People gather around a makeshift memorial honoring Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer, near the site of the shooting in Minneapolis, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Far from reconciliation
In his Tucson Opinion, Abraham Byrd III tries to make a case for reconciliation, but before reconciliation can happen, the wrong must be acknowledged. He also believes the agent who killed Renee Good “has to have been horrified at watching a person die as the result of the bullets he fired.” After he shot her, you can hear Ross mutter, “f***ing b***h” as her SUV careens into a parked car. He then casually walks away from the crash scene, telling others to call 911.
Ask yourself if Trump has acknowledged the tragedy, or has he and his administration used their platform to smear Renee Good and foment more "us vs. them" mentality. As some of us grieve Renee Good’s loss people living in our country must proceed with eyes wide open. Becca Good said, “We had whistles. They had guns.” After Renee's murder, the head of DHS Kristi Noem appeared at a podium that read One of Ours, All of Yours, an old Nazi slogan.
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Karen Allison
Three Points
Comfort of morality
A strong leader surrounds himself with wise independent thinkers, respects their opinions and considers wisdom that may be preferable to his need for authority. Does anyone believe these fall under Trump's personal "comfort of mind and morality"?
Craig Wunderlich
West side
Greenland
Trump lies again about Greenland being surrounded by Chinese and Russian ships. We don’t need Greenland for our security. We may need Greenland’s minerals in the future, if we can retrieve them from under 4,000 feet and more of ice. There are two ways to have those minerals available. One is to take Greenland by force. That would incur Article 5 of the NATO charter by Denmark and essentially the breakup of NATO, exactly what Putin would love. If Russia decided to try to take Greenland, we alone would be Greenland’s protector. We could negotiate with Denmark and Greenland to be sure the minerals are available, and if anyone tried to invade Greenland, we and all the NATO allies would be standing to ensure the security of the island. Seems obvious which is the better scenario.
Don Ries
Southeast side
AZ wild spaces are at risk
The attacks on our public lands last year were unlike anything we had seen before. As a U of A graduate in Natural Resources, I know these lands well and how vital they are. Such treasures can be found in Arizona’s national forests.
Our forests provide an escape for people who live near and far, offering a place to explore and enjoy recreational activities. These open spaces are home to wildlife, harbor history, and provide clean air and water. Our forests are irreplaceable. But the attacks keep coming.
The USDA issued a proposal to rescind the Roadless Area Conservation Rule. Enacting such a proposal would subject our 1.1 million acres of wild spaces to clear-cutting, mining, and logging. It is our responsibility as Arizonans to speak out for our public lands. I urge Gov. Hobbs to speak out in support of Arizona's wild forests.
Zyanya Figueroa
Southwest side
Heading for the exits
Trump imposed massive tariff increases on scores of nations on “Liberation Day” last April and ballyhooed when many of these countries came to his door and negotiated bilateral agreements favorable to the U.S.
What he didn’t trumpet quite so loudly was the fact that in the aftermath many of these same countries have expanded, opened or accelerated multilateral trade practices or agreements between each other — exclusive of the U.S. Examples include the EU-Mercosur deal, expanding the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, new EU deals with India, Indonesia, and Mercosur (South America) and expanding the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership in SE Asia.
Just as Trump tore apart the East Wing of the White House for self-glorification, he claimed the new tariff regime would house a dominant U.S. bilateral trade structure. But while Trump crowed over the temporary concessions of former partners, it appears they were merely buying time while heading for the exits.
Charles Barrett
Midtown
Hold on to your money
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, a Republican, is being leaned on by Trump for not going along with his interest-manipulation games. Add to this, Trump’s tariff taxes, grocery prices, health care increases and the new job stat problems. We should start asking the Republican politicians why they are supporting Trump with such blind faith. They are following a person with six bankruptcies and 34 felonies who is spending billions of taxpayers' money.
Dan Bannon
Midtown
The ubiquitous Donald J. Trump
We moved to Tucson 27 years ago, relocating from New York. With all the cultural wonders we left behind, we knew the one thing we would not miss was the clownish, cartoonish Donald J. Trump, who filled the local airwaves, tabloids, phone lines and gossip columns every day. Constant grandstanding for attention, despite the infamy of his amoral/illegal behaviors. Little did I know that by 2026, DJT would be a ubiquitous, omnipresent, disturbing presence everywhere on the planet. No place is far enough away from him.
Nancy Williams
Northwest side
Fraud comes in many forms ...
While Republican Rick Scott was CEO, Columbia/HCA healthcare system engaged in massive, systematic Medicare/Medicaid fraud to the tune of $1.7 billion in fines and penalties (a record amount at the time). Scott, in typical Trumpian style, denied any knowledge of these crimes, though he pleaded the 5th Amendment 75 times during a subsequent civil lawsuit. Tim Walz undoubtedly must accept significant responsibility for the situation in Minnesota. Still, two points stand out: 1) As with the Renee Good senseless killing, very little trust can be placed in the legitimacy of any investigation conducted by Bondi's DOJ, which includes the incompetent Kash Patel; and 2) Unlike Scott, Walz will actually take responsibility for his part. Finally, so amusing to hear MAGA types wail about "fraud," when "fraud" is the very definition of the current criminal running our country (into the ground). Perpetual avoidance of that sad reality is just the usual attempt at distraction.
Hope Gastelum
East side
We need to say goodbye to Juan
Most of us feel helpless and overwhelmed with Trump's military adventures in Venezuela and Minnesota and South Tucson. We feel helpless, but there is one thing we can do. We can elect somebody to Congress who represents Arizona rather than President Trump.
Unlike the gentleman from Oro Valley, I am limited to one letter a month, so I will use my one letter to point out that this (all of our bad news) is happening because of people like Ciscomani, and if you want to do something to change things, we need to vote him out of office.
I will dedicate all my letters to him from now on.
Steve Devitt
East side
Response to 'No Democrats talking about'
The “Biden … Open Border Directive” is a fictional phrase. Search "open border directive."
The right-leaning Cato Institute states the immigration problem began with Trump during his first term. Illegal immigration was at a 21-year high before Biden’s term. “Biden tripled interior detention…border detention 12-fold.” “Biden negotiated broader expulsion deals with foreign countries than Trump.” “Biden got ... foreign countries to carry out crackdowns on ... migration.” “Biden removed ... expelled 3.3 million border crossers — three times ... Trump.”
The high-quality problem Biden created was the USA labor market had recovered quicker than the rest of the world after COVID. Consequently, people seeking employment went where the jobs are, yielding increased immigration. Trump pooh-poohed a bipartisan immigration bill solely for a campaign issue. America First?
Congress contributed to inflation with stimulus packages during both administrations. Both Presidents weren't willing to veto inflationary giveaways.
James Abels
Midtown
Auditors, not ICE agents
The state of Minnesota is under siege. There are approximately 2,200 ICE agents in the state right now, with more coming. Let's ignore the politics and look at economics. On the low end, assume with salary, benefits, and pension the ICE guys are making $100/hr x 8 hours x 2,200 agents = $1.76 million a day. Almost all of them need hotel rooms and a meal stipend. There’s vehicle costs and gasoline plus airfare to get most of them to MSP. How is $2 million a day spent on ICE agents in Minnesota a good use of taxpayer money? Are there really that many illegal immigrants who are the worst of the worst in Minnesota that the agents need to be there for not just a few days but weeks or months? I thought the issue was fraud committed by a few Somali citizens. So why has Trump sent ICE agents instead of auditors?
Ronald F Eustice
Northwest side
