Like many Americans, Bruce Springsteen has been watching recent events and the deaths in Minnesota while people in Minneapolis continue to protest President Trump’s influx of ICE officers. In response, Springsteen very quickly wrote and recorded a song about the protests and the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
Along with the song, Springsteen released the following statement:
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
Of course, it is difficult to write a protest song so quickly and folks may debate whether they like the song as a song. And it is sure to draw the ire of Trump supporters. But either way one must hand it to an artist who recognizes their position and ability to put themselves out there for the less fortunate in spite of knowing many listeners will criticize him for taking a stand.
Oh our Minneapolis, I hear your voice,
Singing through the bloody mist;
We’ll take our stand for this land,
And the stranger in our midst;
Here in our home they killed and roamed,
In the winter of ’26;
We’ll remember the names of those who died,
On the streets of Minneapolis.
Update: Below is the official video for “Streets of Minneapolis,” directed by Thom Zimny.
Springsteen is not the only songwriter paying attention to the events in Minneapolis. Billy Bragg also wrote a protest song called, “City of Heroes.“
Springsteen has often spoken out regarding Donald Trump. And “Streets of Minneapolis” is not Springsteen’s first statement on the ICE protests in Minnesota. Earlier in January at a concert, Springsteen dedicated a performance of “The Promised Land” to Renee Good, calling on ICE to leave Minneapolis: “If you believe you don’t deserve to be murdered for exercising your American right to protest; then send a message to this president.”
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