Sunday, January 11, 2026
Sunday Reflection: Anger and mourning
Yesterday I went to a protest gathering here in Minneapolis. It's been a hard week in the wake of Renee Good's death at the hands of an ICE agent.
The mood here might be different than in other places. While Fox News coverage might make things look like riots, the truth is very different-- overwhelmingly peaceful, and emotionally compex.
Yes, one of the emotions people feel is anger, particularly in those neighborhood where ICE efforts have been concentrated. Minnesota has a very defined sense of self, and the seeming occupation by federal forces-- to solve a "problem" few people perceive as such-- feels like a territorial violation among other things. And there is anger at ICE for other reasons: for the killing, for the masking, for the general jackassery.
But yesterday there was a strong note of sadness, too. I suppose this is a period of mourning for the loss of someone who seemed decent and kind, and that impacted even people who did not know her. As people stood at the protest in the cold (I suspect more ICE agents have been hurt by slipping on ice than anything else, ironically) there were many who had no sign, who just seemed to be present, and sad.
Perhaps that, too, has its own power.
