(AFP) – American rock hero Bruce Springsteen dived into the outrage over the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown with a fiery song released Wednesday that pays tribute to two protesters fatally shot by federal agents in Minneapolis.
Springsteen said the song “Streets of Minneapolis” was a response to “state terror” in the northern US city, rocked by the actions of armed federal officers that have stoked vociferous local protests. “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” in the state of Minnesota, The Boss wrote on his Instagram page. “It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good,” the 76-year-old wrote, referring to the two US nationals killed this month. Pretti died after a scuffle with agents on a snowy Minneapolis street on Saturday. “Stay free,” Springsteen added.
The “Born to Run” and “Badlands” singer has often been willing to criticize President Donald Trump with very blunt language in interviews and at performances, and the anthemic song he released online Wednesday pulls no punches. It refers to the several thousand immigration agents who descended on Minneapolis as “King Trump’s private army” wearing “occupiers’ boots” and with “guns belted to their coats” as they undertake Trump’s push to deport undocumented immigrants. “There were bloody footprints where mercy should have stood, and two dead left to die on snow-filled streets: Alex Pretti and Renee Good,” he sings in the opening verse. The chorus: “Oh Minneapolis I hear your voice, crying through the bloody mist. We’ll remember the names of those who died on the streets of Minneapolis.”
The song’s title echoes the 1994 classic “Streets of Philadelphia,” Springsteen’s haunting ballad about people living with AIDS. For decades, Springsteen has been revered by rock fans in the United States and beyond for his man-of-the-people guitar music and socially conscious, working-class anthems like “Born in the USA,” “The River,” and “Rosalita.”
During the 2024 election campaign that led to Trump’s second presidency, Springsteen threw his support behind Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, and said Trump was running to be an “American tyrant.” At that time he said of Trump, “He does not understand this country, its history or what it means to be deeply American.” Trump has in recent days sought to tamp down the furor over the violence in Minneapolis and has shuffled the leadership of immigration agents deployed there, putting a less confrontational figure in charge. But on Wednesday he warned the mayor of Minneapolis that he is “playing with fire” with his refusal to cooperate with federal authorities.
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