Renee Good: The new George Floyd? Left links both deaths in Minneapolis in call for street protests

Renee Nicole Good is being compared to George Floyd. The two deaths in Minneapolis have been linked by members of the left in several calls for protests against ICE following the death of the 37-year-old American, a Colorado native who had moved blocks from the street where she was shot dead Wednesday.

Good died from several shots fired by a federal agent. The incident quickly sparked controversy, spurred by a viral video of the incident. While the government assures that the uniformed officer acted in self-defense against an attack of "domestic terrorism," activists and leftist politicians claim it was "excess of force," even "murder."

These are diametrically opposed versions of an event that, for the moment, is still under investigation. Both federal authorities (who maintain the version of self-defense) and state authorities (who allege ICE abuse) announced investigations. Although they initially explained that the two would be coordinated, Minnesota investigators later assured that they would be conducted separately.

“A reminder that we did not finish the job when Floyd was killed”

The executive director of the activist group Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in Minnesota, Jaylani Hussein, was one of the most outspoken voices linking the two deaths, megaphone in hand, during a rally the same night as the incident:

"We are literally blocks away from where George Floyd was murdered. It is not an accident. It is a reminder that we did not finish the job when George Floyd was killed. And now we are given another chance to stand up against police brutality, this time from ICE," he said.

Although the Black Lives Matter (BLM) was born more than a decade ago after a jury acquitted George Zimmerman in the death of black teenager Trayvon Martin, it reached its zenith in 2020 with George Floyd. Soon after, its popularity would begin to fade. With his words, Hussein seems to want to reignite it.

He is not alone. Organizations like Vegans for Preborn Rights also invoked the Minneapolis man’s name: "Renee Nicole Good, a 37 year old mother, was shot multiple times by an ICE agent as she was driving away, and killed. This happened about a mile from where George Floyd was killed. ICE is starting to take from the police handbook of murdering civilians for the ‘crime’ of leaving."

Self-proclaimed writer Carmen Johns, who says she worked as a political affairs officer for the United Nations posted: "Minneapolis. George Floyd (2020), killed by a policeman. Renee Nicole Good (2026), killed by an ICE agent."

Some links are more indirect. Several media outlets have remarked on the distance between the two events, such as The New York Times:

"The Minneapolis neighborhood where federal immigration officers fatally shot a woman on Wednesday is less than a mile from where George Floyd was killed by the police in 2020. The death of Mr. Floyd, on May 25, 2020, threw the community and the nation into a period of unrest, with widespread calls to view policing differently," said the NYT.

So did CBS News, which directly asked a city police chief if he saw "any similarities to that case [Floyd's] in terms of public backlash."

From activism and politics, BLM's own slogans were also taken up, changing "police" to "ICE." One of them was Rep. Ilhan Omar: "Abolishing ICE is not enough. They must be held accountable." Another was Democratic New York state Assemblyman Alex Bores, who is running for New York's 12th Congressional District in the midterm elections:

"Renee Nicole Good should be alive tonight. I joined protestors in NYC to demand justice. May Renee Nicole Good's memory be a blessing and her tragic loss be a call to action: Impeach Kristi Noem. Abolish ICE. Mobilize to overcome Trump's tyranny," he posted.

The Democrats’ response: Criticism of ICE and calls for protests

Good's death reignited Democratic calls for ICE to leave Minneapolis. Calls that included an insult from Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey: "To ICE: Get the f--- out of Minneapolis"

"We do not want you here. Your stated reason for being in this city is to create some kind of safety, and you are doing exactly the opposite," he said at a press conference that generated uproar. "Now someone is dead.... That’s on you," he added, though he later acknowledged that "an investigation still needs to be conducted." "I have my perception of what took place based on the vehicle and the vehicle’s position… It does not appear that the individual was trying to ram anybody."

Frey urged residents of the state's most populous city to take to the streets, "Let’s show them who we can be. Let’s show up with peace, to march, to protest, to hug one another, to hug all the way with peace." State Gov. Tim Walz went further, assuring that protesting against ICE is "a patriotic duty": "The desire to get out and protest and to speak up to this administration of how wrong this is, that is a patriotic duty at this point in time."

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison maintained that he was "angry," "very angry." "The president is deliberately weaponizing the federal government against the people of Minnesota to inflict pain and instill terror," he asserted before calling to protest "peacefully." "Organize your communities, and stand up for one another."

Republicans decry more aggressive rhetoric against agents

Tom Homan, Trump's border czar, claimed the deadly shooting was "another tragic example of the results of the hateful rhetoric" against immigration agents. "These brave men and women are forced to conduct law enforcement operations in heightened threat environments every day," he asserted on social media.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claimed, in reporting the shooting, that it had been "the direct consequence of constant attacks and demonization of our officers by sanctuary politicians." Such attacks, it claimed, were up 1,300%, with death threats up 8,000%.

The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association also asserted that "irresponsible, reckless rhetoric from political leaders attacking law enforcement has real and dangerous consequences for officers on the street." "When officers are vilified, demonized, or used as political props, it fuels hostility, emboldens bad actors, and puts lives directly at risk," it said.