This episode is going to be a little different.
I've just returned from Minneapolis. I'm recording this in March of 2026 about two months after federal agents murdered Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti.
I was in Minnesota representing Valor Media Network and Veterans Fighting Fascism. Working with the The Save America Movement, we hosted, sponsored, and livestreamed a concert and fundraiser featuring the Dropkick Murphys and a bunch of incredible local bands.
Our goals were simple: honor the lives of Rene Good and Alex Pretti and bring the country's attention back to a city that has endured months of an unprecedented occupation by mass federal agents. We also wanted to help provide the community with resources and relief that they so desperately need.
As of this recording, we've raised more than $51,000 for local activists and organizations in Minneapolis. They'll be using the money to feed and pay rent for families in need, provide legal services to immigrants detained by ICE and to support local businesses who've been seriously harmed by the ice occupation.
This interview and episode was supposed to be my shortest ever. We were pressed for time. I sat down with my friend Matt Gordon, who many of you may know online as @USMCAngryVeteran. Although Matt is from upstate New York, I wanted to interview him in Minnesota because he's been traveling around the country since Donald Trump's second inauguration. He's been visiting hot spots all over the US, documenting what Americans are experiencing at the hands of their own government, inspiring people to take action, and trying to bring some joy and hope to communities that have been enduring months of terror. I wanted to give him an opportunity to share his perspective and experiences in this podcast, to give him some more space than he has with his typical short form social media content.
During the conversation, Matt told me about a local friend of his who came to our event and who had visited the Alex Pretti memorial for the first time because we were there. Matt was telling us about how his friend had a personal connection to Alex Pretti, and what it felt like being with her at that memorial.
Only after we wrapped the interview did I realize who Matt was talking about. It was someone in the room with us at that very moment.
Her name is Riveter.
She had driven Matt to the interview and was planning to drive him to the airport afterwards so that he could go home. When my producer and I realized that she was who Matt was talking about, we asked if she would be willing to share her story.
Graciously, she said yes, so we kept the cameras rolling. Riveter is an Army veteran from Minnesota. She was also once a patient of Alex Pretti, the VA nurse whose death has become a symbol of what this city has endured and what everyday heroes look like. We filmed this interview at the Black Forest Inn, a beautiful German restaurant and beer hall just across the street from that memorial, the place where Pretti was murdered.
What followed was one of the most powerful and emotional interviews that I have ever recorded. So please forgive the slightly chaotic structure of this episode. What you're about to hear is a conversation that grew in real time, starting as a one on one with Matt Gordon and ending with the testimony of a Riveter, a local veteran who has spent the last several months serving her community as a street medic in Minneapolis.
And just a bit of a spoiler alert and a warning. You might want to get the tissues ready.
I cried during this interview, and as I've worked to edit and spot check the recordings, I've cried a few more times since. If you're driving as you're listening to this, just be prepared. You may need to pull over. Before we kick off the interview, I want to thank Gina Christ, the owner of the Black Forest Inn, whose property hosted the fundraiser and concert. She then got up early the next morning to open her restaurant so that we could film this interview there. Without further ado. Here is my conversation with Matt Gordon, also known as @USMCAngryVeteran, and his dear friend who I am so lucky to have met, Riveter.
🎧 Follow Matt Gordon (@USMCAngryVeteran):
🎧 Follow Riveter:
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🔥 Take action: Watch the full Dropkick Murphys concert and fundraiser—and support the people of Minneapolis directly at AbolishICE.live. Every dollar goes to the community. Veterans Fighting Fascism is collecting donations, but not keeping a penny.
Thanks for reading—and listening.
Let’s go on offense.
