I feel the need to “do” in this moment. I cannot help but feel like now is the time to take self-defense lessons. Now is the time to make sure I know how to use, clean and store the gun I own. Now is the time to keep my ears and eyes open as I walk down the street for anything that could be off. If this can happen in one place to anyone it can happen anywhere.
Now is also the time to enjoy quiet moments. Now is the time to find some peace. And rest. Because we’re going to need the fuel to get us through these difficult times.
It feels counter intuitive to everything I have learned from nuance because it isn’t nuanced. It is very very clear.
I guess now is the time to prepare for anything. My heart is with everyone feeling similarly. We’re not alone.
Today we found out that the goon Bovino was likely staying in my suburb. So gross and creepy to know that he was near our shopping and restaurants where my teens hang out with their friends that now have to carry their passports everywhere they go because who knows if ICE will decide to go after them. I am super proud of my state. We are doing the right thing with the way we are resisting. Everyone should take note…resist with kindness and love and support for community. This administration has no idea what that is so will not be able to figure out a way to fight it.
This may be the first episode I feel compelled to write multiple comments on. The first one is a small one, but I feel it’s important. There was no protest at 9 AM on Saturday on a relatively quiet Minneapolis street. Alex Pretti didn’t bring a gun to a protest — we don’t know why he was there at that time but he likely came upon an ICE raid and felt called to help. Like I prepare myself to do every time I leave my south Minneapolis house. We are all getting called protesters, but I have only been to two formal protests in the past few weeks… Most of the time I am standing guard at my kids’ school, or gathering with neighbors, or grocery shopping to help those who can’t, or lighting candles at the vigil at the VA hospital where Alex worked, just down the street from me. Honestly, I’m not sure why this distinction matters to me, but I think it’s because most of the time we are trying to live our daily lives and take care of each other—but if we come across DHS we are all protesters, and that seems to justify anything they decide to do to us.
To the connections via social media: I am disabled and while I do get community at our local pool, I am limited in my ability to meet in person. Can neither sit nor stand for long. Live in a very small studio apartment with my wife who now has dementia limiting at home socializing.
Because of comments I made (replied to) on Twitter and it’s DM room feature, 5 years ago I met a young lesbian with no family support who has adopted me as her “logical” mother, as opposed to her “biological” mother. For the first time in my almost 7 decades I am called mom. We finally met in person, (she is in Tennessee, I am in California) at my family’s reunion in Michigan last summer, where all of my 5 siblings and their kids welcomed her and celebrated her 29th birthday with her and her brand new fiancée.
All from some comments I made on twitter that led to me being invited to a chat room…
1. It has always been weird to me that when someone asks me where I’m from, most of the time they hear Minnesota. You can verify this fact with your local Venezuelan. It works both ways, to my surprise. Some Sunday sometime ago, I heard the TV say something about who the Venezuela Vikings were playing against that day.
2. It breaks my heart to see that the similarities now lie in the darkest of places. An unaccountable government repressing and killing people expressing their opinions.
3. There’s a lot of chatter amongst the Venezuelans online chastising the MAGAzuelans that are okay with what’s happening in Minnesota when that’s what made them escape Venezuela.
4. I went on purpose to see what the social media in the MAGA world were saying. It is like we live in parallel universes. That saddened and scared me.
5. I think that as we consider what is happening, we also hear from our brothers and sisters in the Black community. They are not less appalled, just way less surprised.
Yes to everything you both said. Do the training now before they show up in your city. I said this last week in a comment, but it's not a matter of if, it's when. When they came here to Charlotte we mobilized quickly and had Chicago and LA to help guide us. But any work you can do now to train and learn is crucial. There's a verifier training being held on zoom this week being hosted by Carolina Migrant Network. I encourage you to join if you can! I'll find a link and put it here.
I just finished reading The Believers by Rebecca Makkai, which takes place during the AIDS crisis. The characters approach of grieving AND protesting AND having fun is a good one for now.
