‘Pure love. Pure joy. Pure sunshine’: Renee Good’s wife speaks out after ICE killing
Renee Good was “made of sunshine.”
Renee Nicole Macklin Good believed “there is kindness in the world and we need to do everything we can to find it where it resides and nurture it where it needs to grow,” Becca Good wrote in a statement. (Courtesy of GoFundMe)
Good, the 37-year-old Minneapolis woman who was shot and killed Wednesday by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in South Minneapolis, believed people were put on this planet “to love each other, care for each other, and keep each other safe and whole,” her wife, Becca Good, wrote in a statement shared Friday with Minnesota Public Radio.
Renee Good sparkled and radiated kindness and “lived by an overarching belief: there is kindness in the world and we need to do everything we can to find it where it resides and nurture it where it needs to grow,” Becca Good wrote.
The Goods had recently moved to Minneapolis with their 6-year-old son “to make a better life for ourselves,” Becca Good wrote. During their extended road trip to Minnesota, the couple “held hands in the car while (their) son drew all over the windows to pass the time and the miles,” she wrote.
“What we found when we got here was a vibrant and welcoming community (where) we made friends and spread joy,” according to the statement. “And while any place we were together was home, there was a strong shared sense here in Minneapolis that we were looking out for each other. Here, I had finally found peace and safe harbor. That has been taken from me forever.
“We were raising our son to believe that no matter where you come from or what you look like, all of us deserve compassion and kindness,” she wrote. “Renee lived this belief every day. She is pure love. She is pure joy. She is pure sunshine.”
The couple on Wednesday had stopped their Honda Pilot in the area of 34th Street and Portland Avenue to “support our neighbors,” wrote Becca Good, who witnessed the shooting.
“We had whistles. They had guns.”
“Renee leaves behind three extraordinary children; the youngest is just six years old and already lost his father,” she wrote. “I am now left to raise our son and to continue teaching him, as Renee believed, that there are people building a better world for him. That the people who did this had fear and anger in their hearts, and we need to show them a better way.”
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Becca Good thanked people for reaching out and supporting her family and for granting her family privacy as they grieve.
“We thank you for ensuring that Renee’s legacy is one of kindness and love,” she concluded. “We honor her memory by living her values: rejecting hate and choosing compassion, turning away from fear and pursuing peace, refusing division and knowing we must come together to build a world where we all come home safe to the people we love.”
A GoFundMe online fundraiser to help the Goods was shut down on Friday after receiving donations of more than $1.5 million. Fundraiser organizers said the money will be placed in a trust for the family.
“Thank you for your generosity,” the post states. “If you’re looking to donate, we encourage you to support others in need. We’re truly grateful.”
“We are here brokenhearted and in awe of your generosity,” Becka Tilsen, a friend of the family, shared on a GoFundMe update on Thursday. “My family met Renee and Becca after they moved to town and became fast friends. … Thank you again for your compassion. They feel this tidal wave of care and it really matters.”
