The fatal shootings of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents on the streets of Minneapolis shocked the conscience of an already shaken nation. The Trump administration’s willingness to deploy state violence against civilians – to kidnap, detain, and kill – is unquestionably a moment of crisis for democracy and free expression that echoes dark moments in our own history. Those of us who have studied the playbook of autocracies also see parallels to countries like Egypt and Myanmar, where state violence has been deployed to make people afraid to speak up, to crush dissent, and to lay the groundwork for greater repression.
It’s inspiring that, in Minnesota, it’s not working. Over the last weeks, the people of Minneapolis have risen together to push back against a campaign of government intimidation and say, “No.” From the tens of thousands of protesters filling the streets to the community members defending their neighbors against kidnapping and deportation, to the bookstores caring for their neighbors, the people of Minnesota have shown their unity and their refusal to be silenced. And people all over the country have shown their support. After the 70-year-old owner of DreamHaven Books was photographed walking through teargas, his website crashed from the sheer volume of business and donations. As we prepare for the possibility of federal agents occupying more American cities, Minneapolis presents a powerful demonstration of peaceful resistance and community organization.
For our community of writers, it’s also a potent reminder of the power of bearing witness making meaning out of grief and horror. Videos of the senseless killings of Good, a mother and poet, and Pretti, an ICU nurse, gave the lie to the administration’s ugly disinformation about the victims. Federal officials told us not to trust our own eyes, borrowing yet another page from the authoritarian playbook. Writers told us to trust our hearts. Kao Kalia Yang wrote a wrenching piece about her fears as an immigrant in Minnesota. Kristen Radtke recalled her childhood best friend, Alex Pretti, and their mutual love for orange food. Danez Smith wrote a moving eulogy for Renee Good. “The role of us poets is to witness the world, to see with our eyes and souls the delicate threads of truth, past, and possibility around us,” they wrote. “With attention as our tool and duty, we turn to grief, to love, to the natural world around us, to our own lives, and to our countries.”
In moments of crisis, writers speak the truth. They help us create meaning through stories and help communities voice their pain. They help us all imagine a future worth fighting for.
