A woman fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis Jan. 7 was a member of that area’s LGBTQ+ community, according to multiple reports.
The fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good, 37, sparked condemnation and protest actions across the country, including in Chicago; once such protest took place in Winnemac Park the evening of Jan. 7.
Photographs by Ronit Bezalel
At the Winnemac Park protest, activist Kelly Hayes said, “A federal agent shot and killed Renee Nicole Good. And with that shot, ICE took aim at every city where people have dared to organize against their violence, every place where neighbors have chosen each other over fear. But people of conscience will not be cowed.”
Good’s identity was divulged the morning of Jan. 7. Her mother, Donna Ganger, told Minnesota Star Tribune that Good lived in the Twin Cities area with a partner. In a video taken after the shooting, a woman cries, “They killed my wife. I don’t know what to do.”
Good’s partner further asserted that they had stopped to simply videotape the ICE action, which took place at the corner of E. 34th St. and Portland Ave. in south Minneapolis, close to their home. Per The Advocate, video recordings show a black SUV trying to leave the scene of the ICE action. Three gunshots ring out, causing the SUV crash into a light pole and a parked car.
Federal officials (including President Donald Trump) have attempted to characterize Good as a paid agitator, but friends and family voraciously disputed the claims. Ganger indeed told the Star-Tribune that during the episode, her daughter was probably “terrified.”
Good’s killing was harshly condemned by numerous advocates from national organizations, among them Kierra Johnson, president of the National LGBTQ Task Force. In a Jan. 8 statement, Johnson said, “We recognize and mourn the loss of Renee Nicole Good and extend our condolences to her family, loved ones, and community. This loss of life was preventable and reprehensible, particularly coming at the hands of federal agents.
“We condemn in the strongest terms the actions taken by ICE, under circumstances that the world has witnessed. Like the public, we watched in disbelief and anger as the current administration and Homeland Security officials then lied to the media and the American public about what really happened.
“The fact that this killing occurred mere blocks from the murder of George Floyd should give us all pause and is a wake-up call to connect the dots—all marginalized communities are under threat as authoritarianism grows, and a police state is created in our streets by Federal agencies like ICE.”
