 My first week as your new councilmember has been eventful. On Monday, I stood at the inauguration ceremony taking the oath of office to be your representative. On Wednesday, our strategic direction planning meetings between the council and mayor were abruptly cancelled with reports that ICE agents had fired shots at a civilian.
The strain of the federal ICE “Metro Surge” initiative has been weighing on Minneapolis for over a month now, but the last few days have been horrific. The tragic killing of Renee Nicole Good has thrust our city back into the spotlight yet again, and we continue to see a worrying lack of restraint by ICE agents and other federal officials in the aftermath of her death. This morning in our council briefing from Emergency Operations Management staff, it was stated that this is the largest border patrol initiative in the agency’s history.
ICE Needs to Show Restraint and Professionalism
In the immediate aftermath of Renee’s killing, common sense would dictate that any non-necessary law enforcement activity should be stood down to prevent further loss of life or injury. That didn’t happen. Instead, ICE pursued enforcement action that very afternoon near Roosevelt High School, which was put on lockdown. Minneapolis students have been unable to attend school yesterday and today because Minneapolis Public Schools had to take precautionary steps to protect students, teachers and staff.
Then, yesterday, I had my own interaction with ICE. Our Ward 7 office had planned an impromptu afternoon tour of Ward 7 small businesses. One of our stops was a Somali-owned restaurant on Nicollet Avenue, which is next door to one of the daycare centers featured in the viral YouTube fraud “expose”. Business has been down substantially since the video appeared, with people stopping by the daycare’s parking lot to gawk and create their own videos.
While talking to the owner and waiting for our order, we heard whistles and noticed an SUV pull up to the sidewalk, with two uniformed, masked ICE agents jumping out. We quickly stepped outside to witness a convoy of roughly a half-dozen ICE vehicles and approximately 20 ICE agents milling around with several camera crews, seemingly wanting to stage a photo shoot in front of the daycare center.
A crowd soon gathered and the situation almost immediately turned into a tense standoff, with one protester being forcibly arrested after the interaction turned briefly physical. Fortunately, all involved took a step back and avoided further violence, but this was an incident that could easily have resulted in injury or worse.
Transparency is Crucial
I am also quite disturbed by the change in course we’ve seen in the investigation into Renee’s death. The FBI should conduct a full, impartial investigation AND the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) needs to be fully included. A parallel investigation by the BCA is essential -- in part to determine whether state laws were broken, and in part because the state BCA operates independently from the federal government.
Now we’ve been told the BCA has been shut out of the investigation. Public trust requires a full, transparent, independent investigation into the circumstances leading up to Renee’s death. If it shows that the officer involved acted without justification, there should be consequences. Contrary to what we’re hearing from Washington, federal officers do not have absolute immunity from state law, and if investigators determine that Renee’s death was the result of a criminal act, then there needs to be full accountability. I am confident that state and local prosecutors will still be reviewing this matter, but the federal effort to actively suppress a state investigation is unprecedented and wrong.
So What Should We Do?
We shouldn’t tolerate this level of chaos in our city, and we must be shrewd in the days ahead. First and foremost, we need to show restraint. We cannot resort to responding with violence that could be used to justify sending in more troops, and we can’t allow ourselves to be baited. We should never allow outside forces to fracture our community, and we can’t risk doing it ourselves, despite our anger. It’s time to come together and stand together on the moral high ground, and show the restraint that’s clearly lacking on the part of ICE.
In terms of what you can expect from the city, look for several things. First, we will continue to update you with accurate, timely information through all available channels, links to which are listed below. Second, you can expect the same restraint from city employees that we’re asking to see from you. The Minneapolis Police Department does not coordinate with ICE, does not assist ICE, and is acting only to preserve the safety of local residents and property. I am grateful for the way the department has successfully navigated a very difficult set of days. Thanks to all our other law local enforcement partners who have stepped in to assist, including the National Guard being on standby. One of our primary jobs is to keep you all as safe as we possibly can.
Additionally, city leadership is exploring every possible avenue to end ICE activity in Minneapolis. Please know this unprecedented situation is being looked at from every possible angle, and we’re actively reaching out to all of our state and federal allies for help.
In the meantime, let’s all continue to follow this activity with perseverance, highlight its abuses with courage, and show love for one another as we go through, not around, the hard work of promoting peace and justice in our Minneapolis streets.
Week one is in the books. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to our office if you or others you know need assistance.
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