TACOMA, Wash. — This story was originally posted on MyNorthwest.com
A wholesome gesture for a Port of Tacoma employee’s girlfriend led to an unfortunate misunderstanding.
For her birthday, shipping containers were arranged to spell her name, Renee, but the vast majority of onlookers interpreted it as a nod to Renee Good, a woman who was shot by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Minneapolis.
While the ship was stationed near Long Beach, California, Renee Carmona’s boyfriend arranged the containers in honor of her 63rd birthday before the cargo ship made its way to Tacoma, according to The News Tribune.
Crews work overtime deconstructing ‘Renee’ arrangement
Tacoma longshoreman Mitchell Meyer noted that, although the arrangement wasn’t a reference to Renee Good, the Evergreen Line shipping company worked after hours on Monday night to rearrange the containers so that it no longer spelled out “Renee.”
Meyer confirmed that several others believed the gesture was a memorial for Good, and “management was losing their minds as soon as they realized it,” according to The News Tribune.
Meyer had previously arranged other shipping containers to spell out different names, but in this instance, it was a special surprise for Carmona. Carmona didn’t make the connection until many people began messaging her about it from states away.
“They’re making it so political. People are getting upset about it, but it was just a … name,” Carmona told The News Tribune. “It wasn’t about Renee Good.”
Although some people believed the photos were manufactured by artificial intelligence, Carmona confirmed that her boyfriend arranged empty containers with a crane on the ship’s stern.
“I was so excited [when I saw it], like, ‘Oh my God, it’s going to go all the way, all over the Ports,’” Carmona said.
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