OK, oof. I use you two and a few other online people as barometers because I have people daily in my ear shouting the sky is falling, and I need people who moderate my views. Last week, we had (Sarah's phrasing) Little Ms and Ms Moderate from Kentucky saying "This is tyranny." This week we have Sarah gaming out what to do if they call off the elections. I think that tells me everything I need to know... Stay safe, everybody.
(Left this comment on Sarah’s BPoBP Substack, cross posting here as well.) Re: Outside of Politics and America 250: my local NPR station, WHRO in Norfolk, VA has great mini-podcasts called “Revolution 250” since so much of American/Virginia/colonial history took place here locally. Here’s a link if anyone is interested.
It’s also not lost on me how cool it is to just take day trips and field trips to Yorktown, Jamestown, Colonial Williamsburg, Richmond, Fort Monroe (site of the first Africans arriving in VA in 1619), when living in Virginia. I’m excited to see everyone else excited about our history too.
Ooh, thank you for sharing that! I've lived in Virginia my whole life and went to William and Mary so that sounds like something I really should listen to.
I think that aside from the violent and aggressive behavior it’s also important to talk about how ICE is taking all kinds of people who are going through legal processes (or were until the Trump administration arbitrarily took it away from them). There have been people taken who have gone through the long and arduous legal process of coming here as refugees. I struggle to even use the term enforcement because I’m not sure what they are even enforcing. I’ve been hearing immigrants here in MN use the term ethnic cleansing and say, they just want us all to leave, which is more like what it feels like.
100% agree. Working on the immigration legal side we have been seeing the silent changes to procedures, the abuse of discretion, and many other things gumming up the immigration system with the rawest cruelty.
This episode was incredible. I have felt like my nervous system was on fire since Saturday, and listening to this helped calm things down a little and finally think somewhat clearly.
I'm so glad you touched on social media. I don't post "political" things very often anymore. It seems pointless. But I have been the past week or so. I had one acquaintance reach out and say, "thank you. This always makes me feel less alone." And I had another acquaintance, who I know is a Trump supporter, DM me and say, "yeah, this is completely out of hand". We didn't have a long convo, but I responded purposely in a way to show her that we have common ground.
On that note, is there a way to select a section of the podcast and share it on social media? One that you all haven't already shared? Sarah's section about needing each other, and looking to those in power instead of sorting each other was really powerful to me. I would love to share it if there's a way for me to select just that clip.
For those look for trainings on how to protect your neighbors and yourselves when ICE/CBP is in your community (truly a sentence I never thought I’d type) I’m sharing information on one happening tonight by Standing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) below
I also came here to say that our community has a Legal Observer training on Saturday and I thought it could just be helpful to know that language so folks can search in their area. I know there are a lot of us who have given up social media so we have to go looking rather than waiting for things to find us!
I woke up Saturday morning in Kauai, felt the warm ocean breeze on my face, thought about how we would be celebrating my daughter's 15 birthday that day...and then I looked at Instagram and saw all the videos of Alex Pretti being killed. I did my best to stay present and enjoy our last day of vacation. But my brain has felt mushy trying to process everything. Especially considering the fact that we flew home to San Diego where it's warm and sunny while people are freezing to death in other parts of the country. And while I'm happy to know that Bovino is leaving Minnesota, I'm nervous about the fact that he's coming back to San Diego.
This episode is just what the doctor ordered for my weary heart today. Thank you. ❤️
I feel the need to “do” in this moment. I cannot help but feel like now is the time to take self-defense lessons. Now is the time to make sure I know how to use, clean and store the gun I own. Now is the time to keep my ears and eyes open as I walk down the street for anything that could be off. If this can happen in one place to anyone it can happen anywhere.
Now is also the time to enjoy quiet moments. Now is the time to find some peace. And rest. Because we’re going to need the fuel to get us through these difficult times.
It feels counter intuitive to everything I have learned from nuance because it isn’t nuanced. It is very very clear.
