When “Minnesota Nice” Meets the Reality of ICE

What an awful and tragic thing we are witnessing in Minnesota.

Devastating—because a life has been unnecessarily cut short, and many now must reorient to grief or anger.

Disappointing—because it was utterly foreseeable and preventable. This wasn’t the first such loss, and it won’t be the last. The same ingredients stirred on a different day will lead to another funeral—whether for law enforcement, an agitator, or an innocent bystander.

The deceased will again be someone’s daughter, son, parent, or friend.
As will the living.

There will again be eyewitnesses and video—insurmountable “evidence” that everyone sees differently.

One Tragedy. Two Lenses.

The public will view the same events through wholly different lenses, seeing different outcomes. But the only lenses that matter are life and law—and the wise will look through both.

We are not living in the same reality.
And that is dangerous for everyone.

I don’t doubt that Ms. Good likely did not set out to kill—or be killed.

But I do wonder: what level of reaction or engagement was the goal?

Why block the egress of ICE officers?
How long were they meant to be hemmed in?
What was supposed to happen once they were surrounded?

This Is Not a Game

This is not a game.
It’s not cute.
It’s not funny.

There was no treaty.
No sidebar agreement not to escalate.

This wasn’t a movie set or WWE, where the “fight” is scripted or choreographed.

One reality—determined by individual autonomy and affirmation—ran headlong into another, determined by norms, laws, and authority.

I think Ms. Good believed she could call a time-out and simply drive away. I have no idea why.

What if she had succeeded?
Then what?

A chase?
A swerve?
A tree?
A bystander?

In what world do you block law enforcement on a residential street, put them in a defensive posture, and then drive off without consequence?

Authority Isn’t Optional

They are federal officers.

The moment an officer exited a vehicle—or issued a command—compliance was the only appropriate response.
The moment they arrived in the city with a stated purpose; the only appropriate response was a wide berth.

Instead, we now have states that disregard laws, invite others to do the same, and empower citizens to protect the lawless they deem worthy—rather than the law-abiding they are meant to serve.

As tragic as this is, Ms. Good was no longer a legal observer.
First Amendment rights are not protected when expressed with a car.

Observation had ended.
Engagement, interference, and obstruction had begun—whether intended or not.

Cosplay Meets Consequence

A fellow activist said it plainly:

“Renee was very good at doing what she set out to do—stop traffic and stop them (ICE) from doing their jobs.”

That is not mere observation.

Maybe she got scared and reacted.
Maybe an officer got scared and reacted—likely from both trauma and training.

It’s the worst-case scenario for both sides.

Maybe what felt brave and noble in cosplay suddenly felt very real—carrying consequences she was not prepared for nor willing to accept.
Maybe the officer was prepared for moments exactly like this.

Two worlds collided.
Two realities at war.

Adulting

Welcome to the officer’s—and frankly, most adults’—lived truth:

Upholding the law can cost an officer their life.
Rejecting the law can cost you yours.

There is more than enough regret and responsibility to go around.

“Justified” will not comfort the officer.
“Pursuing justice” will not comfort the orphan.

Everyone loses this round.

Rewind.

We all want a do-over.

A pause.
Different angles.
Slow motion.
“We would do it differently.”

Sure. Knowing the outcome always makes better decisions easier to imagine.

But better options vanish in real time.

Hindsight is a luxury we don’t have in the moment.
Foresight is the painfully insufficient consolation prize we’re left with.

How Do We Prevent This Again?

Wish there weren’t activists?
Remove ICE.

Wish ICE didn’t have to be present?
Have states detain known criminals and transfer them to CBP and DHS—instead of pledging the opposite and forcing federal officers to seek them out.

Want better outcomes?
Safer streets?

Stop lying.

Paid professional Marxist hooligans are not the same as Paul Revere helping to cast off the chains of tyranny.

Only the truly unhinged or uniformed are buying that.

Rebellion is not a noble profession.
Activists and agitators are not superheroes.
Being a nuisance is not being nice.

Hard Liners and Flat Liners

Propaganda and collective immaturity may make martyrs of the dead—but they will not make the dead alive.

Choose what you want more:
the “spin” to keep spinning—or the spouse to keep living

Corruption is still corruption when called compassion.
Lawlessness is still lawlessness in the name of kindness.

The end result will never be righteousness.

It will be continued heartache, grief, loss, death, hostility, and anger—visiting us all, regardless of the reality we think we live in.

Because the arrogance of modern activism is dangerous for everyone.