Women's Studies Professor Defends Activist Killed by ICE Agent

Judy Rohrer claims Renee Good 'refused to be intimidated' and acted against 'white silence' and 'militarized toxic masculinity'.

Jan. 31, 2026 at 6:31am

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Judy Rohrer, a women's and gender studies professor at Eastern Washington University, has defended the actions of Renee Good, an activist who was killed by an ICE agent after striking him with her car. Rohrer argues that Good 'refused to be intimidated or provoked by militarized toxic masculinity' and that her actions against ICE represented a refusal to conform to societal norms and 'white silence' which Rohrer claims is a form of violence.

Why it matters

This case highlights the ongoing tensions between activists and law enforcement, particularly around issues of immigration and racial justice. Rohrer's comments reflect a broader debate about the role of civil disobedience and the limits of acceptable protest, as well as the perceived complicity of 'moderate' white people in perpetuating systemic racism.

The details

According to the article, Renee Good was killed by an ICE agent after she struck him with her car while attempting to interrupt ICE operations in Minneapolis. Rohrer, the program director of Eastern Washington University's Gender, Women's & Sexuality Studies Department, argues that Good's actions represented a refusal to conform to societal norms and 'white silence,' which Rohrer claims is a form of violence. Rohrer also describes Good as a 'queer race traitor' for 'loving a woman,' 'having a queer family,' and stopping her vehicle to help 'interrupt racist, xenophobic state violence'.

  • Renee Good was killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis in 2026.

The players

Judy Rohrer

The program director of Eastern Washington University's Gender, Women's & Sexuality Studies Department, who wrote a response to Renee Good's death.

Renee Good

An activist who was killed by an ICE agent after striking him with her car while attempting to interrupt ICE operations in Minneapolis.

Luke Baumgarten

A Spokane, Washington-based community organizer and the editor of Range Media, who wrote a message preceding Rohrer's article.

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What they’re saying

“She did that to help interrupt racist, xenophobic state violence. She stopped to help her immigrant Black and brown neighbors. She could have kept driving. All the rules, all the norms, would have had her keep driving. Rule-abiding, complicit white people, civil (law & order) white people, 'good' white people... keep driving.”

— Judy Rohrer, Program Director, Gender, Women's & Sexuality Studies Department, Eastern Washington University

“middle-class white people' need to take a stand against the 'murderous barbarism' that's occurring, and indeed 'should stand in front, as human shields.”

— Luke Baumgarten, Community Organizer, Spokane, Washington

The takeaway

This case highlights the ongoing tensions between activists and law enforcement, particularly around issues of immigration and racial justice, and the broader debate about the role of civil disobedience and the limits of acceptable protest.