Videos of Minneapolis shooting brings state-sanctioned violence home for shocked Kansans
Demonstrators hold signs at the Jan. 14, 2026, "human needs are human rights" rally at the Statehouse in Topeka. (Photo by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)
The fatal shooting in Minneapolis, Minnesota, of Renee Nicole Good by Jonathan Ross, an agent with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, has prompted heated debate and anguish.
With cellphone video documenting the encounter from various perspectives, including that of the ICE agent, one would think that there would be ample evidence for arriving at a preliminary consensus as to what happened. But that’s not the case. Rather than waiting for forensic analysis and a thorough review, many jumped to conclusions as soon as they started watching the videos.
Chief among them was Kristi Noem, director of Homeland Security, who falsely asserted that the shooting victim had plowed her car into federal agents as they were digging out of a snowbank and accused Good of “an act of domestic terrorism.”
Noem’s narrative was soon taken up by Vice President JD Vance, speaking in the press room at the White House, who claimed that Good had been radicalized by leftwing ideology, becoming part of a “lunatic fringe.”
The next day, President Donald Trump called her “a professional troublemaker” and proceeded to confuse her with another person on the scene of the shooting whom he described as “screaming and screaming.”
Noem continued to hold the line on her initial assessment of the situation as she appeared CNN’s State of the Union, four days after the confrontation in Minneapolis.
Host Jake Tapper asked her: “How can you assert, within hours, before any investigation, this is what happened?”
“The facts of the situation are that the vehicle was weaponized and it attacked the law enforcement officer,” Noem responded, continuing to reiterate her original assessment, which remains a point of contention.
The integrity of the investigation has been jeopardized as the FBI takes over and refuses to collaborate with local authorities in Minnesota, who are urging the Trump administration to reconsider that stance.
Speaking on ABC’s “This Week,” U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minnesota) expressed her concern: “How can we trust the federal government to do an objective, unbiased investigation without prejudice when, at the beginning of that investigation, they have already announced exactly what they saw, what they think happened?”
This shooting strikes close to home for us as we learn that the parents of Renee Good live in the small Kansas town of Valley Falls, about 30 miles northeast of Topeka. She stayed with them for a period of time after her husband died about three years ago, before moving on to begin a new chapter of her life in Kansas City.
As I shared an article about Good from the Kansas City Star on my Facebook page, a number of people commenting on the incident put the blame on the victim.
“She shouldn’t of (sic) tried to run someone over,” one wrote. “Play stupid games you get a stupid prize.”
Another chimed in: “Had she not been a paid agitator and not trying to impede law enforcement … she might be alive today.” He added an acronym that others would also deploy: “FAFO” (f*** around and find out). The expression harks back to the speech Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave generals at Quantico in September.
The vast majority of those who left comments on this post were more sympathetic to the shooting victim, but that “FAFO” response indicates that a portion of our fellow citizens are inclined to align themselves with the militaristic machismo expressed by Hegseth and Noem.
Rather than attempting to de-escalate tensions in Minnesota, Noem has sent hundreds more ICE agents, demonstrating the administration’s determination to continue on a path of subjugation and dominance, attempting to normalize the presence of armed federal agents within our communities.
“FEAR NOT, GREAT PEOPLE OF MINNESOTA, THE DAY OF RETRIBUTION AND RECKONING IS COMING!” So exclaims our president on his Truth Social platform, going on to reference “the patriots of ICE.”
Meanwhile, Trump continues to threaten a takeover of Greenland, issues warnings to Iran and refers to himself as the acting president of Venezuela, straining relations with our allies and ignoring the bounds of international law. He says he knows nothing about the Justice Department’s investigation of Jerome Powell, the head of the Federal Reserve, as that department continues to slow-roll the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
This administration has launched so many assaults on longstanding norms of our nation that we continue to be overwhelmed by the rapid pace of shocking developments that hit us day after day.
We see people taking to the streets in protest, loudly voicing their concerns at gatherings across Kansas, in cities and small towns. But will this be enough to make a difference? Who is in position to apply basic constraints on this rogue regime?
The U.S. Supreme Court has done little to protect us, opting instead to essentially give the president free rein to do whatever he wishes. Lower courts are working, but they move slowly. Congress remains the best hope at this point to start slowing this runaway train down. But the majority party continues, for the most part, to defer to the wishes and whims of its loquacious leader.
U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas did push back recently, in a modest way. In response to Trump’s announced intention of taking over Greenland “one way the other,” Moran provided this short statement, noting that Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark.
“There should be no invasion of Greenland,” Moran said. “Denmark is an ally, a NATO ally.”
In a recent op-ed column published in The Wichita Eagle and The Kansas City Star, Gary Blumenthal encouraged the senator to be more principled and courageous. Identifying himself as a former member of the Kansas House, Blumenthal wrote of interactions he had with Moran dating back to the 1980s and 1990s, when Moran was a state senator.
“He was not an ideologue,” Blumenthal recalled. “He was just someone with common sense who happened to get elected.”
As he ends his piece, Blumenthal issues this plea to Moran: “I pray you will become the Republican who speaks the truth out loud. Be the leader who Kansas and the country will remember for choosing principle over party.”
Another way to put it, in honor of someone who briefly lived among us, is simple: “Stand for Good.” She deserves as much, and so do the rest of us.
Dave Kendall served as producer and host of the “Sunflower Journeys” series on public television for its first 27 seasons and continues to produce documentary videos through his own company, Prairie Hollow Productions. Through its opinion section, Kansas Reflector works to amplify the voices of people who are affected by public policies or excluded from public debate. Find information, including how to submit your own commentary, here.