The Protests in Minneapolis have an anthem, by the Boss.

Bruce Springsteen releases protest anthem after ICE killings in Minneapolis

Bruce Springsteen has never been subtle about where he stands. But this week, The Boss did something rare even by his standards.

On Wednesday, Springsteen released a brand-new protest song, written, recorded, and released in just days, condemning the deadly violence carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minneapolis. The song memorializes Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, both of whom were fatally shot by federal agents earlier 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,” Springsteen wrote. “It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors, and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. Stay free.”

The song is titled “Streets of Minneapolis.”

And it pulls absolutely no punches.

A protest song for right now

“Streets of Minneapolis” is a full-band, old-school rock song, complete with an E Street Choir singalong. Springsteen’s voice is raw and raspy, filled with anger and grief as he calls out what he sees unfolding in real time.

He directly names “King Trump” and condemns his “federal thugs,” promising that the violence carried out in Minneapolis will not be forgotten.

The verses tell the stories of Renee Macklin Good and Alex Pretti one by one. They are not abstract symbols. They are named. They are humanized. And Springsteen makes clear that what happened to them contradicts what government officials immediately claimed.

“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.”

It’s a blunt indictment of how power operates now: official statements on one side, eyewitness video evidence on the other.

The official story keeps changing

After the fatal shooting of 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem rushed to label his actions “domestic terrorism,” claiming he brandished a weapon and attacked officers. She used nearly identical language to describe Renee Macklin Good before her death.

But a preliminary government review of Pretti’s case has already diverged from those claims. It now says Pretti resisted arrest before being shot by two Customs and Border Protection officers — a far cry from the initial rhetoric used to justify lethal force.

Springsteen’s song zeroes in on that gap. The distance between what people saw with their own eyes and what those in power wanted the public to believe.

Springsteen isn’t backing down

The release of “Streets of Minneapolis” follows Springsteen’s recent public comments on the protests. Earlier this month, during an appearance at the Light of Day festival in New Jersey, he dedicated “The Promised Land” to Renee Macklin Good and echoed Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey’s blunt message that ICE should “get the f*** out of Minneapolis.”

This isn’t new territory for Springsteen. He has spent decades using his music to confront injustice. Since Trump’s election in 2016, he has been one of the president’s most consistent and outspoken critics. Last spring, he released

Land of Hope & Dreams, a live EP that included on-stage remarks calling out what he described as a “corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous administration.”

In an era when too many powerful voices are staying silent, Bruce Springsteen just made it very clear whose side he’s on.

Stay free.(Really American Media)

Help stop Trump and ICE in Minneapolis and across the country. Touch to listen.👇 Then, share the song.

Of course, donate to help Minneapolis too.

How to help Minnesota.

Donate to the Immigrant Law Center of MN which is providing assistance to hundreds of people with families detained by ICE, or the Immigrant Rapid Response Fund , a fund assembled by a coalition of Twin Cities Foundations committed to getting assistance out the door as quickly as possible.

One more thing. Or two.

The disgusting man spoke again.

The Guardian - Trump on Ilhan Omar's town hall attack: 'She probably had herself sprayed'
When Donald Trump was asked in an interview with ABC on whether he saw the video of the spray attack on Ilhan Omar, he said, “No, I don’t think about her.”

I think she’s a fraud. I really don’t think about that. She probably had herself sprayed, knowing her.

Asked again if he had seen the video, Trump said: “I haven’t seen it. No, no. I hope I don’t have to bother.”
——

Bill Kristal and Andrew Egger, the Bulwark - A crazed man sprayed Rep. Ilhan Omar with a liquid from a syringe during a constituent event last night. The congresswoman has been the bête noire of the right for some time now. But President Donald Trump has ramped up his vilification of her in recent weeks as part of his efforts to justify the deployment of thousands of immigration agents to her home city of Minneapolis. Asked about the attack, the president showed a surprising degree of magnamity—who are we kidding. He was as irresponsible and cruel as anyone would have predicted.

“No. I don’t think about her. I think she’s a fraud. I really don’t think about that. She probably had herself sprayed, knowing her,” Trump told ABC’s Rachel Scott. Asked if he’d seen the video, Trump added: “I haven’t seen it. No, no. I hope I don’t have to bother.” Remember the good ol’ times of four-and-a-half months ago when the White House was denouncing the rise of political violence? Those were the days.

The Pressure is Working.

Minneapolis live updates: 2 Border Patrol agents who fired guns in Alex Pretti fatal shooting put on leave

Share the Boss’s song!