Fire damages Renee Good memorial in south Minneapolis, City Council member says
The memorial for Renee Good, who was killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, was set on fire Tuesday night, a Minneapolis City Council member said.
Jason Chavez, who represents the area where Good was killed, said someone poured gasoline on a fenced part of the memorial at 33rd Street and Portland Avenue. Witnesses say they found gas canisters on the ground after dousing the flames.
The Minneapolis Police Department said someone set fire to a pile of wood, and the fire was extinguished by the time officers arrived around 8:45 p.m. No one was injured, but several items at the memorial site were damaged.
"This is despicable," Chavez wrote in a social media post.
Neighbors and observers worked to extinguish the fire, according to Chavez.
"This was a clear case of arson in my opinion, and I hope whoever did it is held accountable," said Ryan Vizzions, an independent photojournalist who took photos of the fire while holding a camera in one hand and a fire extinguisher in the other.
No one has been arrested, police said, and the fire is under investigation.
"You can still see the residue even though we put down kitty litter and sand and things to absorb the gasoline," said Vizzions. "You can still see the oil marks of the gasoline that's in the water."
Vizzions has been working to protect and preserve the memorial for the last six weeks, first arriving at Portland Avenue the same day that Good was killed. He says he didn't see who lit the flames.
Council member Soren Stevenson, who was at the scene Wednesday, says people have been discussing a more permanent memorial for Good and Alex Pretti, who was shot and killed in the Whittier neighborhood by Border Patrol agents.
"There's lots of layers to work through. We know there's going to be a memorial, we just haven't figured out what it's going to be yet," said Stevenson.
Mourners have come to the memorial to pay tribute to Good in the weeks since she was killed, placing flowers, signs and candles in her honor.
The 37-year-old mother and artist was shot by ICE officer Jonathan Ross on Jan. 7, sparking national outrage and protests. There is no federal criminal investigation into her killing, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension was denied access to evidence in her death.
Justice Department leadership ordered the FBI and prosecutors to treat her death as an assault on a federal officer, leading to mass resignations in the department, as well as at the Minneapolis FBI field office and the Minneapolis U.S. Attorney's office.
Lawmakers continue to press for a joint federal and state investigation into her death.
