Michelle S. Phelps
@michellesphelps.bsky.social
Professor at UMN, Sociologist, Mom | Books: Breaking the Pendulum on criminal justice & The Minneapolis Reckoning on the politics of policing | www.michellesphelps.com.
Pinned
Minneapolis Knows How to Resist This Violence
From George Floyd to Renee Good, the city has become all too familiar with fatal violence by law enforcement—and it knows exactly how to respond.
newrepublic.com
I tried to turn my rage yesterday into something that brings us some light. For @newrepublic.com, I wrote about how 2020 prepared Minneapolis for the current crisis of Trump's DHS. newrepublic.com/article/2050...
Reposted by Michelle S. Phelps
It's easy enough to dismiss the administration's lies—what's remarkable is the local officials’ directly calling out the authorities. trib.al/bCQDt4w
Mayor Jacob Frey described Noem’s claims as “bullshit,” while Minnesota Governor Tim Walz decried the administration’s “propaganda.”
Mayor Jacob Frey described Noem’s claims as “bullshit,” while Minnesota Governor Tim Walz decried the administration’s “propaganda.”
Minneapolis Knows How to Resist This State Violence
From George Floyd to Renee Good, the city has become all too familiar with killings by law enforcement—and it knows exactly how to respond.
trib.al
January 12, 2026 at 1:42 AM
It's easy enough to dismiss the administration's lies—what's remarkable is the local officials’ directly calling out the authorities. trib.al/bCQDt4w
Mayor Jacob Frey described Noem’s claims as “bullshit,” while Minnesota Governor Tim Walz decried the administration’s “propaganda.”
Mayor Jacob Frey described Noem’s claims as “bullshit,” while Minnesota Governor Tim Walz decried the administration’s “propaganda.”
Reposted by Michelle S. Phelps
I recently read The Race Beat which argues that brutal images of state violence against Black folks helped the Civil Rights movement and delegimated southern law enforcement. ICE, like Bull Connor, thinks they are displaying masculinity but most people hate this shit. It will undermine their goals.
January 12, 2026 at 9:52 PM
I recently read The Race Beat which argues that brutal images of state violence against Black folks helped the Civil Rights movement and delegimated southern law enforcement. ICE, like Bull Connor, thinks they are displaying masculinity but most people hate this shit. It will undermine their goals.
Reposted by Michelle S. Phelps
ICE don't release names or even the number of most people arrested. So we dug into court records to try to get a picture of who and how many ppl were being detained. Most had no serious criminal history. Judges have been very critical of the fed's arguments in court. www.mprnews.org/story/2025/1...
Dozens of immigrants detained by ICE going to court to request release
ICE has released the names of a fraction of the more than 670 it has reported to have arrested during the immigration enforcement sweep that began Dec. 1. An MPR News analysis of federal court records...
www.mprnews.org
January 12, 2026 at 9:37 PM
ICE don't release names or even the number of most people arrested. So we dug into court records to try to get a picture of who and how many ppl were being detained. Most had no serious criminal history. Judges have been very critical of the fed's arguments in court. www.mprnews.org/story/2025/1...
Reposted by Michelle S. Phelps
No doubt about it: Trump's new imperialism re Venezuela & its unabashed discourse of aggression is exactly what desperate empires do as they fall, and it is exactly what has led to revived imperialism and world war in the past. It's all so predictable & and also so dangerous 1/7
January 7, 2026 at 6:37 PM
No doubt about it: Trump's new imperialism re Venezuela & its unabashed discourse of aggression is exactly what desperate empires do as they fall, and it is exactly what has led to revived imperialism and world war in the past. It's all so predictable & and also so dangerous 1/7
Reposted by Michelle S. Phelps
Its not that the media is not covering what is happening, but it does feel like the military occupation of an American city should be treated as a national crisis.
A video of ICE agents conducting door-to-door searches today in Minneapolis
The homeowner requests a warrant repeatedly, is told they don't require one, then is told they're getting it, then the agents storm in anyway
They also point a taser at her to try and disrupt filming
The homeowner requests a warrant repeatedly, is told they don't require one, then is told they're getting it, then the agents storm in anyway
They also point a taser at her to try and disrupt filming
January 12, 2026 at 2:55 PM
Its not that the media is not covering what is happening, but it does feel like the military occupation of an American city should be treated as a national crisis.
