Like many of us, Bruce Springsteen has been watching in horror as Donald Trump's militarized police forces in ICE and CBP terrorize Minneapolis, killing with impunity and disregarding the bill of rights under the guise of enforcing immigration law. After a swarm of agents executed nurse Alex Pretti in the street Saturday, Springsteen wrote a protest song. It names Pretti and previous ICE murder victim Renee Good by name, as well as Trump, Stephen Miller, and Kristi Noem. It's called "Streets Of Minneapolis," and Springsteen shares this note with it:
I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.
Stay free, Bruce Springsteen
Listen below.
The White House responded in this statement spokeswoman Abigail Jackson shared with The Hollywood Reporter:
The Trump administration is focused on encouraging state and local Democrats to work with federal law enforcement officers on removing dangerous criminal illegal aliens from their communities — not random songs with irrelevant opinions and inaccurate information. The media should cover how Democrats have refused to work with the administration, and instead, opted to provide sanctuary for these criminal illegals.
Billy Bragg also wrote, recorded, and released a new anti-ICE protest song this week. It's an acoustic number called "City Of Heroes." Bragg writes:
The murder of Alex Pretti was horrifically shocking, all the more so as we are still reeling from the images of the murder of Renee Good. That these crimes can be committed in broad daylight, on camera and yet no one is held accountable only adds to the injustice.
I wrote this song yesterday as a tribute to the bravery of the people of Minneapolis who, knowing that these trigger happy ICE thugs operate with seeming impunity in their midst, are still willing to put themselves in harms way to defend their community. Their resistance is an inspiration to us all.
And NOFX have shared "Minnesota Nazis." Fat Mike writes:
I wrote a song called “Huntington Beach Nazis” in 2022 when I spent 6 sober weeks there. There’s actually an intersection of Rhein and Heil streets. Kinda weird.... anyway, after all the recent heartbreaks in Minnesota, I decided to change some lyrics in the song and release it digitally. I even changed the title of the song to “Minnesota Nazis”. I reckon it’s appropriate. This song isn’t gonna stop the absolute madness.... but you do what you can to make this world a better place. Let’s look out for each other the best we can. Love > Hate..... even though it doesn’t seem like it right now....
Lastly Springsteen's comrade Tom Morello has announced a matinee benefit show for Good and Pretti's families. Morello and Rise Against will headline the legendary Minneapolis venue First Avenue this Friday, Jan. 30 at noon. Activists are also calling for a nationwide general strike (no school, no work, and no shopping) on that day. Morello's show will feature Al Di Meola, Ike Reilly, and a "very special guest." The guitarist shared this statement:
If it looks like fascism, sounds like fascism, acts like fascism, dresses like fascism, talks like fascism, kills like fascism and lies like fascism, boys & girls it’s f*cking fascism. It’s here, it’s now, it’s in my city, it’s in your city and it must be resisted, protested, defended against, stood up to, exposed, ousted, overthrown and driven out. By you and by me. We are coming to Minneapolis where the people have heroically stood up against ICE, stood up against Trump, stood up against this terrible rising tide of state terror. Where the people have stood up for their neighbors and themselves, for democracy and justice. Ain’t nobody coming to save us except us and it’s now or never.
Tickets are on sale here.
