Welcome to the center of the universe. Of course, I mean Minneapolis—or more expansively, Minnesota.
It has felt like that, once again, ever since Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent Jonathan Ross fatally shot Renee Nicole Good last Wednesday morning. The news and reactions to it immediately went global. None of the videos have changed many minds. Protests that broke out often invoked George Floyd, also killed in Minneapolis, just blocks away.
Just two days before Good was shot, Minnesota governor Tim Walz, beset by a burgeoning fraud scandal, announced that he would no longer seek a third term. Not so long ago, Walz was seen as vice presidential, at least to the Democratic Party.
After the shooting, Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey said ICE should “get the fuck out” of Minneapolis. Walz had mobilized the National Guard but did not put them into operation. It was a head-scratcher. Would the National Guard be used to stem public unrest, fueled by the governor’s most passionate supporters? It seemed even less likely that he would point the National Guard at ICE.
