BEATRICE – Following the tragic shooting death of a Minneapolis woman last week at the hands of an ICE agent, protests and demonstrations continued this weekend across the U.S. One such demonstration happened in southeast Nebraska.

Local residents have been gathering on Sundays for the past several months to demonstrate along the west edge of the Gage County Courthouse…largely a pro-democracy effort. 

Elizabeth Stanosheck reacted to the events of recent days. She said “we all have to take a deep breath and allow investigation of the Minneapolis incident to go forward at both the federal and state levels.

"I think it's abhorrent to have the administration jump out and so quickly blame the individual who was killed. You should not be shot in the United States of America for driving in your car.....you should just not."

Stanosheck acknowledge that there’s a huge divide among Americans about the direction the country is going.

"All of the protests that have gone on this weekend....massive numbers of people...we hear the administration saying that if people are protesting in Iran are shot, that the United States is going to get involved. We're shooting our own people. Let's work here, first."

A significant number of Americans support the role of immigration and customs enforcement…but not so much when it comes to the tactics agents are using.

"Why are you masked? Why are you not identifying yourself? Why are you doing this in sort of a secret manner...coming into people's homes, arresting people, trying to drag them out of their cars. I saw an analogy the other day. This is why Anne Frank hid. So, we need to pay attention to what's going on in the country and we need to wake up, quite frankly."

Will the country get back to a more normal setting? Stanosheck feels it will, but only if constitutional provisions about separate and co-equal branches of government rise to the occasion.

"We have a separation of powers in our constitution, but right now, we do not seem to. Right now, the executive part of our three levels of government seem to be calling every shot there is....whether its invading another country, taking out their leader, threats of invading another country.....those are things that Congress should be involved in. And, if they don't step up, then I'm not confident."

Demonstrations have been continuing in Beatrice late each Sunday morning. Stansosheck says we should be pleased people are willing to be involved in the betterment of their nation.