On Wednesday Bruce Springsteen released a protest song condemning the violence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minneapolis. The song memorializes the lives of Renee Macklin Good and Alex Pretti, who were fatally shot by federal agents this month.
“I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis,” The Boss wrote on social media. “It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. Stay free.”
“Streets of Minneapolis” is a full-band rock and roll song, complete with an E Street Choir singalong. Springsteen’s raw and raspy voice is full of indignation as he calls out “King Trump” and his “federal thugs,” and promises to remember the events unfolding in the streets of Minneapolis this winter. The verses narrate the killings of Good and Pretti respectively, and underline how eyewitness videos of their deaths contradict government officials’ statements.
“Their claim was self defense, sir / Just don’t believe your eyes,” Springsteen sings. “It’s our blood and bones / And these whistles and phones / Against [Stephen] Miller and [Kristi] Noem’s dirty lies.”
Following the shooting of 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti on Saturday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem referred to Pretti’s actions as “domestic terrorism,” saying he “brandished” a gun and “attacked” officers. Noem used similar language to describe Renee Macklin Good’s behavior shortly before she was shot by an officer. A preliminary government review of Pretti’s case diverts from Noem’s initial statements, instead claiming that Pretti resisted arrest before being shot by two Customs and Border Protection officers.
The release of “Streets of Minneapolis” follows public comments made by Springsteen regarding the ongoing protests. During an appearance at the Light of Day festival in New Jersey earlier this month, he dedicated his performance of “The Promised Land” to Renee Macklin Good, and echoed sentiments expressed by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey that “ICE should get the f*** out of Minneapolis.”
Springsteen, who has written politically-driven music for decades, has heavily criticized President Trump’s policies since he was first elected to office in 2016. Last spring, he released the live EP Land of Hope & Dreams, which included on-stage comments from a show in England calling out the “corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous administration.”
