Statement on the ICE killing of Renee Good

The following comments were shared by The Jersey Bee’s editor at a local vigil for Renee Good, the 37-year-old woman murdered by a ICE agent in Minneapolis, Minnesota. on Jan. 7. They are reprinted here as our organization’s statement on Good’s killing.

Hello everyone. My name is Simon Galperin. I’ve been a resident of Bloomfield for 8 years, New Jersey for 30, and before that, a Jewish refugee from the Soviet Union.

I’m also the editor of The Jersey Bee, a nonprofit local news organization dedicated to serving working people and communities of color.

In my role and in my life, I often have to take national stories and make sense of them locally.

And that is what I would like to do with the short time I have today.

Please raise your hand if you’ve heard of Renee Good.

Please keep your hand raised if you’ve heard of Jeffrey Sutton.

Jeffrey is a local resident who was shot by Bloomfield police 5 years ago, just blocks from town hall. Thankfully, he survived but his life is forever changed. Like Renee, officers shot at Jeffrey as he fled in his car, with no imminent threat to officers’ lives. Today, one of the officers who shot Jeffrey is Bloomfield Deputy Chief of Police – Gary Peters.

I share Jeff’s story not to take away from Renee’s but to show that we should not just look to the struggles in Minneapolis, Portland, or Los Angeles – and raise our voices in Washington – but that your attention and your voice is demanded here in our local communities – and that here it is most powerful. Here a group this size can swing an election, pack town hall, stop traffic.

Here you can keep neighbors from going hungry, save them from incarceration, and ensure they have safe and secure housing.

As we look to Minneapolis, to Gaza, to any and every people and place facing systemic violence – we must not forget that this place – New Jersey – is one of those places too.

As you leave here tonight, say hello to a new neighbor, and commit to making this world a safer place for immigrants and all people by making New Jersey a safer place for immigrants and all people.

In Renee’s name.