I guess now is the time to prepare for anything. My heart is with everyone feeling similarly. We’re not alone.
Please please, can we get as many clips of this to share on social media as possible?
Today we found out that the goon Bovino was likely staying in my suburb. So gross and creepy to know that he was near our shopping and restaurants where my teens hang out with their friends that now have to carry their passports everywhere they go because who knows if ICE will decide to go after them. I am super proud of my state. We are doing the right thing with the way we are resisting. Everyone should take note…resist with kindness and love and support for community. This administration has no idea what that is so will not be able to figure out a way to fight it.
This may be the first episode I feel compelled to write multiple comments on. The first one is a small one, but I feel it’s important. There was no protest at 9 AM on Saturday on a relatively quiet Minneapolis street. Alex Pretti didn’t bring a gun to a protest — we don’t know why he was there at that time but he likely came upon an ICE raid and felt called to help. Like I prepare myself to do every time I leave my south Minneapolis house. We are all getting called protesters, but I have only been to two formal protests in the past few weeks… Most of the time I am standing guard at my kids’ school, or gathering with neighbors, or grocery shopping to help those who can’t, or lighting candles at the vigil at the VA hospital where Alex worked, just down the street from me. Honestly, I’m not sure why this distinction matters to me, but I think it’s because most of the time we are trying to live our daily lives and take care of each other—but if we come across DHS we are all protesters, and that seems to justify anything they decide to do to us.
I appreciate this, Kristin. That distinction does matter and I, for one, will be paying more close attention to how I use that word!
To the connections via social media: I am disabled and while I do get community at our local pool, I am limited in my ability to meet in person. Can neither sit nor stand for long. Live in a very small studio apartment with my wife who now has dementia limiting at home socializing.
Because of comments I made (replied to) on Twitter and it’s DM room feature, 5 years ago I met a young lesbian with no family support who has adopted me as her “logical” mother, as opposed to her “biological” mother. For the first time in my almost 7 decades I am called mom. We finally met in person, (she is in Tennessee, I am in California) at my family’s reunion in Michigan last summer, where all of my 5 siblings and their kids welcomed her and celebrated her 29th birthday with her and her brand new fiancée.
All from some comments I made on twitter that led to me being invited to a chat room…
That's really beautiful
1. It has always been weird to me that when someone asks me where I’m from, most of the time they hear Minnesota. You can verify this fact with your local Venezuelan. It works both ways, to my surprise. Some Sunday sometime ago, I heard the TV say something about who the Venezuela Vikings were playing against that day.
2. It breaks my heart to see that the similarities now lie in the darkest of places. An unaccountable government repressing and killing people expressing their opinions.
3. There’s a lot of chatter amongst the Venezuelans online chastising the MAGAzuelans that are okay with what’s happening in Minnesota when that’s what made them escape Venezuela.
4. I went on purpose to see what the social media in the MAGA world were saying. It is like we live in parallel universes. That saddened and scared me.
5. I think that as we consider what is happening, we also hear from our brothers and sisters in the Black community. They are not less appalled, just way less surprised.
6. As for celebrating the Semiquincentennial, I suggest this collection of great speeches: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/it-was-said/id1527280716
Yes to everything you both said. Do the training now before they show up in your city. I said this last week in a comment, but it's not a matter of if, it's when. When they came here to Charlotte we mobilized quickly and had Chicago and LA to help guide us. But any work you can do now to train and learn is crucial. There's a verifier training being held on zoom this week being hosted by Carolina Migrant Network. I encourage you to join if you can! I'll find a link and put it here.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DT066fZEquF/?igsh=N2RwcTNzNXdrYXE5
I just finished reading The Believers by Rebecca Makkai, which takes place during the AIDS crisis. The characters approach of grieving AND protesting AND having fun is a good one for now.
I LOVE that book. And, yes, such a good message.
