By Gabriel Solis
This Sunday, Feb. 15, members of the Grand Rapids community will gather at the Fountain Street Church for “Melt the ICE,” a benefit concert for families affected by the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The event will run from 2-7 p.m. and will feature performances from four diverse Grand Rapids bands.
Attendees can expect “great live music that’s going to be joyful and at least somewhat thought-provocative,” said Daniel Terpstra, event manager for Grand Rapids Sounds of Solidarity, the organization behind the concert.
Terpstra says that the event will serve as a community escape from what he calls “the darkness in the general society right now,” while also providing aid to those affected by the recent increase in ICE activity on a local level.
“The goal at this point is we have an event where people are having a great time, a lot of joy, a lot of good music, and we also are…hoping to raise a lot of money for these organizations who are really doing a lot of work on the ground.”
Donations collected at the door will benefit three local organizations: Movimiento Cosecha GR, the local chapter of an organization dedicated to the rights of undocumented immigrants, SECOM Community Resource Center, a social service organization, and Kent County Indivisible, a group focusing on policy change at the national, state, and local levels.
Terpstra hopes that the concert will act as a reminder for people struggling to cope with the current social and political climate that they are not alone.
“People feel very isolated and alone with dark things happening in society, and when they go to something like a No Kings rally and they see that there are nine or ten thousand people marching with them, they go ‘Oh, I’m not the only one.’”
The multi-hour event will feature local street food and filling stations for water. There is a $25 suggested donation at the door, but Terpstra emphasizes that it is not required and that no one will be turned away.
“If there’s anybody that’s coming in with hate or negativity, or that want to create trouble, well, they’re not invited,” he said. “But if you want to come in and have a good, peaceful, fun, joyful time, then everyone’s invited, even if they don’t have the money to pay at the door…we’re just asking that they donate for the food or they donate if they can.”
More information about the event can be found here.
