I wish I had a funny story today. Something light. Something silly to balance out the weight of my last post. I wish I could tell you about a minor parenting fail, a shopping mishap, or one of those moments that makes you laugh at the chaos of everyday life.
But instead, here we are again.
Since my last post, another American has died while trying to help someone else. A VA ICU nurse. A caregiver. A man whose job, day after day, was to ease pain and save lives. His final act was exactly that. Making sure another human being was okay.
I am not going to rehash the details. The videos have been shared endlessly. The footage has looped across news outlets and social media feeds. If you have seen it, you already know how hard it is to watch. If you have not, I am not here to force you to.
This post is not about shock value.
It is about something much simpler, and much harder to ignore.
This Is Not About Politics
This is not about party lines.
It is not about red versus blue.
It is not about demographics, borders, or buzzwords.
This is about human decency, dignity, and respect.
When someone steps in to protect another person who has been pushed to the ground, that should never result in death. When a nurse who spent his career caring for veterans loses his life while trying to help a stranger, something has gone deeply wrong.
The deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good should not be footnotes or passing headlines. They should stop us. They should force us to ask hard questions about power, accountability, and what we are willing to accept in the name of “law enforcement.”
The Fear Is Not Abstract
For many of us, this fear is not theoretical.
It lives in our stomachs when we drive our kids to school.
It shows up when we glance in the rearview mirror.
It follows us into grocery store parking lots and quiet neighborhoods.
Even U.S. citizens are not immune. And that reality has changed how many of us move through the world.
But here is the part I cannot ignore.
Even in the Darkness, People Are Showing Up
Amid all of this grief and anger, there is something else happening.
People from all walks of life are speaking up.
People who disagree on almost everything else are agreeing on this.
People are saying, out loud, that this is not okay.
They are organizing.
They are donating.
They are calling their representatives.
They are standing shoulder to shoulder, not because they share an ideology, but because they share a belief in basic humanity.
That matters.
It matters because silence is how cruelty becomes routine.
It matters because collective outrage is often the first step toward accountability.
It matters because no system should be allowed to operate without oversight.
You Do Not Have to Look Away
If you are tired, I understand.
If you are overwhelmed, you are not alone.
If you feel like one person cannot possibly make a difference, that feeling makes sense.
But history has shown us, over and over again, that change rarely starts with comfort. It starts with people refusing to look away.
And sometimes, it starts with simply saying: This is not who we want to be.
📢 Call to Action: If You Are Wondering What You Can Do
Here are a few concrete ways to take action and support accountability:
Call your U.S. Senators at (202) 224-3121
Ask them to oppose Department of Homeland Security funding until there is real oversight of ICE and Border Patrol and an independent investigation into the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.
Call your U.S. Representative
Demand meaningful oversight of these agencies and accountability when American citizens are killed by DHS agents.
Support Alex Pretti’s family
A GoFundMe has been created to help his loved ones during this unimaginable loss.
Get involved locally
You can find a nearby Indivisible group at indivisible.org/groups to connect with others standing up for democracy and the rule of law.
Support civil rights organizations
Groups like the ACLU continue to challenge abuses of power in court and rely on public support to do so.
A Quiet Kind of Hope
I do not have a neat bow to tie around this. There is no joke that makes this easier to swallow.
But I do have hope.
Hope in the people who step in when someone is hurt.
Hope in the voices refusing to stay silent.
Hope in the belief that dignity should never be optional.
If nothing else, let this moment remind us of who we are capable of being. Not just in outrage, but in care. Not just in grief, but in action.
Take care of each other.
Stay aware.
And please, do not let compassion be the thing we surrender. ❤️
Hi I’m Flo 👋🏻 A writer, content creator, and mom documenting life, creativity, and human decency in uncertain times.