01/12/2026
Unitarian Universalist ministers and laypeople acted quickly, some rushing to the scene in Minneapolis just minutes after Renee Nicole Good was killed.
Rev. Ashley Horan, the UUA’s Vice President for Programs and Ministries, who resides near the site of the shooting in south Minneapolis, began livestreaming from the scene. Her footage captures ICE agents firing chemical irritants at protestors, according to a report from the Religion News Service.
Horan describes ICE’s actions as drawn from the “fascist playbook” in a video she posted on Facebook later that day, saying that federal agents are attempting to “fracture and terrorize our communities,” which goes against UU values.
Amid a “terrible and terrifying time,” Horan said, she has seen “the very best of people, the very best of faith, of the very best of humanity just showing up for each other.
“What I want to say to our folks is that if you feel helpless, don’t. There is a role for you and the time is now to get involved.”
“I have watched neighbors continue to help and protect each other,” said Horan. “I have watched parents take action to make sure our kids are safe as they were going to school, and mutual aid everywhere.
“Everybody should take their shift for this revolution,” said Horan, emphasizing that all people have ways they can contribute to their community. “What I want to say to our folks is that if you feel helpless, don’t. There is a role for you and the time is now to get involved.”
Horan said she was heartened to see UUs living their values in a time of crisis.
“At the center of our faith are the twin values of understanding that all life is sacred, all life has inherent worthiness and dignity, and that we are deeply interdependent and interconnected,” she said. “And those two things mean that when any force is coming after our neighbors, we are morally compelled to show up, and that’s what I’m witnessing in my community.”
In the wake of the tragedy, UUs in the Twin Cities are caring for each other and their communities.
