Meet the caretakers archiving Renee Macklin Good's memorial
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Nearly three months after Renee Macklin Good was fatally shot by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis, a dedicated group of volunteers still watches over the site daily. They’re thinking now about the future of the memorial there as they archive what mourners have left behind.
“It's really important for me … to make sure that we preserve these items for future generations,” said Ryan Vizzions, a volunteer who’s been living for months in his van with his dog, Freedom.
Vizzions is collecting and documenting signs, stuffed animals, hats and candles from the memorial in a garage a few minutes' drive away — a space provided by someone he met through social media.
It's a cozy space. There are large boxes of signs, each neatly labeled by size. Some of them had been outside for months and needed to be dried out before Vizzions could photograph them.
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He has a box of small items he hasn’t gotten to yet: handmade bracelets, small trinkets. Archiving requires attention to detail.
It isn't clear what will happen to the materials once they're photographed and archived.
Vizzions said he's been in contact with museums and historical societies but wants to make sure the memorial stays in the control of the community and that he honors the wishes of Macklin Good's family.
“I appreciate these private institutions. But the thing about it is once you give something to them, it’s in their control,” said Vizzions, an Atlanta native with a bit of a southern accent.
“I don't want to see these things end up in a closet somewhere for 30 years and never be seen.”
‘What it really means to swear that oath to the Constitution’
Vizzions was traveling the country as a photographer when he decided to drive to Minneapolis to document the aftermath of Macklin Good’s killing. Once here, he said he found himself becoming part of the movement to honor her memory.
If you visit Macklin Good’s memorial, you might meet him covering signs to protect them from the snow.
You may also see fellow caretaker James Forbes standing watch by a fire pit.
Forbes has been part of this story since the beginning. He lives close to the spot on Portland Avenue where Macklin Good was killed and has witnessed the aftermath.
He sees himself now as a kind of steady presence and security at Macklin Good’s memorial. He’s there each morning. For a while, he stood watch until midnight.
“I'm also a veteran, so this is kind of it turned out to me actively protesting,” he said. “Kind of showing ICE and our administration this is what it really means to swear that oath to the Constitution.”
That dedication has been harder for him since February after someone doused his fence with gasoline and set it on fire.
Vizzions spotted the fire from his van and the two were able to extinguish it before it caused major damage.
For the pair, the fire reiterated the need to protect and preserve the memorial. Visitors continue to show up daily with letters, flowers, candles and signs.
Caretakers have created a path at the vigil site with mulch and stone pavers. They hope to plant flowers now that it's warm outside.
Vizzions said it’s a balance between trying to honor Macklin Good while also honoring the community that lives immediately around the memorial.
