Just days after the killing of Alex Pretti at the hands of United States Customs and Border Protection agents in Minneapolis, Bruce Springsteen has responded with a fiery, Phil Ochs-style protest song, “Streets of Minneapolis,” which denounces “Trump’s federal thugs,” “[Stephen] Miller and [Kristi] Noem’s dirty lies,” and calls for ICE to leave the city at once.
“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 of Minneapolis,” Springsteen said in a statement. “It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. Stay free, Bruce Springsteen.”
Prior to Pretti’s death, Springsteen made a surprise appearance at the Light of Day benefit in Red Bank, New Jersey, where he denounced ICE and the senseless killing of Renee Good. “If you believe in the power of law and that no one stands above it,” he said, “if you stand against heavily-armed masked federal troops invading an American city, using gestapo tactics against our fellow citizens, if you believe you don’t deserve to be murdered for exercising your American right to protest, then send a message to this president, as the mayor of the city said: ICE should get the fuck out of Minneapolis.”
“Streets of Minneapolis” comes out of that same sense of sorrow and rage. “Trump’s federal thugs beat up on his face and his chest,” he sings. “Then we heard the gunshots And Alex Pretti lay in the snow, dead/Their claim was self defense, sir/Just don’t believe your eyes/It’s our blood and bones/And these whistles and phones/Against Miller and Noem’s dirty lies/Oh our Minneapolis, I hear your voice.”
He ends by expressing solidarity with the cause. “We’ll take our stand for this land,” he sings. “And the stranger in our midst/We’ll remember the names of those who died/On the streets of Minneapolis/We’ll remember the names of those who died/On the streets of Minneapolis.”
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The title of “Streets of Minneapolis” is an echo of his 1994 Oscar-winning song “Streets of Philadelphia,” from the soundtrack to Philadelphia. He’s written many other topical songs throughout his career, including “American Skin (41 Shots),” “We Take Care of Our Own,” and “Living in the Future,” but he’s never responded to a news event this quickly. (He wrote the topical song “Roulette” six days after the Three Mile Island meltdown, but didn’t release it for years.)
Springsteen’s plans for the year are unclear, but he told Rolling Stone in June 2025 that he has a new solo album he plans on releasing at some point in the near future.
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“Streets of Minneapolis” Lyrics
Through the winter’s ice and cold
Down Nicollet Avenue
A city aflame fought fire and ice
‘Neath an occupier’s boots
King Trump’s private army from the DHS
Guns belted to their coats
Came to Minneapolis to enforce the law
Or so their story goes
Against smoke and rubber bullets
By the dawn’s early light
Citizens stood for justice
Their voices ringing through the night
And there were bloody footprints
Where mercy should have stood
And two dead left to die on snow-filled streets
Alex Pretti and Renee Good
Oh our Minneapolis, I hear your voice
Singing through the bloody mist
We’ll take our stand for this land
And the stranger in our midst
Here in our home they killed and roamed
In the winter of ’26
We’ll remember the names of those who died
On the streets of Minneapolis
Trump’s federal thugs beat up on
His face and his chest
Then we heard the gunshots
And Alex Pretti lay in the snow, dead
Their claim was self defense, sir
Just don’t believe your eyes
It’s our blood and bones
And these whistles and phones
Against Miller and Noem’s dirty lies
Oh our Minneapolis, I hear your voice
Crying through the bloody mist
We’ll remember the names of those who died
On the streets of Minneapolis
Now they say they’re here to uphold the law
But they trample on our rights
If your skin is black or brown my friend
You can be questioned or deported on sight
In chants of ICE out now
Our city’s heart and soul persists
Through broken glass and bloody tears
On the streets of Minneapolis
Oh our Minneapolis, I hear your voice
Singing through the bloody mist
Here in our home they killed and roamed
In the winter of ’26
We’ll take our stand for this land
And the stranger in our midst
We’ll remember the names of those who died
On the streets of Minneapolis
We’ll remember the names of those who died
On the streets of Minneapolis