The Coefficient of Honkification

by Craig Wiesner - San Mateo Daily Journal - Jan 26, 2026

A few days after the horrific killing of Rene Nicole Good in Minneapolis Minnesota by an ICE agent, I stepped off the bus at Jefferson and El Camino in Redwood City to the cacophony of honking car horns. Dozens of drivers traversing El Camino in both directions were loudly honking their horns in support of the hundreds of people who had gathered to… well, that was the question I decided to ask wearing my Daily Journal columnist hat. Why were people there? What were they hoping to accomplish? 

One woman told me this was the first time she had ever participated in any kind of protest. Why today, I asked. “He killed her, shot her three times, just after she smiled at him. She tried to pull away and he just shot her!” There was anguish in her voice and pain in her eyes. Another woman said “Maybe more people will start paying attention because they shot a white woman this time.” By now most people reading this have seen the videos of the shooting and drawn their own conclusions about whether the shooting was murder, self-defense, or just a series of unfortunate events. Her last words to the CBP agent before he shot her were “I’m not mad at you.” His parting words after killing her were “F’ing b*tch.” Despite the White House and the DHS Secretary claiming the agent was “run over,” NY Times frame by frame analysis of multiple videos disproves that and he is seen briskly walking away.

Back to Redwood City. A young man carrying an upside down American flag told me he was there because he was seeing “democracy dismantled” and a “country in distress.” I mention that he was young because one of the frequent laments I’ve heard from other people at gatherings like this has been that not enough young people are participating. “For the next one of these the price of admission for each person our age is you’re going to have to bring someone under the age of 50!” one silver haired woman said. Just then a young family with three little kids passed by, carrying their own hand-made signs. By the way, speaking of signs, the president has claimed that the signs at protests like this are professionally printed and paid for by George Soros. Take a look at photos from this gathering (bit.ly/rwcjan10) and you’ll see that’s an easily debunked lie. Oh, and (sarcasm here), there was no pay station where protesters could get paid for their time. Dang. 

One person told me she was there to “build momentum towards the mid-terms, to flip the House and Senate. Congress can rein in the administration from all of the harm they’re doing.” I asked if they could actually do any of that without a veto-proof majority. She said that it was her hope that “Enough Republicans will join with Democrats to do the right thing. I hope that protests like this across the country will get politicians everywhere to realize their constituents disagree with what’s happening, with what the president is doing, and stand up against it all.” 

James Talarico, a Texas state representative running for the Senate told a gathering of people about to go canvassing on January 10th that “A little hope is a dangerous thing.” He admitted that sometimes he loses hope but that seeing millions of people across the country, and there in Texas, giving up their Saturdays to get out, and be with him to knock on doors, gave him hope. Person after person that I spoke with at the Redwood City gathering shared similar sentiments, that being out there with hundreds of other like-minded people gave them hope. 

I spotted one man that I’ve seen at other protests over the last year and asked him how he felt about what he was seeing. He said “I feel really good!” I asked why. “It’s the coefficient of honkification! Stop, listen.” So we did. The honking was nearly nonstop. Car after car, truck after truck, little toot, big horn, beep beep, El Camino Real was wall to wall sound with hands waving through the windows, and lots of thumbs up. “There’s always honking by cars passing by but I’ve never heard anything like this, so much support and encouragement.” Indeed.

After Good’s death, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller told ICE/CBP personnel that they have “federal immunity,” implying that local authorities can’t prosecute them, individuals can’t sue, and he further said that “no leftist agitator or domestic insurrectionist” can stop them. One line from Rene Good’s widow’s statement may sum up where we are at right now as a nation. “We had whistles, they had guns.” I think we’re gonna need a whole lot more whistles. Onward. 

Craig Wiesner is the co-owner of Reach And Teach, a book, toy and cultural gift shop on San Carlos Avenue in San Carlos. Follow Craig: craigwiesner.bsky.social.

NOTE: As readers are probably well aware, after this column was in print VA nurse Alex Pretti was shot and killed by ICE/CBP agents.