Key Takeaways
- Ryan Coogler condemned violence in all forms while discussing what’s going on in Minneapolis.
- He specifically called out violence inflicted by people “funded by tax dollars.”
- The deaths of Renée Good and Alex Pretti have intensified national protests against ICE and immigration enforcement tactics.
The unsettling events surrounding what happened in Minneapolis “should mess you up,” according to Ryan Coogler. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter on Tuesday (Feb. 10), the Sinners director condemned violence in all forms, particularly when it comes from those paid to protect and serve.
Following the January incidents in which federal agents shot and killed Minnesota protesters Renée Good and Alex Pretti, Coogler shared his thoughts with the publication. “Violence is horrible to see — violence in any way, shape, or form — and when you are forced to bear witness to it, it should mess you up,” he explained.
“Then, when you see violence inflicted by people who are there to protect people — by people who were funded by tax dollars? That’s a whole ‘nother thing,” Coogler continued, before revisiting the topic of Fruitvale Station, his 2013 film centered on the killing of Oscar Grant.
Renée Good and Alex Pretti’s deaths added fuel to the nationwide protests against ICE
Good’s death sparked nationwide protests amid Minnesotans already pushing back against what’s been described as the “largest immigration operation ever.” On Jan. 7, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fired three shots into the 37-year-old woman’s vehicle. As REVOLT previously reported, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem repeatedly described Good as a “domestic terrorist,” while Donald Trump called the incident “a tragedy.”
Weeks later, Pretti, an ICU nurse, was killed by two U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers. In video footage circulating online, federal agents appeared to fire at least 10 shots within a five-second span. The Justice Department has since opened a federal civil rights investigation into the incident.
“He cared about people deeply, and he was very upset with what was happening in Minneapolis and throughout the United States with ICE, as millions of other people are upset,” Pretti’s father, Michael, told AP News. “He thought it was terrible, you know, kidnapping children, just grabbing people off the street.”