Today in a shocking action, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Minneapolis opened fire on a vehicle as it was slowly moving away, killing its driver Renee Nicole Good, 37, a mother of a 6 year-old. Government officials claim the shots were fired in self-defense. 

What should not be in dispute is that the ICE agents acted very unprofessionally. One agent steps up to the car, which is partially blocking the street, and demands “get the fuck out of the car.”  He then proceeds to try and open the door. The driver backs up to turn away and within three seconds is fired on three times by another agent, hitting Ms. Good,the driver, allegedly in the face. ICE agents blocked a doctor at the scene from helping and then prevented  paramedics from reaching Ms. Good. Paramedics were forced to exit their vehicle and reach her on foot. Good died.

Normally, government officials in a case like this reserve judgment and say there will be a careful investigation of what occurred, with the officers involved placed on leave. Instead, the initial statement from Tricia McLaughlin, a Dept of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson was that Ms. Good “weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them.”  No one watching the footage would likely come to that conclusion. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said “this appears as an attempt to kill or cause bodily harm to agents, an act of domestic terrorism.”  

President Trump reiterated much of the same. So Renee Nicole Good is a domestic terrorist from their perspective.

A day earlier we commemorated the fifth anniversary of the insurrection on the U.S. Capitol that was encouraged by President Trump’s continued lies about the 2020 election being rigged and his fiery rhetoric as people gathered at the White House on January 6, 2021 and then marched to the Capitol. That crowd brutally attacked police officers, stormed the building, many with the intent of doing harm or killing legislators, including Vice President Mike Pence. 

To commemorate the anniversary the White House posted a website “j6” that perpetuated lies, “The Democrats masterly reversed reality after January 6, branding peaceful patriotic protesters as ‘insurrectionists’ and framing the event as a violent coup attempt orchestrated by Trump–despite no evidence of armed rebellion or intent to overthrow the government. In truth, it was Democrats who staged the real insurrection by certifying a fraud-ridden election, ignoring wide-spread irregularities, and weaponizing federal agencies to hunt down dissenters, all while Pelosi’s own security lapses invited the chaos that later exploited to seize and consolidate power. The gaslighting narrative allowed them to persecute innocent Americans, silence opposition, and district from their own role in undermining democracy.”

The actual events of January 6, 2021 are captured well in the 40 minute New York Times documentary “Day of Rage.”

Trump, of course, pardoned everyone involved in the January 6th insurrection, even those convicted or pleading guilty to assaulting police officers. 

It’s noteworthy that one police officer Brian Sicknick died from his injuries, and four others committed suicide likely due to the impact of that day, Many others still deal with the trauma as was well illustrated in the recent Washington Post story on former officer, turned eighth grade school teacher, Nathan Tate. This interchange was captured from his class.

“How long did it take for you to mentally and physically process through that?” asked Micah Brown, 13.

“It’s still a process today,” Tate said. “I don’t like a lot of crowds. I don’t like being in a crowded area. It’s not a good place for me.”

Notably, despite the extreme violence,  the only rioter who was shot was Ashli Babbitt, who was shot and killed as she broke the window on the door of the House chamber and began to enter through it. Trump has called Babbitt, “an innocent, wonderful, incredible woman.” He has referred to her as a “Great Patriot.” The second Trump administration has provided military funeral honors and settled a wrongful death lawsuit with her family for $5 million.

Who is the domestic terrorist?

You can also read this at my Substack: https://davewellsphd.substack.com/p/who-is-the-domestic-terrorist