On Saturday afternoon, about 10 people protesting outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Broadview, Illinois were maced by federal agents. Two were taken to a nearby hospital; others declined transport. According to a village spokesperson, the protesters had been standing in the street, blocking agents from entering or leaving the property, when the confrontation happened.

Accounts of what happened next differ. The Department of Homeland Security says officers used their training to restore order after protesters blocked a driveway and exit gate, and that the area was cleared within the hour. But the Chicago Activist Coalition For Justice called the agents' conduct "dangerous and aggressive," saying in a statement that "the reports that vehicles may have been used in a manner that endangered protesters, along with allegations involving the treatment of a seated woman and the deployment of chemical agents, raise serious public safety concerns."

Whichever version turns out to be accurate, the right to protest peacefully is protected by the First Amendment, and allegations this serious deserve a real answer — not silence. Broadview's police department should be given the space and support to conduct a transparent, independent review of what happened, and the public deserves to see the results.

Nobody should have to wonder whether standing on a public street to voice their beliefs will end with a trip to the hospital. Sign this petition to demand a full, transparent investigation into the use of force against protesters outside the Broadview ICE facility — before the next demonstration ends the same way.