| Dear Ward 8 residents,
I am deeply saddened that this must be my first correspondence to you as your new City Council Member. Yesterday morning, one of our neighbors, Renee Nicole Good, was shot and killed by an ICE agent on the corner of Portland Avenue and 34th Street, mere blocks from George Floyd Square. Good was peacefully and legally observing, as so many of you have been doing every day for over a month. Good was a mother and a neighbor who was looking out for her neighbors. My heart goes out to her family and to all of us in our community. This horrific incident dredges up painful memories of 2020. Know that I and your neighbors are with you and we are angry and grieving together.
My fellow Minneapolis City Council Members and I, along with Mayor Frey, have unequivocally called for ICE to get out of our city immediately. These federal agents who have been terrorizing our city for the last several weeks have no place here. We have also called for the investigation of this murder to be carried out by local law enforcement, just as any murder of a Minneapolis resident would.
Today, the FBI removed the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension from the investigation. I am joining leaders across the City and State calling on the federal government to reverse this decision. If local and State authorities are not part of this probe we will not see accountability and justice for this tragic killing.
Immediately after the shooting, my fellow Council Members and I were on the scene. I attended a vigil at the site that thousands of you also joined last night. I am grateful for our strong community and all the care that I’m seeing.
We continue to stand united in supporting our immigrant community–our neighbors. As our community knows well, we keep us safe. If you are able to, I encourage you to get involved in the many efforts to support our community right now, whether it’s getting involved in legal observer and rapid response work, joining a “know your rights” canvass to local businesses, or contributing to mutual aid efforts. It is imperative that we do all that we can to support our neighbors when they do not feel safe leaving their homes.
In order for our neighbors and communities to feel safe we need to get ICE out of our city and state. I call on elected leaders at every level of government to work alongside the City Council and community leaders towards this goal. I'm wary of having the National Guard on standby, their presence will only escalate tensions further and bring back painful memories of our city in 2020.
Please take care, take time to process and grieve. I also want to encourage everyone to stay alert, continue showing up for one another and show up to support our neighbors. It’s incredibly important that the people responsible for this horrific act of violence are held accountable, and that we make our voices heard to demand justice. Likewise, I encourage everyone to connect with your neighbors and join or make groups who are working to improve our city and protect our neighbors.
In Solidarity,
Soren Stevenson |
