Was a reference to Renee Good spelled out on cargo ship in Tacoma? What we know
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Observers spotted ‘Renee’ spelled with containers on a Tacoma cargo ship.
- Officials said vessel arrived preloaded; NWSA traced prior stops to L.A. and Oakland.
- Despite solidarity with Renee Good, it was a birthday message for a different Renee.
If you were driving near the Port of Tacoma earlier this week you might have seen it: A large shipping container with the word “Renee” spelled out with red and green containers.
Commenters on Reddit quickly speculated that the message was a sign of support for 37-year-old Renee Good, who was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Minneapolis on Jan. 7.
The Port of Tacoma and the Northwest Seaport Alliance could not verify the intent of the message, but Melanie Stambaugh Babst with the NWSA said the vessel arrived at the Tacoma harbor already loaded. It previously called at Oakland and Los Angeles, she said.
On Facebook Monday, ILWU Local 23 posted a photo of the ship and called for “Solidarity from Tacoma to Minneapolis! Justice for Renee Good and Alex Pretti. RIP. AN INJURY TO ONE IS AN INJURY TO ALL.” The union later commented that a couple of people reported that the “Renee” was actually designed as a birthday message for someone who lives in Long Beach, California.
“But like all good art, different audiences will draw new meanings and inspiration from the same work,” the union posted. “What was a birthday message from one person is now a powerful message of resilience from us. Solidarity from Tacoma, WA.✊”
A representative with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union could not be immediately reached for comment Tuesday morning.
The container ship is called the Ever Macro and left Tacoma around 5:30 a.m. Tuesday for Xiamen, China, per maritime records. The ship sails under the Singapore flag and was in L.A. from Jan. 14 to Jan. 18 and Oakland from Jan. 20 to Jan. 22.
This story was originally published January 27, 2026 at 12:34 PM.