Reposted by Michelle S. Phelps
I miss the good old days of DEI, back when we had pronouns and Sunday nights where the head of the Fed wasn’t being blackmailed
January 12, 2026 at 2:41 AM
I miss the good old days of DEI, back when we had pronouns and Sunday nights where the head of the Fed wasn’t being blackmailed
This is the point. Breaking child care also means breaking working mothers.
Even before the White House threatened to freeze funding, child care providers across the country were scrambling to deal with a pull back in federal funds -- wait lists in a lot of states are crazy long. Prices rising. www.axios.com/2026/01/12/t...
Trump funding freeze could stretch child care to a breaking point
The administration is seeking to freeze more than $10 billion for five blue states.
www.axios.com
January 12, 2026 at 4:23 PM
This is the point. Breaking child care also means breaking working mothers.
Reposted by Michelle S. Phelps
Trying to explain what it feels like in the Twin Cities right now to people who aren’t here and haven’t experienced this is genuinely crazy-making.
January 11, 2026 at 9:20 PM
Trying to explain what it feels like in the Twin Cities right now to people who aren’t here and haven’t experienced this is genuinely crazy-making.
Reposted by Michelle S. Phelps
ICE at Midway Target and seem to possible be leaving. Lots of community members here
January 11, 2026 at 7:57 PM
ICE at Midway Target and seem to possible be leaving. Lots of community members here
👇Hey folks outside of MN, here are some local orgs you can donate to. These three larger groups are also worth supporting:
www.miracmn.com (leading organizing)
www.ilcm.org (legal info + defense)
www.2harvest.org (reputable big food bank)
www.miracmn.com (leading organizing)
www.ilcm.org (legal info + defense)
www.2harvest.org (reputable big food bank)
If outside Minneapolis and you want to help the helpers:
@supplydepotmpls.bsky.social
@mspwhistles.bsky.social
DuckDuckGo:
🪄CANMN community food hub delivering to local targeted ppl
💫unidosMn local immigration org
@supplydepotmpls.bsky.social
@mspwhistles.bsky.social
DuckDuckGo:
🪄CANMN community food hub delivering to local targeted ppl
💫unidosMn local immigration org
January 11, 2026 at 4:25 PM
👇Hey folks outside of MN, here are some local orgs you can donate to. These three larger groups are also worth supporting:
www.miracmn.com (leading organizing)
www.ilcm.org (legal info + defense)
www.2harvest.org (reputable big food bank)
www.miracmn.com (leading organizing)
www.ilcm.org (legal info + defense)
www.2harvest.org (reputable big food bank)
My kids were climbing in one of those trees right about the time this was taken. Grateful to see so much of Mpls out in the frigid temps and slippery sidewalks. Let's keep each other safe.
More than 5,000 people here in Powderhorn Park protesting ICE’s occupation of Minneapolis.
#FuckICE #iceout #mpls #FuckTrump
#FuckICE #iceout #mpls #FuckTrump
January 10, 2026 at 10:32 PM
My kids were climbing in one of those trees right about the time this was taken. Grateful to see so much of Mpls out in the frigid temps and slippery sidewalks. Let's keep each other safe.
Reposted by Michelle S. Phelps
More photos from the biggest anti-ICE rally in Minneapolis since an ICE agent shot and killed observer Renee Macklin Good on Wednesday. No police presence but south Minneapolis residents will recognize the familiar sound of helicopters in the air. Demonstrators cleared a path for an ambulance.
January 10, 2026 at 8:32 PM
More photos from the biggest anti-ICE rally in Minneapolis since an ICE agent shot and killed observer Renee Macklin Good on Wednesday. No police presence but south Minneapolis residents will recognize the familiar sound of helicopters in the air. Demonstrators cleared a path for an ambulance.
Reposted by Michelle S. Phelps
Minneapolis from 2020 to now has gotten much better organized when it comes to tracking all the suspicious out of state trucks and SUVs full of far right goons flooding city streets. It's just that now they're federal agents.
January 10, 2026 at 7:59 PM
Minneapolis from 2020 to now has gotten much better organized when it comes to tracking all the suspicious out of state trucks and SUVs full of far right goons flooding city streets. It's just that now they're federal agents.
Reposted by Michelle S. Phelps
this is really just the tip of the iceberg.
if you are in minneapolis please continue to spread the word about Defend612.com ans the Monarcha line
if you are in minneapolis please continue to spread the word about Defend612.com ans the Monarcha line
January 10, 2026 at 2:30 PM
this is really just the tip of the iceberg.
if you are in minneapolis please continue to spread the word about Defend612.com ans the Monarcha line
if you are in minneapolis please continue to spread the word about Defend612.com ans the Monarcha line
Minneapolis is gathering again today in Powderhorn Park, the same place city council members declared an intention to end the MPD, to honor the life of Renee Good and to demand ICE get the fuck out. This isn't 2020, but it is an important moment of resistance. 💜
I tried to turn my rage yesterday into something that brings us some light. For @newrepublic.com, I wrote about how 2020 prepared Minneapolis for the current crisis of Trump's DHS. newrepublic.com/article/2050...
