I feel for and am thinking about every Black and Brown person who is watching as, only now, many of their neighbors are expressing shock and horror about the violence taking place in our country. I cannot imagine, as a white person, what it’s like to have experienced centuries of state-sanctioned violence, which has escalated to horrifying extremes again, and hear people just now realizing it. That being said, yesterday’s events in Minnesota are acting as a wake-up call, and I’m here to welcome the latecomers coming to attention.
Renee Nicole Good understood what was at stake. For her neighbors of color, she protested ICE action. These are basic American rights and values. She was a part of the mobilization efforts counteracting the cancer of armed racists roaming the streets.
Renee Nicole Good was not alone in her car. Her partner was with her and is undoubtedly traumatized. The untrained “officers” refused to allow a physician to give Renee medical care. She was a widow and her death has left behind a 6 year old child who needs her.
Renee Nicole Good was murdered.
I cannot overstate the frustration and anger felt by those of us struggling to make sense of the clear truth of the video of this crime, with the ignorance and talking points being projected by leaders and media organizations aligned with them. While in this moment there is a direct division between truth and popular sentiment, I know that someday in the long run, through the word of God, which is the truth, that accountability will come.
All my own frustration aside, I pray this calls more people in to bear witness and intervene. I got a call last night from a former Board member who, herself, leads Rapid Response trainings. We agreed: We Will Not Stop.
We just welcomed the infant Jesus into the world again, and he’s been brutally hauled into detention. If this administration can laud the kind of violence we’re seeing on our screens, imagine what our Black and Brown neighbors are experiencing in detention centers which refuse to allow oversight. I have heard whispers of a local warehouse becoming a detention facility. I will not be intimidated or shut up about it to anyone who interacts with me.
As Eleanor Roosevelt said, we need to talk about what we’re for. I, for one, am for the immediate abolishment of Immigration and Custom Enforcement. This has to stop. It won’t, if good people stay quiet.
I am not going to pretend I’m not scared, but as a transgender advocate, I decided a long time ago that I would not stay quiet in the shadow of intolerance and tyranny. I take steps daily to regulate my nervous system: deep breaths, prayer journaling, wedging clay, singing with my wife, and taking moments where I focus solely on petting our dog. Each of those have been part of today for me. I’ll also join the vigil in Geneva, New York tomorrow night alongside my community.
Truthfully, we have a long way to go. I am determined to go as far as God will take me, with courage and compassion. Pray, friends, grieve, but put your prayers to work today.