Above: Gorman family with President Trump in Rockland County
Below: Protestor at Pop-Up Indivisible Event in Yorktown
A pop-up, rally, held by Indivisible Northern Westchester, held on May 30 drew criticism from republicans, as the family of Sheridan Gorman, fresh off a meeting with President Trump in Rockland County, still mourns her death.
Yorktown Town Supervisor Ed Lachterman wrote, “As Yorktown continues to mourn the loss of Sheridan Gorman, it is difficult to understand why members of our community, through Indivisible Yorktown, would host an anti-ICE rally while her family continues to live with the consequences of policies that they believe failed to protect their daughter.
“The Gorman family has shown tremendous strength and grace in the face of unimaginable loss. Through their advocacy, they have asked elected officials to confront a difficult but necessary question: when laws and policies prevent cooperation with immigration enforcement, even for individuals accused or convicted of serious crimes, who is being protected?
“The Gorman family’s message is not about immigration. It is about accountability. It is about recognizing that public safety policies have real-world consequences for real families. They have argued that laws restricting cooperation with ICE, even in cases involving serious criminal offenses, represent a betrayal of the public trust because they place political priorities ahead of community safety,” said Lachterman.
Assemblyman Matt Slater wrote, “Today’s anti ICE protest by members of the extreme left in Yorktown, which was really a celebration of Kathy Hochul’s new Sanctuary State laws, was a shocking display of disrespect toward a community and family still in mourning.
Sheridan Gorman loved Yorktown and everything it stood for, but she was taken from us by an illegal immigrant and the same broken system Kathy Hochul just approved for all of New York. No one should go through the pain the Gorman Family has endured, and today’s protest ignored every green light that continues to shine for Sheridan.”
Some did not see the protest as any affront to the memory of Sheridan Gorman. “Ed, from what I saw, the protest on Saturday was not an “anti-ICE” protest. It was a broader protest against a myriad of actions and policies enacted by the Trump administration and supported by Rep. Mike Lawler. The ICE practice of rounding up, detaining and deporting asylum seekers who are showing up to their hearings and applying for legal residency the right way is just one of many issues that people are speaking out against,” wrote one comment on Facebook.
Madelon Gorman, Sheridan’s sister, wrote, “I understand that people have different beliefs, experiences, and perspectives. However, seeing an anti-ICE protest take place in our hometown town that means so much to my family—has been incredibly painful.
“This has never been about opposing immigration. It is about preventing violent criminals from harming innocent people.
“My sister left Yorktown to pursue her education in Chicago, where she was tragically murdered by an illegal immigrant with a criminal history. That loss shattered my family. It changed every holiday, every birthday, every family dinner, and every future milestone we once imagined. We no longer get to watch Sheridan graduate, begin her career, get married, or become a mother. We carry that grief with us every single day.
“That is why seeing an anti-ICE protest in the very community that raised us hurts so deeply. It feels like a wound is being reopened. It feels as though the tragedy that took my sister’s life is being reduced to a political talking point rather than recognized as the devastating human loss that it is. Whether that is the intention or not, that is how it feels to a family living with this pain every day.
“To see a demonstration that, from our perspective, appears to oppose an agency whose mission includes removing dangerous criminal offenders feels deeply personal.
“What makes this especially painful is that there are countless places where people can gather to express their views. Yet this protest took place in the hometown that Sheridan loved, the town that raised her, and the community that mourned her. Seeing this happen in Sheridan’s hometown feels deeply hurtful because it touches a wound that is still incredibly raw. Of all places, I wish they had chosen somewhere other than Sheridan’s home.”
Congressman Mike Lawler wrote, “Today, indivisible Yorktown and Northern Westchester Indivisible, a group of far-left agitators, held an anti-ICE protest in Yorktown, NY — home to the Gorman family, who lost their beautiful daughter Sheridan when a criminal illegal immigrant brutally shot her in cold blood in Chicago.
“Instead of protesting ICE and calling for its abolishment, these deranged folks should be calling for an end to sanctuary states, cities, and counties to ensure that criminal illegal immigrants are turned over to federal law enforcement.
“Holding a protest in support of disastrous policies that allow murderers, rapists, and child abusers to remain in our country and prohibit the cooperation of federal, state, and local law enforcement is disgusting. Doing it in the hometown of the Gorman family is unforgivable.”
The protest announcement read, “INDIVISIBLE YORKTOWNNY POP UP PROTEST- NOTE NEW TIME! Let’s Make Some Music! and beat MAGA Mike Lawler out of office. We will be meeting a half hour earlier for our popup protests moving forward. Our own DJ TiltCat needs to pack up a half hour earlier in order to get to the protest in Mount Kisco and then to Mamaroneck. He’s the hardest working music man in Westchester protests. We will be gathering from 10:30 to 11:30 AM on the sidewalk opposite the Roma Building at the intersection of Sawmill River Road (Route 118) and Commerce Street. This has been one of our best sites for protesting with cars coming in all directions. We’re coming up on a critical vote in Albany regarding New York for All (NY4All). Kathy Hochul has come up short in supporting a robust bill that will stop law enforcement in New York State from cooperating with ICE agents.”
Photos from the protest, as is the case in many of the same No Kings rallies throughout Westchester, show a number of issues highlighted, primarily against Congressman Lawler and President Trump, but also against health care cuts and anti-ICE signs.
The real question raised is whether Indivisible should rally in communities like Yorktown? Clearly, they are entitled to do so, and the rally was held at the primary intersection in Yorktown without incident.
Opinions are mixed, depending on which side of the political aisle you sit.
Another Facebook post about the Yorktown rally posted “There is a vast difference between what you claim ICE is doing (deporting violent criminals, which probably 95% of people agree is a good idea) and what ICE is actually doing. People are protesting what ICE is actually doing, e.g. murdering American citizens like Renee Good and Alex Pretti for doing nothing more than trying to shed light on the racist atrocities being committed by ICE against black and brown migrants who are only in this country to earn an honest living. Good luck at the midterms…this was one of the only issues you had majority support on (deporting violent criminals) in 2024, until Trump screwed it up.”
While we mourn the horrible murder of Sheridan Gorman by an illegal immigrant, we also respect the right of residents to hold a rally against Lawler and Trump and ICE.
