Remembering Renee Goode and Alex Pretti

As I reflect on January, I feel conflicted by the mixture of emotions. Fifteen Minutes of Fame is music entertainment, but sometimes the world is too powerful for us to keep our focus on what we think we are supposed to be doing. I felt some hope, some optimism heading into a new year. With promise on the horizon, I took my guard down-just a little- and like so many others, I paid for it.

There has been a lot of new great music to be released this month. In addition, I’ve had some really exciting ideas for the platform that I think have the opportunity to be more engaging and possibly help even more indie musicians find their audiences. I myself even put out my long-awaited album and I have been excited to talk about it.

But the world can be a sobering place.

On January 7th, a group of citizens rallied around the infamous law enforcement agency known as ICE to protest and bring their awareness to their community of the presence of the agents. Whistles blaring, the video images show a mildly chaotic scene before focusing in on a young woman, Renee Goode, who was in her vehicle, on the road. Bodycam images show Goode engaging with an ICE agent begrudgingly and the agent can be heard muttering words like “fucking bitch,” and Goode’s wife can also be heard verbally ostracizing the agent. Then, for whatever reason, a vehicle containing more ICE agents pull up to Goode’s vehicle. Agents jump out and approach Goode, attempting to pull her from the vehicle. Her wife can be heard telling her to “drive, babe,” as it was evident the situation had suddenly escalated. Fearing for her life, Renee Goode attempted to drive away and the disgruntled agent who had been circling her vehicle like a shark, opened fire. Goode was fatally wounded and her vehicle drove into a pole and came to rest. ICE agents drew a perimeter around the scene, not even letting a doctor check Goode’s vitals and showing no compassion in a situation where an American citizen had been suddenly attacked by a member of an agency who claims to serve America’s flag.

Social media was quick to divide the narrative. In spite of clear video footage, public record of DHS policy, and contradictions within the administration of Donald Trump, his supporters were blind to the evidence, argumentative, and practically relished the sight of a “libtard being slaughtered in the street.” Some sympathy was shown by moderate conservatives and, though their objections could be argued, they tried to justify the actions as a necessary attempt to act in self defense. It was a bold and sensationalized argument, but whatever. If that is the case, perhaps this tragic event was a one of a kind situation that wouldn’t happen again.

Seventeen days later, on January 24th, another incident involving American protesters and ICE agents ended with an American citizen being brutally shot to death in the street. Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse for the VA, was killed by agents in his home town, in his home state, in his country. His crime: trying to help a young woman up who had been shoved to the ground and pepper sprayed, refusing to stop filming agents going feral as they proceeded to abuse their power, and for being in possession of a concealed firearm. A firearm he was legally permitted to carry.

A group of agents wrestled Pretti to the ground. They started beating him with their fists and with their weapons. An agent is scene disarming Pretti by pulling his firearm from its holster in the back of his waste band, and a second later, ICE agents opened fire. 10 rounds were fired into a defenseless man who was on his hands and knees.

It wasn’t just murder. It was an execution. Again with no remorse, as agents were scene walking away, laughing and clapping. They again quickly set up a perimeter around the scene, this time even blocking law enforcement officers from investigating the incident.

Again, social media wedged the gap between its citizens even further, with misinformation and lies. Even the president made the false claim that it was illegal for a citizen to carry a firearm to a protest, in spite of pardoning hundreds of people who had been arrested for storming our nations capitol during the infamous January 6th riot, just one year prior.

This is a music entertainment magazine. We usually try to keep the mood a bit light-hearted and stay on topic. I simply cannot justify not even mentioning these incidents. This is more than just murder. This is the murder of two American citizens by two federal law enforcement agents. These murders could very well be the tipping point that brings our nation to war. Injustices occur every single day in our country. Ask any one of our brothers and sisters of a different ethnicity. Ask any woman. Ask any member of the LGBTQ community. Injustices occur every day and I’m not blind to that. This isn’t different in that regard.

This is different because of the circumstances that led to these murders in our nation, given the polarized political climate. The tension has been at a breaking point for a while. Then, with shots fired and two citizens brought to a violent deadly end, it broke.

I don’t want to speculate on the future. I don’t want to debate the issues, the culture and climate of our nation, and I don’t want to perpetuate the polarized climate we find ourselves in. I simply want to pay respect to the lives and memories of Renee Goode and Alex Pretti. I want to give my condolences to their families. I want to assure them that we know their lives were unnecessarily sacrificed and we will not forget them.