Hi friend,

Our collective nervous systems took another blow on January 7, when 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good—a mother, poet, and beloved neighbor in Minneapolis—was shot and killed by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent during a federal enforcement action. Her death has sparked grief, outrage, protests, vigils across the country, and a national conversation about force, fear, and who gets to live safely in this country.

Whether you watched the footage, scrolled past it, or felt unable to look — our bodies feel what’s happening even when our minds can’t fully register it.

For many of us right now:

• We can't think about what’s happening,
• Our minds refuse to process it,
• Or we shut down completely just to keep going.

But numbing that shutdown state isn’t neutrality. Denial isn’t peace. And silence isn’t safety.

Our nervous systems are reacting to threat and harm, not because we’re weak, but because we are human. The body remembers danger before the brain has words for it.

So how do we stay present without being destroyed by what we see and hear?

Move the feeling instead of suppressing it. This gives your body a way through instead of away:

• Cry.
• Yell into a pillow.
• Move your body.
• Write or make art.
• Talk to someone who’s also hurting.

These actions build capacity so you can act from your body, not your panic.

Feel it. Let it move. Let it flow.

And When You Have Just A Little More Space, you can do things that matter:

• Learn more about what happened and why people are demanding accountability.
• Donate to support Renee’s loved ones coping with an unimaginable loss.
• Talk with others who are hurting.
• Stand in solidarity with those whose lives are on the frontlines of fear and repression.

Small, grounded actions still count. If you're feeling shut down or overwhelmed right now, it's important to know that you're not broken. Your body is responding to harm and repression, and your response matters. Please take the time you need to feel, move, release, and metabolize what you're carrying.

Presence is not passive. Presence is a form of resistance.
​
With care,

Jose 💛

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