OK, oof. I use you two and a few other online people as barometers because I have people daily in my ear shouting the sky is falling, and I need people who moderate my views. Last week, we had (Sarah's phrasing) Little Ms and Ms Moderate from Kentucky saying "This is tyranny." This week we have Sarah gaming out what to do if they call off the elections. I think that tells me everything I need to know... Stay safe, everybody.
(Left this comment on Sarah’s BPoBP Substack, cross posting here as well.) Re: Outside of Politics and America 250: my local NPR station, WHRO in Norfolk, VA has great mini-podcasts called “Revolution 250” since so much of American/Virginia/colonial history took place here locally. Here’s a link if anyone is interested.
https://www.whro.org/revolution-revisited-america-at-250
It’s also not lost on me how cool it is to just take day trips and field trips to Yorktown, Jamestown, Colonial Williamsburg, Richmond, Fort Monroe (site of the first Africans arriving in VA in 1619), when living in Virginia. I’m excited to see everyone else excited about our history too.
Ooh, thank you for sharing that! I've lived in Virginia my whole life and went to William and Mary so that sounds like something I really should listen to.
I think that aside from the violent and aggressive behavior it’s also important to talk about how ICE is taking all kinds of people who are going through legal processes (or were until the Trump administration arbitrarily took it away from them). There have been people taken who have gone through the long and arduous legal process of coming here as refugees. I struggle to even use the term enforcement because I’m not sure what they are even enforcing. I’ve been hearing immigrants here in MN use the term ethnic cleansing and say, they just want us all to leave, which is more like what it feels like.
100% agree. Working on the immigration legal side we have been seeing the silent changes to procedures, the abuse of discretion, and many other things gumming up the immigration system with the rawest cruelty.
Yeah it’s basically “we didn’t like the permissiveness of the last guy’s asylum policy, so we’re going to pretend it doesn’t count.”
How many times will I listen to this episode? Starting the second listen.
This episode was incredible. I have felt like my nervous system was on fire since Saturday, and listening to this helped calm things down a little and finally think somewhat clearly.
I'm so glad you touched on social media. I don't post "political" things very often anymore. It seems pointless. But I have been the past week or so. I had one acquaintance reach out and say, "thank you. This always makes me feel less alone." And I had another acquaintance, who I know is a Trump supporter, DM me and say, "yeah, this is completely out of hand". We didn't have a long convo, but I responded purposely in a way to show her that we have common ground.
On that note, is there a way to select a section of the podcast and share it on social media? One that you all haven't already shared? Sarah's section about needing each other, and looking to those in power instead of sorting each other was really powerful to me. I would love to share it if there's a way for me to select just that clip.
I’ll try to pull the video of that segment for Instagram
I listen to podcasts on Overcast and they have an option to share a clip. I'm sure other platforms do as well.
Here is the link for the SURJ training:
https://www.mobilize.us/surj/event/885616/?utm_source=20260126_nod_soi6_em&emci=6f036d38-f8fa-f011-8d4c-0022482d279b&emdi=544a9b80-f9fa-f011-8d4c-0022482d279b&ceid=818487
For those look for trainings on how to protect your neighbors and yourselves when ICE/CBP is in your community (truly a sentence I never thought I’d type) I’m sharing information on one happening tonight by Standing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) below
I also came here to say that our community has a Legal Observer training on Saturday and I thought it could just be helpful to know that language so folks can search in their area. I know there are a lot of us who have given up social media so we have to go looking rather than waiting for things to find us!
I woke up Saturday morning in Kauai, felt the warm ocean breeze on my face, thought about how we would be celebrating my daughter's 15 birthday that day...and then I looked at Instagram and saw all the videos of Alex Pretti being killed. I did my best to stay present and enjoy our last day of vacation. But my brain has felt mushy trying to process everything. Especially considering the fact that we flew home to San Diego where it's warm and sunny while people are freezing to death in other parts of the country. And while I'm happy to know that Bovino is leaving Minnesota, I'm nervous about the fact that he's coming back to San Diego.
This episode is just what the doctor ordered for my weary heart today. Thank you. ❤️