45 Comments
User's avatar
hierochloe's avatar

No matter how anyone feels about Good, needlessly firing on a driver clearly attempting to depart without harming anyone was an unforgivably reckless action, as was evident in this case as the car tore out of control down the street to crash into a parked car. Others could have been injured or killed (including fellow agents). Even if I were an ICE goon (nearly inconceivable, but I'll try), I would be kinda pissed about this and reconsidering what kind of jackass operation I was involved in.

Expand full comment
Tom's avatar
1dEdited

That's the problem. These ICE (and most police to be honest) are taught, indoctrinated to put their own perceived "safety" first and foremost, the rest of the public be damned. The only way I could see any accountability remotely coming from this situation would've been if Good's car had plowed into a group of children crossing the street.

Expand full comment
Slightly Lucid's avatar

What does how someone “feels” (about a human they have never met) have anything to do with legally protected neo-Nazi forces committing acts of terrorism against the civilian population? Why does the playbook of vilifying the victim still work?

Expand full comment
hierochloe's avatar

it's just a hypothetical to show how truly terrible it was, not an attempt to vilify the victim

Expand full comment
John Smith's avatar

The American gestapo started under Bush and has been flowering ever since. Now it's a totally unrestrained and uncontrollable Frankenstein rampaging across the country. I wonder if the Department of Homeland Security could tame it, even if they wanted to.

Expand full comment
X K's avatar

Homeland Security (gotta love the Orwellianism) IS the American Gestapo, courtesy Dumbya and the recently departed, legacy-sanitized Cheney.

Expand full comment
Richard Hyppa's avatar

CNN has posted what they say is video from the shooting officer's phone. He is speaking to a person on the passenger side of Ms. Good's vehicle, then, as ICE approach her on the other side, he goes to the front of her car, she starts moving forward, turning the wheel so the car can go around him, the car moves, then very quickly he yells "Whoah", there are sounds that might be pops, his camera shows sky, maybe, and then she is gone down the street. On TV there were 3 distinct pops. If someone else looks at that video, is it me, or does it appear to be sped up when she starts to drive forward, "Whoah" and the pops? I would need to compare his video with others, his seems quicker, can't be sure. Should be easy for any forensic analyst to do.

Really, the video doesn't add much. As far as I know, he shot through her windshield, but didn't hit her, because she turned the car and went past him as he shot 2 more times. He probably should have just gotten away, why shoot? Especially when she is right in front of him, going right to left. These guys are jacked up on adrenaline and who knows what else-did he drug test afterwards-and they aren't trained enough to know how to handle a situation like this. No wonder this guy got dragged by a car months earlier. Who tries to stop a car and gets dragged by it?

Expand full comment
Cécile Stelzer-Johnson's avatar

I'm happy that you mention his first incident with a car he was attempting to stop and *how* he got dragged for 100 ft or so.

As far as I know, Police officers are not supposed to try and reach inside a car, precisely because of the potential for harm to themselves.

JD Vance brought that up apparently to explain that the guy had most likely been traumatized and was "a bit sensitive" (his words) to this kind of situation. (I think the implication is 'give the poor guy a break'. Oh, JD, go put on more eyeliner and go blip your couch!)

IF you were traumatized, you would be smart enough to not put yourself in that situation again, which he clearly did, so... traumatized? I don't believe it.

But let's say he was, just for sh*ts and giggles. Doesn't ICE make sure that a guy that's traumatized doesn't get back on the street until his head is screwed on straight?

Ice should be sued for putting such poops on our streets. (Which they are not supposed to do any way (CF. Posse Comitatus Act of 1878)

Or does ICE so wants to flood the zone with Dirty Harrys that they don't look too close as the kind of folks they do put on the streets?

Expand full comment
M F's avatar

They traumatize enough civilians, there will be another sort of Dirty Harrys on the streets, no?

Expand full comment
Cécile Stelzer-Johnson's avatar

If you are referring to the possibility of civilians confronting ICE officers and taking the Law in their own hands, well, that chance is increased due to ICE's behavior, but I hope not:

It would give the Felon, insurrectionist, pedo-protector, extortionist, misogynist, xenophobe and pirate an excuse to declare Marshall Law.

