Hope
We are hope
So...Minneapolis. Renee Nicole Good.
I've been traversing various social media platforms, and the only thing that occurs to me is how much damage they've done to our nation.
You know me, I'm an early adopter, and I have loved it so much. It could be used (and is) for so much good. And fun. But like, between the bots, the paid accounts which surely are trolls, and the people convinced that there never is a thing wrong with ICE (she turned wrong, she shouldn't have been there, she scared them, she wore the wrong lipstick etc etc ad nauseam, and I mean NAUSEAM) means that they are saying ICE shooting people anytime, anywhere etc is just ok.
Murder is just ok.
We all know it isn't ok. We know it's murder. We know this is evil.
We know it's part of a totalitarian regime's chessmoves into brainwashing and fear indoctrination. I fear that between the bots and trolls, there are people who dig this business. Who dig evil.
It should boggle, but I am beyond boggling, boggled, bogged down. The last two months of my life have been two of the hardest months I think I've experienced since my mother's illness and crisis move of about 2008, it's hard to remember the year (but even then I had SO many great and grand things going on with babies, and improv, and the most fun that dare not speaks its name).
I could lay out everything that happened since November 12, 2025, and you would not believe it. My husband has gone through a physical systems collapse and an adverse drug incident, feedback loops on top of feedback loops, messing each other up. He’s been in such pain.
The nonprofit world? Oh, no, not for this post, I won’t. Talk about systems failing.
And on top of that, there is this system collapse of all the good and wonderful things that I've fought for (knowing it was far, far from perfect, but still it involved some progress towards a more equitable and caring world), into this Venezuela/Greenland/Minneapolis, ICE is everywhere (in our little region certainly), trans affirming care being destroyed locally and nationally, Roe, federal systems being torn down, families that will be hungry, and I don't even want to ennumerate anymore, because there has been so much damage done.
Many of us knew this was possible in 2016. And last year too.
There is only one thing I know to be true: you matter. People matter, the earth matters, love matters. Your words matter. Your wonderful use of social media matters! Gentleness, healing, and holding space, even during the darkest of times. I see you. I see you are scared of losing people, pets, work, homes, and hope. And, I see so many of you sharing hope in so many forms.
We are the hope, is all I can cling to right now. You and me and all of us. We have to take our hope and hone it, layer it with love and compassion, but also some anger and grit.
Things are going to be harder before they get better, is what I know.
I love you. All the names need to be said, and there is a hell of a long list of them, and they need to be remembered, said, prayed for, and loved. I love that her last name was Good and she was good. She was, I am hearing, a legal observer. We need a movement for all these names. To support the movements that have been held for these names. I hope her family is being held and helped.
I hope you are being held and helped and loved. Thank you for being part of my community.
Lovely post Julie!