At a vigil for Renee Good, who was shot to death by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Minneapolis last week, an Episcopal bishop called on clergy in his diocese to be willing to follow the example of other “martyrs” like Good and Oscar Romero, who died standing up to injustice in El Salvador.
“I have told the clergy of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire that we may be entering into that same witness,” Rt. Rev. A. Robert Hirschfeld, bishop of the Episcopal Church of New Hampshire, said on Friday. And I’ve asked them to get their affairs in order—to make sure they have their wills written, because it may be that now is no longer the time for statements, but for us with our bodies to stand between the powers of this world and the most vulnerable.”
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The video of his statement has gone viral and is generating a great deal of conversation among clergy both in the United States and in Canada. It marks a shift in the rhetoric of non-violent Christian resistance to the Trump administration and ICE’s arrests and detentions. Hirschfeld goes on to say:
“And it may mean that we are going to have to act in a new way that we have never seen perhaps in our lifetime, except for these remote stories that I’ve just cited, to put our faith in the God of life, of resurrection, of a love that is stronger than death itself.”
You can read his full remarks here.
What are your thoughts on his words? Let us know in the comments.
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Rev. Christopher White is a United Church minister in Hamilton.
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While I totally agree from a world’s standpoint that Renee didn’t need to die, I certainly wouldn’t call her a martyr. If anything I get from her death, it is obey authority, no matter if I think they are right or wrong. As long as the authority does not command you to break God’s Law, you are to obey them. (Romans 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-14; Hebrews 13:17)
Whether you agree or not, these law enforcement are to arrest law breakers – illegals. I don’t always agree with their tactics, but they are obeying the laws and the authority by which they are given.
She was asked to remove herself from the car and she refused. (If one doubts she was not there to cause trouble, why was her “spouse” out of the car taunting the law enforcement?) Was the shooting justified?, I’m not a judge or a criminal prosecutor. But she purposely got herself into a situation that eventually cost her her life, this does not make one a martyr.
You need to look again and again at the videos from all angles. Ms. Good did nothing wrong except to tell the officer that she was not made at him and then she tried to move the vehicle away. He got in the way on his own and then shot her three times. DO NOT TELL ME, tht she was wrong. She was an innocent bystander who was doing her duty to make sure that what you call illegals lawless, really? Look again, there were no illegals in the crowds that anyone was aware of and if so, they were protesting PEACEFULLY. These ICE AGENTS are sadists who have no training on how to protect citizens, only to brutalize them. Again., watch the video. Here spouse was filming the incidents not harassing anyone until the Agents went after her wife and started harassing her. She again, was pleasant and asked the agent to go have some lunch. So we know where you stand on so called illegals. I guess it was o.k. to obey Hitler, Goebbels, Mussolini and all of the other authoritarian oligarchs out there like you have in the White House, Congress and Senate. The U.S. is a dead nation, nothing like the founders ever envisioned.
She was there. Did I say she was wrong? Did she obey authority when asked to get out of the vehicle? Should I block Rue Ste.-Catherine, Bloor St., or Granville St. because I don’t like the police to give out speeding tickets or parking tickets?
Are all ICE agents sadists?, or are you generalizing? They have a job to do, just like any other enforcement officer. You have bad apples everywhere, just visit a few McDonald’s and you’ll know who’s had a bad day at the office. The “wife” was taunting, not a smart thing to do to someone who is agitated already. If we take a look at the McDonald’s example, do you provoke the server, when you know they’re already having a bad day?
Your emotions are way too high, I understand, but it doesn’t negate that facts.
Again you generalize, this time on my views of illegals. I also take offense of your “fascist” remarks, which tells me bit about you. Do you have a definition of what someone in the country without proper documentation is? Can you please tell me who is paying for that person to be here?
I will agree the US will be the latest “empire” to fall, just a matter of when. It will be interesting to see what nation will pick up the slack. Personally, I’m practicing my Cantonese.
