Judith LeBlanc
Caddo
Native Organizers Alliance Action Fund Executive Director

With the murder of Renee Good, Trump has made clear that he will stop at nothing to stamp out communities voicing their dissent over inhumane and often illegal treatment of their immigrant neighbors. The administration hoped this would serve as a warning to other community protectors to stay home and stay quiet, what it has sparked instead, is a growing and loud movement against an abusive U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement force and an increasingly authoritarian federal government. 

Renee Good was protesting the injustices perpetrated by masked law enforcement in her community when she was shot and killed by an ICE agent. In the wake of her death, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and President Donald J. Trump told us that Renee Good was responsible for her own death — that she was a domestic terrorist who tried to kill an ICE agent with her car. 

The demonization of Renee Good is an all too familiar story for those who have spoken out for communities. For centuries, Native peoples have been depicted as warmongers, savages and radicals when we organize or protest for our lands and rights. We have seen these narratives play out first hand in more modern times with the occupation of Alcatraz in 1969, the movement to legalize our ceremonies through congressional legislation in 1978, and every stand against oil and gas developments on our sacred lands, most notably the protests at Standing Rock in 2016. When thousands of Native peoples and conservationists from across the U.S. and world stood together with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe to say no to an oil pipeline that would poison the waters and threaten the health of tens of thousands, we were met with rubber bullets, water cannons, attack dogs, and tanks. We didn’t back down then, and we won’t now. 

During times like these, we often ask ourselves: what can I do? Luckily, there are deeply passionate organizers across the country who know how to exercise our right to free speech and assembly. So much of the political and social changes we have seen throughout U.S. history started with everyday people organizing together. Communities mobilized around issues and causes, compelling  politicians and governments to take notice. 

The Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area is home to more than 35,000 Native people — one of the largest and most politically active urban Indian communities in the U.S. Native community groups quickly took action by setting up hubs to gather and organize, and patrol streets. As Native peoples, our collective voice is strong. As sovereign nations, our government-to-government relationships are a two-way street. We are both tribal and U.S. citizens. We can advocate for our tribal leaders to engage in tough conversations with members of Congress and state governments. As constituents and voters, we can each call upon our members of Congress to take action. We are far from powerless. 

Organizing has never been as important this century as it is right now. Every day we are being overwhelmed by and desensitized to activities that are unconstitutional and undemocratic. We are being told to shut up and not trust what we see. But a shift is happening in Congress and socially as even the MAGA community is questioning some of Trump’s actions. 

It is imperative that we continue to organize, whether that is to demand ICE leave our cities or encourage our communities to vote. Immigration has long been a hot-button issue in U.S. politics — one that many Native people have watched with a side-eye, or an outright eye-roll, given the irony. The murder of a protester, caught on film for everyone to see, is a tragic wake-up call for all, especially in Indian Country. As the original peoples of this land, we should not stand by and let the politicians in power be the final voice on who has the right to be given respect and the right to live, work, and be on this land. As seasoned organizers and social justice warriors, when we see clearly that this is now life or death, we can’t afford to sit this one out. 

Judith LeBlanc is a citizen of the Caddo Nation and a national leader in Indigenous community  organizing. She is the executive director of Native Organizers Alliance Action Fund, board member of Movement Strategy Center, and board member of NDN Collective. In 2023, she was a Fellow at the Kennedy School of Politics at Harvard University. 

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