Minneapolis crews dismantle barriers around Renee Good memorial

Minnesota's U.S. senators, Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, have sent a joint letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi urging her Department of Justice to include the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension into the FBI's investigation of the killing of Renee Good.

"It is critical there be a thorough, objective, and impartial investigation. That requires full cooperation with state investigators and local authorities," the senators wrote.

The senators noted the local-federal cooperation that occurred this summer in the investigations into the politically-motivated assassination of Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman, and the deadly mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church and School.

"As in those cases, state law enforcement and investigators can bring extensive expertise to this critical investigation," the senators wrote.

Klobuchar and Smith said transparency and collaboration are essential, especially in light of the Trump administration's narrative that directly conflicts with what multiple videos show in the deadly encounter between Good and ICE officer Jonathon Ross.

"The administration's decision raises serious questions about its objectivity, particularly after administration officials have made statements that conflict with the video and other evidence that has already become public," the senators wrote. "Therefore, we strongly urge you to reverse your decision and coordinate with state and local officials."

Several Minneapolis, Hennepin County and state leaders gathered Friday morning at Minneapolis City Hall in a joint call for President Trump's FBI to bring the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension into the fold for the investigation into the killing of Renee Good.

Minneapolis Mayor Frey said he has a "simple ask" for U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and her Department of Justice: "embrace the truth" and include "local experts in the process."

"The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension at the state of Minnesota has consistently run these investigations before. They have done so without bias. They've done so with a great deal of expertise," Frey said. "This is not some radical, way out-there group. This is a group that is formed by experts who understand how to investigate. Many of them have been police officers themselves."

Frey also pushed back against the narrative that Minneapolis is a "dangerous … post-apocalyptic hellscape."

"Let me give you a statistic. Fifty-percent of the shootings that have happened thus far in Minneapolis this year have been ICE. In other words, we've only had two shootings. One of them has been ICE," Frey said. "We are a safe city. ICE is making it less so. We are a city of unity, but ICE is trying to divide us and tear us apart."

Leaders from several Minnesota educators unions gathered Friday morning in St. Paul to discuss the ongoing crisis involving the surge of federal agents in the state, and the devastation it's been causing for students, teachers and families.

"This constant worry is actively harming our staff and our students. It has changed the shape of our work day as we've put new protocols in place to try and keep everyone safe," said Chris Erickson, president of the St. Cloud Education Association. 

Erickson said his educators are preparing to find alternate ways to hold parent-teacher conferences.  

"Many parents do not feel safe coming to our schools because of the fear of being taken away from their schools, their homes and their workplaces. I had a special education teacher who works with students with physical and cognitive disabilities, and she shared with me that one of her students stated in a message to her, 'I'm afraid to go to school,'" Erickson said. "Public education is a right, and every child in Minnesota deserves to attend a public school that is safe and welcoming — but that cannot happen as long as ICE remains in Minnesota. They need to leave our state and they need to leave our schools now."

Wendy Marczak, president of the Bloomington Federation of Teachers, said federal agents are "terrorizing families" in her schools.

"We train for school shootings. We do not train for our own federal government to terrorize children. Ask yourself, would you want your child going through this? An entire student body is being traumatized by witnessing ICE activity around their schools. When ICE operates near schools, those schools feel under threat, and that is unacceptable," Marczak said. "In Minnesota we value education, yet right now, the federal government is scaring students, families and school staff. That makes one thing painfully clear: our children's safety and education are not being treated as priorities."

Educators and families with Minneapolis Public Schools are also expected to hold a press conference Friday at 10 a.m.

Minneapolis city crews began dismantling the makeshift barriers near Renee Good's memorial off Portland Avenue and East 34th Street on Friday around 4 a.m.

Several police squad vehicles, officers and SWAT team members are also at the scene.

The city says they want people to hold space for Good's memorial, but blocking a public street is a public safety hazard.

Fire officials also say it's important to remove the barriers so their crews could get through, especially with snow banks on each side of the street.

The city says the actual memorial, along with flowers, candles and notes, will not be touched.

WCCO

WCCO

Friday morning, crews are gathered outside the Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, the command center of federal agents in the state that was the site of a tense protest on Thursday.  

WCCO sees crews setting up concrete barriers near the building, which comes as other crews are dismantling barriers set up by community members around the memorial for Renee Good, the woman killed by ICE officer Jonathon Ross on Wednesday morning.