Protesters stood on the corners of Nashville Road and Campbell Lane, Saturday, to protest the U.S. Justice Department’s delayed release of documents relating to investigations into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. 

The original date for the Justice Department to release the Epstein files was Dec. 19. While some of the files were released on Dec. 19, the Justice Department delayed further releases until Jan. 20 or 21, according to PBS News.

Pete Zielinski attended the protest alongside over 30 other people. The protest was organized by SOKY Indivisible.

“I just can’t let it go,” Zielinski said in reference to the Epstein files.

WKU alumn and retired Planetarium Coordinator Ronn Kistler also denounced ICE. He said it could be a good organization “if they were actually getting rid of terrorists and drug dealers.” Kistler said instead ICE is “escalating violence.”

Kistler recalled his time in college protesting the Vietnam War, comparing it to modern protests. He said during the Vietnam War era, people reached a point where they could no longer sit idle, and the same thing is happening today.

Kistler also noted that in the Vietnam War era, there were more instances of “active resistance” like people chaining themselves to government buildings. He said events like the Kent State shootings and subsequent riots also made for a more violent time than the modern protests.

Protests on college campuses have shrunk and become less violent compared to the Vietnam War era, according to the Associated Press.

Kistler said if the protests stay peaceful, the government won’t have justification to respond violently. 

“We’ve learned since the Vietnam War era,” Kistler said.