Renee Nicole Good she was a poet, a mother of three children, a wife. Within hours of his death, as far as the government was concerned, he was a domestic terrorist.
On January 7, ICE agent Jonathan Ross shot Good through his car window in Minneapolis. He appeared to have four gunshot wounds, according to the New York Times, citing a report from the Minneapolis Fire Department. Hours after the shooting, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem accused Good of “[weaponizing] his car.” President Donald Trump said the 37-year-old “violently, deliberately, and brutally attacked” the agent who killed him. Vice President JD Vance called his death a “self-inflicted tragedy.”
Viewer videos showed something different: It’s good to try to chase away when the shots are fired. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called the defense story “bullshit.”
Despite the video evidence, the conservative media quickly fell in line. Good was “100 percent to blame” for her death, according to Matt Walsh of the Daily Wire. Megyn Kelly said it was “self-inflicted.” The verdict was unanimous: He deserved it.
But the reasons used to justify his death go beyond what he did or didn’t do with his car. Much of it focuses on Good’s recognition as a woman of genius.
Walsh called Good a “gay activist.” Ian Miles Cheong, a right-wing commentator with millions of followers, called him a “leftist.” On Fox News, Jesse Watters noted that Good “leaves behind a female partner” and highlighted that he “has pronouns in his bio,” which seems to be a reference to his Instagram profile.
Good was in a relationship with Becca Good, and the two had recently moved to Minneapolis to “make a better life for themselves”, according to a statement Becca released after her death. They left Kansas City, Missouri, for Canada following Trump’s 2024 election victory before moving back, Xtra reported.
A few days after Good’s murder, photos that appeared to be from Ross’s cell phone were leaked to the Minnesota news outlet, Alpha News. It shows the times before shooting. Good gets behind the wheel and calmly tells the cameraman, “I’m not mad at you.” His partner, Becca, is outside the car, confronting Ross. Becca seems defiant and fearless, telling the person behind the camera, “Go get yourself some lunch, big boy.” As Good tries to drive away, Ross fires a few shots. Then, just before Good’s car crashed, a voice was heard saying: “We’re a little bit crazy.”
Whoever leaked that video could have planned the slur out. They didn’t. And judging by the reaction from right-wing influencers, they didn’t need to.
“There’s a real sense of misogyny in the way the conservative media talks about these kinds of protests,” said Courtney Hagle, research director at Media Matters for America, which has tracked the right-wing response to Good’s death. “It’s clear that they are very angry about the presence of women, especially white women, free women.” The video, as Hagle put it, “convinced them that this is not someone they should care about.”
Some of the comments, including the reference to Becca as Good’s “wife” also felt like a subtle way to dismiss Good’s relationship.
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, President Trump called Becca Good a “friend” of Renee’s. “This woman and her friend did not respect the law enforcement,” he said. Leigh Finke, a Minnesota state legislator and the first openly elected official, says this type of resignation sends a message. “All they’re going to portray as homophobic women who don’t respect the men in charge.”
