Dear John,

There is a pit in my stomach as I write this — like many of you, I have moved through a litany of emotions this week. Devastation. Anger. Grief. Fear. Here in Minneapolis, days after Trump’s DHS announced a large-scale invasion of our state, a masked government agent murdered a legal observer as she exercised her constitutional right to bear witness to and protest the kidnapping of her neighbors.

Renee Nicole Good was a mother of three children, the youngest of whom also lost his father in 2023. She was also a poet, wife, daughter, neighbor, and friend. She was new to Minnesota, and yet, was willing to put her safety on the line to defend her community. She was not the first person ICE has killed, and she, like all their victims, should still be alive and safe among her loved ones.

Already, the federal government is attempting to spin the narrative to paint Renee as the aggressor. Both Kristi Noem and Donald Trump have justified her murder. They want us to doubt what we all saw with our own eyes. We must not allow it.

Despite it all, there is another emotion that I’ve felt growing stronger these past few days — love. There is a fierce love for community, for our immigrant neighbors, for Renee’s legacy, and for justice reverberating across the city, state, and country. Let it motivate you to get involved and take action. Not sure where to start? Plug into the Defend 612 network to get connected with organizers in your neighborhood. Sign up for a Monarca MN training. Above all, hold each other close and look out for your friends and neighbors, especially those most at risk of being targeted by state violence. 

Here's what we're reading, watching, and listening to this week: 

1. Thousands turn out in vigil for Renee Nicole Good

Community members filled an entire city block Wednesday night to honor Renee Nicole Good who was shot and killed by ICE agent Jonathan Ross in her car Wednesday morning on 34th and Portland. Speakers harkened back to previous incidents of state violence against Minneapolis residents and called upon authorities to prosecute Ross.

2. MPS closed in wake of ICE shooting, attack on Roosevelt

Following the murder of Renee Nicole Good in South Minneapolis Wednesday and a subsequent raid directly in front of Roosevelt High School by US Border Patrol, Minneapolis Public Schools closed Thursday and Friday. Minneapolis and other neighboring districts announced late Thursday that they will be offering remote learning through Feb. 12 for students who feel unsafe attending in person.

3. Feds bar state access to ICE shooting investigation

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) said Thursday that the FBI has refused to collaborate with state authorities in investigating the killing of Renee Nicole Good. Officials in Minnesota are looking for alternative pathways to seek justice.

4. Daycares defunded and threatened

Amid the ICE takeover, Somali-owned daycares are facing increasing threats after right-wing influencer Nick Shirley posted a sensationalized video accusing them of fraud. In response to the video, the Trump administration suspended federal funding for childcare centers around the US.

5. Walz drops out

Tim Walz announced Monday that he would no longer be seeking a third term as MN Governor following investigations into social services fraud. Sources close to Senator Amy Klobuchar say she is considering entering the race.

6. Backlash to Trump's warmongering

Following the US attack on Venezuela Saturday that killed dozens and saw President Nicolás Maduro and his wife taken into US custody, the Senate advanced legislation that would restrain Trump from future military action in the country without congressional approval. Five Republicans broke from their party to vote in favor of the bill, despite threats from Trump.

7. "Another world is possible"

“In 2026 America, we are being sold a cheap, brutish, ugly, superficial, violent view of the world. We are told that our world is one in which you #FAFO. One in which failure to obey a man with a gun means certain, justifiable death. We are told that this world is the only world possible,” writes Minneapolis-based pastor and anti-Christian Nationalist scholar Angela Denker for The New Republic.

8. Zohran's first day in office

NYC mayor and Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani was sworn in just after midnight on January 1 in an old subway station. Ken Klippenstein broke down everything he accomplished on day one.

9. Duluth voter turnout

Recent reports show that 2025 voter turnout in Duluth was record-breakingly high for a year without a mayoral race or high-profile state and federal races on the ballot. Experts attribute the high turnout to the Right to Repair ordinance that was championed and won by Duluth Tenants!

10. Local snowboarding celebrity

In some much-needed heartwarming news, 11-year-old Mickey Watkins of North Minneapolis was photographed using the lid of a plastic tote as a makeshift snowboard and ended up on the cover of The Snowboarders Journal. Melanin in Motion, an organization dedicated to getting BIPOC communities into outdoor sports, gifted Mickey a set of snowboarding gear, a season pass to Afton Alps, and snowboarding lessons.

That’s all for today — send us what you’re reading, watching and listening to.

In love and solidarity,

Charlie Bartlett
TakeAction Member