Coralville and Twin Cities metro are similar

On Wednesday, Jan. 7, Renee Nicole Good was unnecessarily shot and killed by an agent of ICE. The masked ICE agents have been militarized and are poorly trained, with no concern for constitutional rights and freedoms. Their directive is to intimidate and terrorize the residents of Minneapolis/StPaul (MSP) metro area including citizens, documented and undocumented immigrants, that vast majority of whom are law abiding residents.

Minneapolis has a diverse population including nearly 40% minority (18% Black) which includes a significant Somali population. Fourteen percent of Minneapolis residents are foreign born. The vast majority of the residents are either citizens or lawful immigrants. This diverse population has helped the MSP Metro area thrive.

As an elected representative of Coralville, I can’t help but note the similarities between our metro areas. Coralville has a 34% minority population (14.5% Black) with nearly 16% of the population is foreign born. Like MSP, our diverse community has helped us thrive with a growing welcoming community with opportunities for all. Like MSP, Chicago and Portland, Coralville and Johnson County could be perceived by the administration as political enemies since Kamala Harris won the county by 38%.

Given these similarities, I advocate that we support the residents of MSP and support our minority and immigrant population within our community. The unlawful/unconstitutional attacks on them should be viewed as an attack on all of us

Mike Knudson

Coralville City Council