{"id":31530,"date":"2026-03-01T00:11:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-01T08:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sandiegotroubadour.com\/?p=31530"},"modified":"2026-02-27T13:49:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T21:49:13","slug":"did-you-see-what-i-saw","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sandiegotroubadour.com\/did-you-see-what-i-saw\/","title":{"rendered":"Did You See What I Saw?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Joe Rathburn. Photo by Jeff Wiant.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

I\u2019m a songwriter, not a journalist, but after having watched all the available videos of the Renee Nicole Good shooting on January 7, I was shocked, angered, frustrated, and stunned. I was moved to write the following essay, which I posted on Facebook immediately after seeing the videos, yet I felt the urge to do something more. I couldn’t think of what to do until I saw video of the lies that Kristi Noem, Donald Trump, and JD Vance were telling about Renee Good, then I was moved to write a song called \u201cDid You See What I Saw (The Ballad of Renee Nicole Good).\u201d I included at the end of my essay a plea for funds to help me produce the song and an accompanying video. People immediately came through with almost the exact amount needed and, with the help of producer Jeff Berkley; instrumentalists Josh Weinstein, Josh Taylor, Josh Hermsmeir, Rick Nash; and vocalists Cathryn Beeks, Janet Hammer, Kori Gillis, Sandi King, Peter Bolland, and Josh Taylor, we completed the project. Since the Alex Pretti murder happened while we were in production, I was able to add an epilogue verse about him as well. Now that the DOJ has announced they would not investigate the matter any further, it\u2019s imperative that \u201cWe the People\u201d not let this matter drop and see that Jonathon Ross is tried for his crime. The video can be seen at joerathburn.com\/videos<\/strong><\/a>. Now, here is my original essay.<\/p>\n

[Disclaimer: If you haven\u2019t seen all the videos of the shooting, you might want to watch them before reading this.]<\/p>\n

On the Shooting of Renee Nicole Good.<\/strong><\/p>\n

POINT ONE:<\/strong> All that needs to be said about the Renee Nicole Good shooting is: She should not have been shot. Period, full stop. The rest is academic.<\/p>\n

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Shooting victim Renee Nicole Good<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

POINT TWO:<\/strong> If Ross had the time to hold his cell phone while extracting his pistol from its holster and taking aim, he absolutely had time to move two steps to his right from the place his training and law enforcement protocol told him he shouldn\u2019t be in the first place. An officer of the law cannot place themselves in harm\u2019s way and then claim lethal force as self-defense when there was another solution available to them. He obviously got out of the way of Good\u2019s car, albeit after he shot her through the windshield in time to then fire two more shots through her driver\u2019s-side window. He obviously was NOT run over, nor was he hurt badly as evidenced by him walking the 100 feet to her car and back with no visible sign of injury, nor, I might add, any visible sign of remorse.<\/p>\n

The video from his cell phone clearly shows the doomed woman desperately trying to steer away from him in a vain attempt to escape the situation, NOT to run him down. She could have just stomped on the gas pedal to accomplish that goal, but that is not what she did. She was actually concerned for his safety! The man who would a split second later end her life. The video taken from behind the vehicle clearly shows her wheels cranked right and Ross\u2019 feet in the clear at the driver\u2019s side of the car by the time the first shot was fired. Also, tell me why this woman who, with her wife and dog in the car and having just dropped her six-year-old off at school, would suddenly want to ruin her life by running down a federal officer with her car?<\/p>\n

POINT THREE:<\/strong> It\u2019s been pointed out in many ways by countless people, authorities, and citations from procedural manuals that ICE had no business nor legal authority to order her about, grab her door in an effort to extract her, and, of course, to shoot her. (see above) Their sole authority lies in immigration enforcement, and they have no authority to apprehend, manhandle, or detain U.S. Citizens with very few exceptions. This was not one of those exceptions.<\/p>\n

POINT FOUR:<\/strong> \u201cGet out of the fucking car,\u201d last I checked, would not be considered a lawful order. But they didn\u2019t really have the authority to issue any kind of order to her anyway. And, tell me, after having seen the violence inflicted upon others at the hands of ICE, would YOU have gotten out of your car after receiving such an order, or would you have left the scene? Let\u2019s see, get out of the car and get violently thrown to the pavement face down with a knee in my back and be put in handcuffs, or drive away?<\/p>\n

POINT FIVE:<\/strong> The inhumanity of Jonathan Ross was evident in the exclamation he uttered the second after he shot Renee, and I quote: \u201cFucking bitch!\u201d<\/p>\n

POINT SIX:<\/strong> Ross left the scene of a homicide with the weapon used against the victim. That\u2019s a no-no!<\/p>\n