Rural Minnesota Divided After ICE Agent Kills Renee Good in Minneapolis

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed a woman, Renee Good, during an immigration operation in Minneapolis last week, and protesters returned to the streets as federal agents clashed with demonstrators, according to reporting from Minnesota towns north of the Twin Cities.

At Ye Olde Pickle Factory in Nisswa, about 150 miles north of Minneapolis, regulars said they viewed Ms. Good’s death as tragic but also expressed the view that people should comply with officers — “You obey the law officer,” one man said, “and question it later.” Many in the Brainerd Lakes Area said they now avoid Minneapolis, citing the unrest since George Floyd’s death in 2020.

Christopher Federico, a University of Minnesota professor, described this feeling as “rural consciousness,” a sense of being misunderstood and shortchanged by nonrural areas, and Tim Lindberg, a University of Minnesota, Morris, professor, said less populated parts of the state vote Republican by roughly two to one.

Reactions across rural Minnesota varied. In Pine City, Trever DePoppe, who said he supports ICE, described the shooting as troubling and said he could “see both sides of it.” Members of a local liberal activist group, the Blue Brigade, said they were haunted by Ms. Good’s last words captured on video — “Dude, we’re not trying to hurt you,” one member said — and cautioned that political discussions in small towns often must be navigated carefully.

Key Topics

Politics, Renee Good, Ice, Minneapolis, Nisswa, Rural Consciousness