From all we have seen and heard, Renee was doing nothing wrong and through no fault of her own, the ICE agents put her “into a situation that eventually cost her her life.” You are a man who chooses to ignore the situation and instead, like so many men, sides with violence that is a result of a the male officer having his ego challenged. What her spouse did should not have contributed to Renee being shot to death. According to news reports, Jonathan Ross was described as a Christian. If he was a practicing Christian, he should have been able to resist the temptation to kill just because the victim ( who was not a a law breaker and an illegal) disregarded his orders.
Yep, just driving down the street, minding her business… “Rebecca Good, 40, the widow of Renee Nicole Good, was filmed sobbing, “it’s my fault”. “I made her come down here, it’s my fault,””
How am I ignoring the situation? (Just like a feminist, jumping to conclusions) To state again – “Was the shooting justified?, I’m not a judge or a criminal prosecutor.” Just from reports, I would surmise that the officer didn’t want to take a chance on being dragged under a car a second time. “The same officer was dragged in June by a child sexual predator trying to evade an immigration enforcement arrest. He suffered severe injuries and required 33 stitches”. I wonder what I would have done under the same circumstance. (Most likely not stood in front of the car). Good panicked, and so did the officer. Which weapon won? Being a Christian or not doesn’t matter, as Renee Good was a “Christian” as well. Does that mean she she was in the right? What if the officer was the victim, would she be ostracized? (I’m sure some would make her a hero.)
The murder of an innocent daughter, wife and mother in Minneapolis cannot be tolerated. There must be an independent investigation and prosecution of ICE agents taking things way too far. Ms Good was following the instructions of officers who told her to move her vehicle. She was complying. An ICE agent has no authority to demand she get out of her car. She was not breaking any law, just following instructions. It’s a stretch to claim she was committing a crime like evading; a misdemeanor. No one deserves four shots to the face for a misdemeanor. No one can justify that. Look at her last words to her murderer, and his right after. Hearing about Ms Good’s life is heartbreaking. She was a loving, caring, talented woman, and the attempts to smear her after death is beyond heinous. As we now know the murderer had been in a similar altercation last summer. PTSD is a real issue in ex-military, and from the video it’s clear the murderer was very angry. The disgusting name calling, the refusal to allow medical aid by a physician stating “I don’t care” requires prosecution and conviction. Hearing Christians defend this senseless killing is even more troubling. Ms Good was not an undocumented immigrant, there was no active warrant against her and she was following other officer’s instructions. No one is safe in this country with a group of hired killers roaming the streets. I hope that those Christians who believe “she deserved it” searches their heart when sitting in church on Sunday. It’s a sad state of affairs that if Jesus, the original protester, were here today he would be given an obscene gesture and shot in the face. I know this is not who we are but watching a lot of my evangelical friends embrace this is frightening. The church must condemn the actions of ICE agents. Rest in peace, sweet Renee.
I don’t have an opinion about whether Renee Good is a martyr but I disagree about always obeying those in authority. If people in the past never stood up against injustice there would still be racial segregation, women would not have the vote, and same sex marriage would never have been approved as some examples. The present regime in the U.S. is a violent, bullying, racist threat to the world. Because the Congress and Senate are too cowardly to act it falls to private citizens to fight for change.
I stated, “As long as the authority does not command you to break God’s Law, you are to obey them.” Did the officer who asked her to get out of the car contravene God’s commandments? I don’t think so, she should have listened
I think of the slavery in England. It took William Wilberforce as a parliamentarian 20 some years to abolish slavery. When people see a need, they elect people who will meet that need.
Most of us in the Western culture don’t care enough until it’s too late. Some things take time to iron out. If Trump’s power is one of such things, we need to be patient for 3 more years anyway, then Americans can vote someone else in power. They don’t live under a dictatorship yet, and the “majority” voted him in. If you think not, the electorate should have voted (better).