When you give a $50,000 inducement to join, reduce the rigors of the training, shorten the training time and protect their secretiveness, you are unlikely to get many "Sargent Joe Fridays"(from Dragnet, "Just the facts, ma'am").

If you saw some of their inducing videos, their 'cops' seems to be white males who love to bash heads first and ask questions later, exuding a fashionable male toxicity they are proud of.

We are all Renee Goods, today. "Land of the Free", we no longer are, but "Home of the Braves", we will persevere.

Expand full comment
M F's avatar

Such like this was bound to happen. It was bound to happen, because ICE personnel, structure and mission now are all about power, with not an iota of consideration for legalities, or rights; it's become a brown shirt patrol of racist goons. And this perversion of immigration control was made possible first by the overweening security state implemented and expanded under W Bush, an apparatus not in the least ever rolled back by Democrats. Now the global war on terror regime targets domestic dissent, damn democracy and our--We the People's--Constitution: QED.

Expand full comment
Amanda Sullivan's avatar

Thank you Ken, again for doing all the work. Absolutely appalling and frightening. I feel like I’m drifting into a dream state where reality is suspect. Keep me grounded.

Expand full comment
Ken Klippenstein's avatar

Sticking to the documents helps me feel grounded!

Expand full comment
Madeline's avatar

Ditto, and well done finding the unredacted court document 👏👏👏

Expand full comment
M F's avatar
1dEdited

It's all too obvious that the real criminals and actual terrorists include many in top government positions.

Expand full comment
David Roberts's avatar

Anyone can be pardoned, anyone can be prosecuted. That's the situation.

Although I would note that the future social, dating, and career prospects of ICE agents are looking pretty lousy. I'm sure there are many good ones but if they're good they should find a law enforcement career other than ICE.

Expand full comment
Lori's avatar

What do you mean "do nothing Congress?" I mean there are many strongly worded letters...

Expand full comment
Ken Klippenstein's avatar

😂

Expand full comment
Randy Paulson's avatar

Really great writing and info, Ken!

I especially appreciated these sentences: “The problem, first, is not whether the officers on the streets are ‘trained,’ allowing homeland security in Washington to just wash their hands of any responsibility because they checked that box. It is that homeland security itself creates the very environment that undermines any standard law enforcement training that is being conducted.”

Expand full comment
wrknight's avatar

DHS passed it's pull date long ago, and it's time to close it down. This poorly conceived agency which was never necessary, and is little more than a superfluous layer of bureaucratic overhead, has become a rogue agency, led by untrained, unqualified and incompetent people of low morals and questionable intelligence. It operates under its own rules with little or no regard for the law. In addition to being an exorbitant waste of U.S. tax dollars it has become a national threat to U.S. citizens and what is left of our democracy.

Expand full comment
James Gregg's avatar

I truly suspect he was startled by the vehicle moving (Wooah) and drew his pistol and shot. Wooah is not said by someone fearing for their life. Its possible that he did not intend to shoot and his PTSD from his dragging made him afraid of being dragged again. Additionally, since her wife was also in the car, his shooting would have been attempted murder. So while they may get away with shooting the driver, the DA should charge him with attempted murder.

Expand full comment
Cécile Stelzer-Johnson's avatar

It's winter. Our streets should be de-ICED.

The use of force documents are about as clear as dirty sock juice, and I have a Masters. I don't know what Trump's secret police, hired for their "Dirty Harry" willingness to bend the law would understand in these documents!

I just saw the other video, the one that the killer filmed with his own phone. (Why was he filming his actions instead of paying attention to what he was supposed to do?) Did he really think that it would exculpate him?

When I saw the first video, the one thing that stuck in my mind was that she was turning the wheels *away* from her alleged target, which makes no sense.

