This article contains discussions of fatal violence towards immigrants and may be disturbing for some readers.
No one should watch as the government kills its own citizens, then tries to justify its own actions.
On Jan. 7, an ICE agent fatally shot Minneapolis woman Renee Good, claiming she falsely tried to run him over with her car. Based on videos circulating on the internet, it’s clear this couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s disgusting to watch as viewers and political commentators try to justify blatant murder. The U.S. has taken their monopoly on violence too far.
Almost as horrible as the shooting on Jan 7, is the media coverage. Right-wing media outlets and Republican politicians have tried to justify the shooting, falsely claiming the vehicle was “out of control,” and in some cases, bringing up her sexuality, as if it changes anything. Even neutral media outlets have calmly reported on the shooting—using facts and dates instead of highlighting the injustice. Citizens and the media alike should be outraged that a citizen was killed at the hands of their own government.
The fact that anyone is even trying to justify the murder represents how so many people, U.S. citizens in particular, have completely turned their backs on the truth. You shouldn’t be able to watch, on video, a government agent kill a citizen and immediately turn to the media and see excuses and justifications. When institutions rush to defend violence instead of condemning it, any meaningful form of the truth is lost. Though some are upset, the U.S. is too desensitized and divided to engage in any form of meaningful political mobilization. Until people can call something what it is, ICE and the U.S. government will continue to get away with murder.
Fascism doesn’t happen overnight; it happens slowly, and everyone should be extremely scared about the direction of U.S. politics. In slow increments, U.S citizens are rejecting the truth and can justify even the most heinous of crimes.
Violence and hatred don’t exist in a vacuum, and Canadians aren’t immune to the political chaos south of the border. While Canadians sit at home and talk about how something like this would never happen here, Bill C-12, Strengthening Canada’s Immigration System and Borders Act, is progressing through parliament. The culture of hatred, anger, and violence doesn’t stop at the border, and Canadians must actively understand its severity and work against it.
In 2024, Donald Trump was elected president on a campaign that was built on anger and violent rhetoric towards immigrants. The danger of hatred and anti-immigrant rhetoric being deployed by a sitting president isn’t something that should be glossed over and manifests itself in hatred and violence towards the immigrant community.
The culture of hate is what leads people to try to justify what took place on Jan 7. ICE itself is an organization built on pure violence, and its increasing militancy should be a concern to everyone, everywhere.
Canadians can’t turn a blind eye as citizens are murdered just south of the border. We need to recognize anti-immigrant sentiment when we see it and actively work against it.
—Journal Editorial Board
Tags
Bill C-12, ice, immigration, U.S. policis
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