Bruce Springsteen on Wednesday released a protest song honouring Alex Pretti and Renee Good, two Minneapolis residents killed in what he called the “state of terror” visited on the city by President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration raids. Springsteen said he wrote “Streets of Minneapolis” on Saturday, the day Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, was shot dead by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents.
In “Streets of Minneapolis” the 76-year-old star sings of the immigration crackdown in the Minnesota city where residents like Pretti and Good have followed federal agents to record their operations and confront officers. The song lauds Minnesotans for resisting “smoke and rubber bullets” and using “whistles and phones” against “Miller and Noem’s dirty lies.” Stephen Miller is President Donald Trump’s Homeland Security Advisor and Kristi Noem is U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security.
Following Pretti’s shooting, Noem said Pretti had brandished a gun and Miller called him an “assassin” who tried to murder federal agents. Springsteen has been a critic of Trump in both his terms. Known by his fans as “The Boss,” the rocker has also written songs that critique mistreatment of veterans and the working class.
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His 2001 “American Skin (41 Shots)” attacks police brutality and racism, and was inspired by the killing of immigrant Amadou Diallo by New York police. His latest song ends with the refrain “we’ll remember the names of those who died on the streets of Minneapolis,” and the sounds of protesters chanting. Thank you Bruce Springsteen for “Streets of Minneapolis,” a powerful tribute to Renee Good and Alex Pretti and to the strength of the people of Minnesota.pic.twitter.com/M4Dfr2JtB2
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