For those of you reading this from outside Minneapolis, one thing that’s worth understanding about the most recent murder by ICE in Minneapolis is that the Minneapolis VA Hospital employs over 4,000 people. I’d estimate that around 200,000 people live on the south side of Minneapolis where a lot of VA employees live because it’s close to work, has great public schools, and reasonably priced housing for people working at a healthcare facility.
Because of that, nearly everyone on the South side of Minneapolis is within 2 degrees of Alex Pretti. Everyone knows someone who works for the VA who knew Alex. Friends of mine have been quoted in the national media about how kind a person Alex was.
The vigils across the city after the latest ICE murder were even larger than after the murder of Renee Good. Minneapolis residents are becoming angrier and more engaged.
They’re creating new block club Signal groups after seeing ICE loser idling at their kid’s bus stops.
They’re organizing hiking and fat biking patrols to find underdressed and tortured people dropped off by ICE in the woods by ICE.
They’re shopping for neighbors who don’t feel safe leaving their homes due to their skin color.
They’re sending their kids to daycare, then standing watch over their toddler’s daycare to protect the staff that care for their children.
They’re standing on nearly every corner of Lake Street with whistles while building bikes with neighbors and local business owners.
They’re picking up snacks for their coworkers from immigrant owned businesses that are suffering during the occupation.
They’re still not shopping at Target.
They’re sending their kids to school while their kids are missing classmates who’re staying home out of fear of being abducted at their bus stops or at school.
They’re booking hotel rooms at hotels providing accomodations to murderers, then cancelling last minute by phone to explain that they’re no longer interested in staying at a property that accommodates murderers.
They’re logging in a database the ever changing license plates used by untrained goons on the rental cars they use to disappear taxpayers.
They’re 3D printing and distributing whistles.
They’re going through training on how to document the behavior of ICE.
Think about it. If they’re willing to murder people while being filmed (or while filming in Renee Good’s case) what are they doing when not on camera?
Trump and the racists he hired to run his racist policies picked the wrong city. The dollar and PR costs ICE is paying to terrorize Minneapolis are unsustainable. While there certainly are people who’ve poisoned their brain on right-wing media, who’ll never accept that a murder they watched on video from multiple angles was a murder, they’re the exception in this country.
We will feel more pain before this is over, but the pendulum will swing back towards justice. The pendulum is swinging from defund ICE to prosecute ICE, which is how justice is actually served in America
For anyone from ICE reading this, the question I have for you is this: how large of a gap in your resume are you going to be able to explain? Your affiliation with the murder of US Citizens and refugees will destroy your future job prospects. Do you really think that a guy who’s screwed over nearly everyone who’s worked for him will pay your promised bonuses? You’re screwing yourself. Find a safe and stable job that you can proudly tell your kids that you do for a living before you become unemployable in America and have to move to Argentina.
Thank you.