Minneapolis Knows How to Resist This Violence
From George Floyd to Renee Good, the city has become all too familiar with fatal violence by law enforcement—and it knows exactly how to respond.
newrepublic.com
January 10, 2026 at 6:15 PM
Minneapolis is gathering again today in Powderhorn Park, the same place city council members declared an intention to end the MPD, to honor the life of Renee Good and to demand ICE get the fuck out. This isn't 2020, but it is an important moment of resistance. 💜
Reposted by Michelle S. Phelps
Looks like ICE is now cracking down on … Native Americans.
This letter was just posted by the chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in North/South Dakota:
“Our Nation is a sovereign government and our members are not immigrants. We are not subject to immigration enforcement on our own lands.”
This letter was just posted by the chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in North/South Dakota:
“Our Nation is a sovereign government and our members are not immigrants. We are not subject to immigration enforcement on our own lands.”
January 10, 2026 at 12:13 AM
Looks like ICE is now cracking down on … Native Americans.
This letter was just posted by the chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in North/South Dakota:
“Our Nation is a sovereign government and our members are not immigrants. We are not subject to immigration enforcement on our own lands.”
This letter was just posted by the chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in North/South Dakota:
“Our Nation is a sovereign government and our members are not immigrants. We are not subject to immigration enforcement on our own lands.”
Reposted by Michelle S. Phelps
"Invasion is not an event, it is a structure. In Minneapolis, the federal monopoly of violence takes literal structural form in Fort Snelling."
Thanks to Prof. David Chang from the U for writing this for us.
Fort Snelling: The Advance Guard of Federal Invasion Since 1805 - Racket
Federal agents are once more using Fort Snelling for its established purpose: to maintain a “monopoly of violence.”
racketmn.com
January 9, 2026 at 9:11 PM
"Invasion is not an event, it is a structure. In Minneapolis, the federal monopoly of violence takes literal structural form in Fort Snelling."
Crowd-sourcing an indictment. 💜 you, MN.
After the FBI withdrew its agreement to conduct the investigation of Renee Nicole Good's killing with the state, Attorney General Keith Ellison & Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty are conducting their own investigation, & are asking the public to send evidence. share.google/zCt3scRaAsIl...
Watch live: Ellison, Moriarty speak on ICE shooting
Here’s the latest Friday around the killing of Renee Macklin Good in Minneapolis Wednesday by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent.
share.google
January 9, 2026 at 9:47 PM
Crowd-sourcing an indictment. 💜 you, MN.
Reposted by Michelle S. Phelps
My friend and colleague @michellesphelps.bsky.social explains how the history of community organization prepares Minneapolis for this moment. @newrepublic.com
Minneapolis Knows How to Resist This State Violence
From George Floyd to Renee Good, the city has become all too familiar with killings by law enforcement—and it knows exactly how to respond.
newrepublic.com
January 9, 2026 at 8:47 PM
My friend and colleague @michellesphelps.bsky.social explains how the history of community organization prepares Minneapolis for this moment. @newrepublic.com
Reposted by Michelle S. Phelps
🚨🚨🚨🚨
Really important, please share with Southside neighbors that might have video or other evidence from 34th & Portland murder.
Since the Feds won’t cooperate, Henn County is collecting evidence from the public. I trust Mary Moriarty office more than any other. This goes directly to them.
⬇️
Really important, please share with Southside neighbors that might have video or other evidence from 34th & Portland murder.
Since the Feds won’t cooperate, Henn County is collecting evidence from the public. I trust Mary Moriarty office more than any other. This goes directly to them.
⬇️
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said the FBI seized and will not share key pieces of evidence, such as Good's vehicle.
Moriarty and Ellison are asking the public to submit evidence through the following secure portal. bit.ly/3Yz2CZv
Moriarty and Ellison are asking the public to submit evidence through the following secure portal. bit.ly/3Yz2CZv
January 9, 2026 at 6:13 PM
🚨🚨🚨🚨
Really important, please share with Southside neighbors that might have video or other evidence from 34th & Portland murder.
