shown to everyone, but it also requires people to step up and care. Protest locally, the front lines of the struggle go through every community in this county.

Veritas Vincit.

All photos my own. Use available upon request for media informative purposes upon request and approval only. AI learning/training learning not allowed.