Is it too late? I don’t want to be a pessimist, but I feel like I’m already living in the midst of a dystopian novel. Sure, this is the flashback scene where the readers learn how freedoms slipped away, but my hopes of turmomg back the tide are fading.
Most people have probaly heard that ICE killed a white woman in Minneapolis. Renee Nicole Good was not just an American citizen; she was a person.
I usually avoid watching videos of violence, as it's easy to become desensitized. But when a friend shared this one in out texting group, I watched it with little context. I'm glad I did. Within two hours, the government was spinning the narrative to frame the ICE agent as a victim. No matter how they spin it, there was no justification for this macked ICE agent to fire into a car.
In comics, Spider-Man is branded a threat and a menace just for wearing a mask. Imagine if he were actually killing people, yet in the real world, we are expected to accept it.
When I saw the mainstream coverage of this incident, I felt a flicker of hope—despite the horror of the situation—simply because the victim was white. This could be a turning point.
ICE has been using deadly force for years, and as their training and expectations hit a new low, the frequency of these incidents will only increase. In just the last five months alone, ICE agents have shot and killed three other people: a father originally from Mexico in September, a Mexican citizen in December, and on New Year’s Eve, an off-duty ICE agent killed Keith Porter, a Black man. Despite being a citizen, Porter's name didn’t trend like Good’s, yet the escalating death toll is impossible to ignore.
This doesn’t even factor in the other senseless violence caugh on video: beatings by masked agents before they even identify themselves, whattering glass over infants, choking individuals, and shooting at people—all without any consequences or reprimands for their violence actions.
Many good people have spoken out for Good, braving the frigid Minneapolis weather to protest. However, they are up against the power of the government and, sadly, many members of the public as well.
She Deserved It
I grew especially disheartened when I scrolled through the comments on a video about the murder. I’m not sure if it's my algorithm, but it looked like most of the comments were in support of the ICE agent, with some of them being extremely disrespectful to the dead. I’m sure the same people who would be up in arms if someone said something bad about Charlie Kirk.
I can’t find the original video with comments like “She deserved it,” but I clicked on the first related video that appeared in my feed, which covered the protests in support of Renee Nicole Good. The top comments included:
Deport deport deport
American citizens voted to remove illegal invaders out for good.
A few thousand of tds deranged malcontents will not bully Trump into getting their way, it’s just not gonna happen. Trump will uphold the mandate we the people — 77 million — voted him in for. Trump baby we love you! ❤️
It was justified. Even as a civilian protecting themselves from a vehicle trying to run a pedestrian over is within their right to protect themselves.
These are the same people that supported massive illegal immigration during the Biden administration. They are paid to be there.
She made a choice.
I had to go eight comments down before finding a comment in support of Good. There isn’t much to say in response to these comments. Most of them are fueled by a blind hatred or an ignorant love.
I do find this constant belief that protestors are paid to protest a fascinating one. It is like they cannot fathom protesting for someone or something outside of themselves, or maybe their orange god.
Even the murder of a white woman isn't enough to unify us against a regime that is dangerous for everyone. Unfortunately, some won't awaken until they find themselves dragged out of bed in the middle of the night, and by then, it will be too late.