ICE Watch group tied to Renee Nicole Good shared ‘de-arrest’ manual urging ‘micro-intifada’ tactics
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: The Minnesota ICE Watch group, of which Minneapolis shooting victim Renee Nicole Good was a reported member, has come under scrutiny after resurfaced social media posts showed it shared a detailed manual outlining how to physically interfere with law enforcement officers during arrests.
The guide, described as a “de-arrest primer,” compares efforts to free detainees from police custody to a “micro-intifada,” drawing sharp criticism amid ongoing protests following Good’s death.
Neighbors say Renee Nicole Good received 'thorough training' from ICE Watch group
The manual, published in spring 2024 and reposted on Instagram by MN ICE Watch in June, provides step-by-step instructions on disrupting law enforcement officers, including ICE agents, while they are making arrests.
The group is part of a loose collective of activists who train members to interfere with police operations, according to the material shared online. Neighbors told The New York Post that Good regularly attended meetings with the local chapter and had received “thorough training” from the group.
The guide details four tactics aimed at removing individuals from police custody. It includes instructions on gripping techniques to yank detainees away from officers and advice on physically engaging police. “Technically speaking for pushing off form you should have a low center of gravity and a wide base and push up explosive power with your head up at all times if possible,” the manual states.
Another section advises on breaking an officer’s grip. “For breaking a grip, try striking the grip,” it reads, while acknowledging that physical contact with law enforcement “can get construed as assault in court.”
Manual acknowledges legal risk but justifies action
Despite warning of possible legal consequences, the manual argues that such risks may be justified. It claims that “an arrest or even a general pacified attitude can lead to greater harm than not taking the risk and acting decisively when you see the repression take place.”
One tactic encourages activists to open unlocked law enforcement vehicles to free suspects, a move the guide concedes “could be considered a crime.”
The final tactic urges protesters to surround officers, block their movement or vehicles, and chant “Let them go!” until officers release detainees. The manual claims this method has roots in “the Palestine solidarity campus occupations.”
An illustration in the guide depicts protesters attempting to pull a detainee from an officer’s arms, accompanied by the caption: “Each de-arrest is a ‘shaking off’ which is to say each one is a micro-intifada which can spread and inspire others until we may finally shake off this noxious ruling order all together.”
The term “intifada” historically refers to periods of violent uprisings marked by attacks on Israeli civilians. The Anti-Defamation League has said the slogan “globalize the intifada” is “generally understood as a call for indiscriminate violence against Israel, and potentially against Jews and Jewish institutions worldwide.”
Arrest concerns framed around ‘targeted populations’
The manual argues that arrest carries disproportionate consequences for certain groups. “Being arrested can have drastic negative life altering affects , especially for targeted populations like people who aren’t white, Muslims, LGBTQ people, and certain radicals,” the introduction reads. “It follows then that reversing an arrest can be well worth the risks involved.”
The resurfacing of the manual comes as Minneapolis continues to see protests following the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Good by an ICE agent. Authorities say dozens of protesters have been arrested in the city since the incident.