In this one, the killer films his approach, goes a couple of times around the car, tells him :"I'm not mad at you" (her last words), goes around one more time, and as she goes forward, turning right to avoid him, he puts his phone away, then shoots a first time THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD, and then 2 more shots are fired THROUGH THE SIDE WINDOW, as she passes by and he is obviously not in danger.

This actually PROVES to me that he was not touched by the car, which would have made him lose his balance and fire wide. But no: he CONTINUES WITHOUT ALTERING HIS SHOOTING STANCE and fires again.

Later, he is seen walking away, calling his victim a "F*cking B*tch"!), which adds a nice touch of lack of professionalism, but we knew that.

The Felon in chief then declares: "Based on the attached clip, IT IS HARD TO BELIEVE THAT HE IS ALIVE BUT IS NOW RECOVERING IN THE HOSPITAL".

I won't accuse the Felon of fibbing: (This is a F*cking lie, so outrageous that you know he knows it!)

So, Cadet Bonespurs, please tell us: Which hospital? because he is clearly walking without a limp seconds after killing Renee Good!

Expand full comment
Clif Brown's avatar

Dear fellow Americans: expect anything.

Our president has said he is guided by his sense of morality and doesn't need international law. This is the unspoken credo of any tyrant and we can be sure Trump has no more respect for American law than for international law. Remember his famous remark "I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn't lose any votes".

Regarding the recruitment of ICE agents, I am sure there is no questionnaire given to them that asks, "what is your view of America's big cities?" or "what is the definition of bigotry?" My point is that the attitude of those applying for the job is not investigated. If the person has no criminal record but deeply hates immigrants, what is to prevent that person from getting the job? ICE work could appeal to people who are frightening in their outlook. The guy that shot Renee Good is recorded as saying after he shot her that she was a "fucking bitch". I rest my case.

Expand full comment
wrknight's avatar

"Our president has said he is guided by his sense of morality and doesn't need international law."

That open, public statement by Trump should scare the shit out of every American.

Expand full comment
Tom's avatar

At some point it should become clear to most people that maximum chaos and frenzy are the Trump administration's goals here. They want to provoke the situation to the extent that they can "justify" a much broader crackdown, up to and including martial law or civil war.

I fearfully await the first time someone exercises their "Stand Your Ground" and 2A rights in select states. Then shit will really get interesting.

Expand full comment
Joy in HK fiFP's avatar

We need to remember January 7, the day they killed the good. I wish there was a way to believe that it can only get better, but I don't see how it could.

Expand full comment
Marian Gillis's avatar

But what about a State investigation? Minneapolis got to the bottom of the George Floyd case, when that looked unlikely. State conviction is not pardonable.

I understand the Feds are making it difficult for the State and local authorities to get evidence.

Is this in the Policy Docs, Ken?

Good is a white mother-- does that make a difference in a country that enables apartheid in Gaza today, not to mention 400 years of slavery? Those close to her say she was not an activist but just dropped of her 6 year old son, at school. I understand the boy is now an orphan, his daddy was a Vet who died young after serving his country. Seems like Hay could be made here.

Expand full comment
Ken Klippenstein's avatar

Not a lawyer but I think the FBI not allowing state authorities to investigate will preclude that

Expand full comment
Marian Gillis's avatar

What about State’s Rights?

Expand full comment
Joy in HK fiFP's avatar

Those rights are only worth talking about when it serves other interests, and just like other slogans, concepts, rights, that have lost their usefulness to those in power, they are quickly swept under the rug.

Expand full comment
Randy Paulson's avatar

I live in the Twin Cities and saw a story in the Minnesota Star Tribune saying the feds took over the investigation from the state’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (even though the state was reluctant to give it up). But, the Trib also just reported the state’s AG office, along with a Hennepin County prosecutor, are launching an independent investigation, so we’ll see what happens with that and how it compares with that of the feds

Expand full comment
Joy in HK fiFP's avatar

Normally, the folks in charge of an investigation would be the ones with access to the crime scene. They would close the crime scene and secure the evidence. That isn’t happening as the local and state authorities have been barred from the scene, according to reports I’ve read.

Expand full comment