Minneapolis, MN | January 8, 2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NYLC Statement: Empathy, Integrity, and Protection of Our Communities

Minneapolis, MN — January 8, 2026 — The National Youth Leadership Council grieves the killing of Renee Nicole Good and condemns the actions taken by federal immigration agents at Roosevelt High School and throughout Minneapolis. These events strike at the heart of what we believe leadership must be: rooted in empathy, guided by integrity, and committed to the civic responsibility of protecting the dignity and safety of all people.

Leadership is not the unchecked use of power. It requires accountability and empathy. True leaders see the humanity in every person and understand that the loss of a mother, a poet, or a neighbor is not distant or abstract. It is a loss that touches us all. Leadership also demands integrity. It means having the courage to stand for what is right, even when institutions claim authority without responsibility or restraint. And leadership calls for civic responsibility. We are bound to one another. The safety of our schools and communities is not optional, and young people deserve to learn and grow in environments free from fear.

Yesterday, when federal agents entered school grounds during dismissal, deployed chemical weapons against students and staff, and created conditions so unsafe that an entire school district closed, we are witnessing the complete failure of these principles. A U.S. citizen was killed in broad daylight on a residential street, and when the circumstances of that killing are disputed by local officials and witnesses who were present, we must ask: Where is the accountability to the communities being served?

NYLC has always believed that social action is not optional; it is essential to a functioning civil society. Democracy depends on people who will stand up, speak out, and work toward justice when systems fail. The young people at Roosevelt High School, the community members who gathered in vigil, and the city leaders who demanded transparency are demonstrating exactly the kind of engaged citizenship that our democracy requires.

We teach young people that their voices matter, that they have the power to shape their communities, and that standing up for justice is both their right and their responsibility. We will not waver in that teaching now.

To young people across Minneapolis and beyond: You are seeing clearly. What you witnessed at your schools and in your streets is wrong. Your fear is valid. Your anger is justified. Your call for justice is righteous. Continue to support one another, to speak truth, and to demand the kind of community you deserve.

To educators and youth workers: Schools must remain safe havens for learning. When young people are afraid to attend school out of fear of federal enforcement actions, when staff are handcuffed on school grounds, when students are pepper-sprayed during dismissal, the fundamental promise of public education has been broken. Stand with our students. Protect our schools.

To policymakers and community leaders: Leadership built on fear and force is not leadership at all. We urge you to commit to transparent, independent investigations into these events, and to ensure that schools remain spaces where every young person, regardless of their immigration status or that of their families, can learn in safety and dignity.

NYLC stands with the Minneapolis community. We stand with the family of Renee Nicole Good. We stand with the students, staff, and families of Minneapolis Public Schools. And we stand firm in our belief that true leadership—grounded in empathy, integrity, and civic responsibility—is the only path forward.