Readers Write: ICE shooting of Renee Nicole Good

Opinion editor’s note: Strib Voices publishes letters from readers online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.

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We are in the middle of some kind of Shakespearean tragedy. If you doubt this, just listen to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and President Donald Trump’s version of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement killing of Renee Nicole Good in south Minneapolis versus that of Mayor Jacob Frey, other local leaders and eyewitnesses.

The three witches in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” end the first scene predictively: “Fair is foul and foul is fair; hover through the fog and filthy air.” Given the “fog and filthy air” of the witches’ distortion, the disastrous development and outcome of that tragic play — and the current state of our country — is all but certain.

In another Shakespearean tragedy, “Hamlet,” the main character, when asked what he is reading, says, “words, words, words,” as if language has lost meaning and clarity. Such seems to be the plight of our Constitution and established laws and precedents, which are simply “words, words, words” whose import is malleable. The commonly understood and accepted meaning of those “words” is open to reinterpretation by those in power: the Supreme Court, the administration and its supporters.

In fact, language itself, which constitutes our “commons” of communication, is open to revision. Thus Jan. 6, 2021, becomes a “love fest,” the Minneapolis ICE killing is prompted by “an act of domestic terrorism” and the invasion of Venezuela is a “law enforcement operation.”

We appear to be in a period of absolute and divisive relativity, which, given the dark arc of tragedy, does not bode well.

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An abrupt about-face by the FBI to exclude the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension from a joint investigation, along with giving any information to the BCA, does not bode well for my trust in an honest assessment or conclusion of the ICE shooting in the death of a woman in Minneapolis.

I would like to think that the FBI agents have professional integrity, but it’s very difficult to know if the full report and findings will get released as long as Kash Patel is the director of the FBI. I know what he seeks, and it’s not the truth.

Steve Williams, Minnetonka

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Yes, her tires were turned, so it seems wasn’t trying to hit the officer. But the officer didn’t know that. The rules of force for the police are that it is legal to shoot with deadly force if a reasonable officer would have seen the shootee as likely to cause death to themselves or someone else. It looked to me in the video that the car did in fact hit the officer, so the shooting looks reasonable to me. For sure we should have an investigation of the shooting, but it looked like the officer was totally correct to me.

Mark V. Anderson, St. Louis Park

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To our brothers and sisters in blue: You have my deepest sympathy. You have been placed in the crosshairs of this crisis not of your making. If you were on the force when George Floyd was murdered, you must be experiencing PTSD. Here we are again, you having to face your community, protecting them, protecting ICE and federal officers regardless of your opinions or feelings. I pledge to you, when I am carrying my sign, I will not disparage you. I will not throw snowballs or anything more harmful, and I will discourage others around me from hurting you in any way. I pledge my loving care of you, even if only in my heart and mind. If you are reading this, please keep our resistance peaceful. We must, by our behavior, not arm our current administration with ammunition to fill in their lies.

Mary Jane Curran, Minneapolis

So thankful for Gov. Tim Walz, Frey and Police Chief Brian O’Hara. Thank you.

Liz Knutson, Minneapolis

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No one is happy about the tragic events that unfolded on Jan. 7 that resulted in the loss of life from a shooting by a law enforcement officer. We’ve all seen the video several times. It is inconclusive. What is conclusive is that the writer of “This is a constitutional crisis in the making,” the author of the featured letter in the Jan. 8 paper, is apparently unaware of the difference between peaceful protesting and obstructing law enforcement. In one of the final paragraphs he states that the victim of the shooting “hadn’t violated any laws.” There is a fine line between peaceful protesting and obstructing law enforcement. Sometimes very fine. But there clearly is a line. Peaceful protesting is allowed and frequently encouraged. Obstructing law enforcement is indeed a crime. It is defined under Minnesota Statute 609.50 as “obstructing legal process,” which includes hindering an officer performing official duties.

There can be no mistaking the fact that the victim was obstructing law enforcement on the morning of Jan. 7 if for no other reason than her vehicle was parked on Portland Avenue perpendicular to the traffic lanes in a direct attempt to hinder the officers from performing their official duties.

Steve Arundel, Woodland

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Who are these guys?

The tragic and unnecessary death of Renee Nicole Good put the ICE invasion into stark focus. To satisfy Trump’s dictatorial whims, 2,000 ICE “officers” descended on our state, another blue state, to eradicate the illegal hordes that decimate our cities. Because ICE officers wear the uniform (usually masked), Trump and the woefully unqualified Noem have empowered this version of a secret police to run roughshod over our communities. Now that Minneapolis and Minnesota have seen the worst abuse of ICE’s unchecked power, it’s time to demand answers.

Who are these people? What training do they have? What is their background? How many people have they arrested? How many are arrested and not illegal? Most important, how many are actually felons or criminals, which was initially the aim of this purge? Despite Trump’s attempts to anoint himself our indispensable leader, the ICE incursion is paid for with our tax dollars, and our representatives should demand answers. Typically, our state’s congressional delegation is split with those whose districts are impacted by this incursion and those whose constituents feel anyone with darker skin is a threat. As in the fraud investigations now center-stage, accountability is vital to putting this sad chapter behind us.

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They said they were sending an additional 2,000 ICE agents to address the “fraud” in Minnesota. Did they send auditors? Did they send CPAs? No. They sent armed thugs to intimidate, kidnap and kill our neighbors. Welcome to Trump’s dictatorship.

Patrick Burns, Minneapolis

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On Jan. 7, ICE agents swarmed an elementary school in south Minneapolis attended by my grandchildren. ICE filled the school parking lots with agents and vehicles as children were being dropped off for the day. As children watched. And they took parents and staff into custody — with no regard for their children’s welfare. Then, they demonstrated muscle — power — resulting in the death of a mother just four blocks from that school. Whether right or wrong, this operation was about power and intimidation, sowing chaos to preach power. Is this really the America that we wanted, regardless of our political divisions?