Humanity Can Still Prevail
The only thing more depraved than the ghastly killing of Renee Good in Minneapolis on January 7 was the Trump administration’s response to it.
We now live in a country where indifference to human life is government policy. And officials have been carefully taught the playbook for responding when their indifference results in the horrific murder of an innocent young mother who had just dropped her son off at school.
DHS Spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavett, and Vice President JD Vance all portrayed Good as a “violent rioter” and a “domestic terrorist” who “weaponized her vehicle” to kill the officer, who “used his training” to defend himself. These were all lies.
Not one shred of compassion was expressed for Good, her spouse, or her child.
What kind of person could not me moved by Good’s killing? I would like to think these administration officials privately saw the tragedy of the situation and they were “just doing their job” with their statements. But honestly, I’m not even sure of that. They all have taken jobs that require they check their souls at the door when they come to work. And they choose to work for an administration utterly devoid of humanity.
But we are not without hope. The GoFundMe for Good’s spouse Becca and her son raised nearly $1.5 million from 38,500 contributors in just two days. And I know millions more of us see Good’s killing for what it really was. I know there is still humanity left in our world.
In a statement to Minnesota Public Radio, Becca Good said “We were raising our son to believe that no matter where you come from or what you look like, all of us deserve compassion and kindness. Renee lived this belief every day. She is pure love. She is pure joy. She is pure sunshine.”
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