Since the Feds won’t cooperate, Henn County is collecting evidence from the public. I trust Mary Moriarty office more than any other. This goes directly to them.
⬇️
Really important, please share with Southside neighbors that might have video or other evidence from 34th & Portland murder.
Since the Feds won’t cooperate, Henn County is collecting evidence from the public. I trust Mary Moriarty office more than any other. This goes directly to them.
⬇️
Reposted by Michelle S. Phelps
Excellent piece by @michellesphelps.bsky.social, a UMN professor who has studied how Minneapolis in particular has responded to police violence, on why Minneapolis’s reaction to George Floyd’s murder has set it up to be distinctly ready to resist ICE now.
Minneapolis Knows How to Resist This State Violence
From George Floyd to Renee Good, the city has become all too familiar with killings by law enforcement—and it knows exactly how to respond.
newrepublic.com
January 9, 2026 at 7:22 PM
Excellent piece by @michellesphelps.bsky.social, a UMN professor who has studied how Minneapolis in particular has responded to police violence, on why Minneapolis’s reaction to George Floyd’s murder has set it up to be distinctly ready to resist ICE now.
Reposted by Michelle S. Phelps
This is brilliant public sociology from @michellesphelps.bsky.social on how the tragedy of Georgy Floyd’s murder led Minneapolis organizers prepared for violence from ICE @newrepublic.com
Minneapolis Knows How to Resist This Violence
From George Floyd to Renee Good, the city has become all too familiar with fatal violence by law enforcement—and it knows exactly how to respond.
newrepublic.com
January 9, 2026 at 7:25 PM
This is brilliant public sociology from @michellesphelps.bsky.social on how the tragedy of Georgy Floyd’s murder led Minneapolis organizers prepared for violence from ICE @newrepublic.com
Reposted by Michelle S. Phelps
Important context to "more/better training" arguments: the murder of Renée Good was a product of that training by someone who has trained others.
(I've seen same in civil rights cases; by moving where he did, he was intentionally generating a pretext to shoot her without genuine risk to himself.)
(I've seen same in civil rights cases; by moving where he did, he was intentionally generating a pretext to shoot her without genuine risk to himself.)
NEW: Jonathan Ross is former National Guard and Border Patrol and has been part of ICE's SWAT equivalent, a team leader overseeing FBI, ATF, and IRS agents, and a firearms instructor, according to testimony obtained by WIRED. This is from @hudsongiles.bsky.social and me:
ICE Agent Who Reportedly Shot Renee Good Was a Firearms Trainer, Per Testimony
Jonathan Ross told a federal court in December about his professional background, including “hundreds” of encounters with drivers during enforcement actions, according to testimony obtained by WIRED.
www.wired.com
January 9, 2026 at 1:00 PM
Important context to "more/better training" arguments: the murder of Renée Good was a product of that training by someone who has trained others.
(I've seen same in civil rights cases; by moving where he did, he was intentionally generating a pretext to shoot her without genuine risk to himself.)
(I've seen same in civil rights cases; by moving where he did, he was intentionally generating a pretext to shoot her without genuine risk to himself.)
Reposted by Michelle S. Phelps
"The truth is clear: There is no reason for ICE to be swarming Minneapolis. There is no crisis on the city streets other than the one created by the Department of Homeland Security. But Noem and Trump wanted this fight. Fortified by the lessons of 2020, Minneapolis stands ready to give it to them."
I tried to turn my rage yesterday into something that brings us some light. For @newrepublic.com, I wrote about how 2020 prepared Minneapolis for the current crisis of Trump's DHS. newrepublic.com/article/2050...
Minneapolis Knows How to Resist This Violence
From George Floyd to Renee Good, the city has become all too familiar with fatal violence by law enforcement—and it knows exactly how to respond.
newrepublic.com
January 9, 2026 at 6:26 PM
"The truth is clear: There is no reason for ICE to be swarming Minneapolis. There is no crisis on the city streets other than the one created by the Department of Homeland Security. But Noem and Trump wanted this fight. Fortified by the lessons of 2020, Minneapolis stands ready to give it to them."
Reposted by Michelle S. Phelps
The wife of Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE agent in south Minneapolis on Wednesday, released a statement that described her kindness and care for others.
Renee Good’s wife: ‘Kindness radiated out of her’
The wife of Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE agent in south Minneapolis on Wednesday, released a statement that described her kindness and care for others.
sahanjournal.com
January 9, 2026 at 6:17 PM
The wife of Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE agent in south Minneapolis on Wednesday, released a statement that described her kindness and care for others.