Foul

ICE continues to terrorize the Twin Cities, particularly Minneapolis. You have probably seen video and heard stories. Another person was shot this last week. DHS is saying he attacked them and then tried to run away so they shot him in the leg. Video and witness evidence is now coming out that reveals the situation may have been completely different—surprise! Don’t believe any story coming from the federal government regarding what is happening here. 

ICE is operating outside the law. They detain U.S. Citizens. ICE detained a 17-year-old kid working his shift at my neighborhood Target. He is a U.S. citizen and had his passport in his pocket, but ICE refused to verify this until 8 miles later when they then dumped him out of their SUV in a Walmart parking lot.

Then there is Garrison Gibson, a legal Liberian immigrant. ICE unlawfully busted down his front door with a battering ram after he refused to leave the house or open the door because ICE did not have a signed judicial warrant. Gibson was home with his wife, daughter and niece.

There are confirmed reports of ICE blocking in the cars of observers and then charging them with obstruction. ICE is also going to protesters’ houses trying to intimidate them and making threats. Then they are using tear gas on peaceful protesters and others who happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. One family’s car was tear gassed and their 6-month-old baby who was in the car stopped breathing and had to be rushed to the hospital. Now they have to pay hospital bills and make extensive repairs to their car. A Judge ruled Friday that ICE is not allowed to use tear gas on peaceful protesters. Not sure that will even mean anything.

Meanwhile Keith Ellison, Minnesota Attorney General, has issued an alert regarding DHS digital surveillance and how to protect your privacy. The state, Minneapolis, and St Paul are suing the Federal government citing constitutional violations of the first and tenth amendments. And the Department of Justice has launched investigations of Governor Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey on the grounds that they are impeding operations of the federal government. However, Jonathan Ross, the ICE agent who murdered Renee Good, is not being investigated or charged with anything by the federal government.

But Minnesotans will not be silenced. If anything there are more and more people out on the streets and providing mutual aid. Monday night James and I did a virtual ICE Watch training from States at the Core via Defend612. There were 1,700 people on the call. They continue to offer trainings every few days. They made it a point to say that what is happening has nothing to do with immigration. Immigration is the excuse the Trump administration is using to intimidate and militarize cities in order to consolidate authoritarian power. I have not gone out on neighborhood patrol–it’s a bit challenging to do by bicycle in winter–but I carry a whistle with me whenever I leave the house and keep a lookout for ICE so I can make reports to my rapid response group.

People here are standing up against heavily armed and sometimes poorly trained agents. They are fighting back with video documentation, whistles, car horns, peaceful protest that includes marching in the streets singing, and ok, sometimes throwing snowballs. People are also pouring water on streets and sidewalks where ICE is gathering making some real ice. There are lots of videos and photos going around of ICE agents slipping and falling.

We are now getting an arctic blast, it is that time of the year here. Temperatures are going sub-zero F / -17C. I saw someone report today that they were at Duluth Trading Company behind a couple men who were spending $5,000 on cold weather gear.

Apparently, defense tactics are working because The New Republic is reporting that the Department of Homeland Security is having trouble finding agents willing to come to Minneapolis. There are currently 3,000 agents in the state, mainly centered in the Twin Cities. Now Trump is threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act. There are 1,500 active-duty military troops on standby in Alaska ready to invade my state. It is a great irony that the President is interested in protecting protesters in Iran while suppressing protests in his own country.

I have a friend who is Vietnamese and a U.S. citizen who is worried she will be stopped by ICE. I have another friend who is a citizen and immigrant from Brazil who is also terrified.

If you are wondering what you can do to support Minnesota, advocate with your electeds to stop funding ICE and to stand up against the Trump administration. If you are looking to make a monetary donation to help support the immigrant community here, some good groups are Isaiah, Neighborhood House, Minnesota Immigrant Rights Committee, and ACLU Minnesota. Stand With Minnesota has additional lists of places who are supporting people with rental assistance, food, diapers, and other supplies.

As if all that isn’t enough, Jake Lang, white supremacist and pardoned January 6th insurrectionist, came to Minneapolis yesterday and held a rally downtown outside city hall. There were more counterprotestors than there were people at the rally. He was sprayed with silly string, but things got a bit out of control when people began pelting him with snowballs and water balloons. Lang is now claiming on social media that he was “lynched” and stabbed. He did not go to any hospital afterwards and photos show him leaving the rally with scrapes and bruises but no apparent stab wounds.

Fowl

I think I have mentioned here a few months ago after Mrs. Dashwood, the last of the original Dashwood chicken flock, died, that James and I had decided we are not going to welcome any additional chickens to our dwindling—now 2 chickens—flock. I’ve been feeling a little sad about that because I enjoy sharing my life with chickens, but we decided since we don’t keep them for their eggs, the growing expense of taking care of them just wasn’t worth it.

Then two weeks ago I got an email from Eggplant, the place we bought the Dashwoods and the Nuggets, letting me know that chick orders are now open. I clicked, just to look at the pictures. Honest! But gosh darn, if those birds aren’t adorable and beautiful. I started thinking maybe…and floated the idea to James.

He frowned but said he would think about it.

A week later I checked in with him on his thoughts and he said he was fine with it but not all that interested. I said we both had to actually want them. He said he’d think about it some more.

Early in the week I checked in again and he said he was a go! Friday I placed our order for two chicks, a speckled Sussex (James’s choice) and a pearl onyx (my choice). They will be The Witches. James has already named the Sussex Nanny Ogg after one of the witches in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books. I have named the pearl onyx Baba Yaga who lives in a chicken-legged hut. We will be welcoming the baby chicks on April 3rd.

It’s nice to have something good to look forward to.

I’m behind on comments and blog visiting—been kind of distracted! But I am endeavoring to catch up over the next days.

Enjoy this Woody Guthrie song to send you on your way: All You Fascists Bound to Lose