Today in fascism…

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You think you’re watching a woman who’s been shot four times in the face lying dead on the front seat of her car, but what you’re really watching is the ICE agent alive and well after the “disorderly” woman hit him with her vehicle. What you’re watching isn’t what you’re really watching.

From a post by someone named Kevin Hendricks on Facebook:

I hesitate to post this, but I want to give people around the country a glimpse of what Minnesota is going through right now. I’m a middle-aged white guy who lives in a first-ring suburb of 20,000 people. Minneapolis is miles away and we don’t go there often. My family is not suffering like some are, but it’s far from normal. Here’s what I’ve experienced:

-ICE is everywhere. Seriously, they’re all around town—Target, Walmart, gas stations, restaurants, strip mall, etc. They are in marked and unmarked vehicles. They’re masked and geared up. 

-People are detained and harassed seemingly at random. Many are U.S. citizens. There are stories of ICE going to door to door—I haven’t seen it in my neighborhood, but I did hear about it a mile north of us. ID checks in the parking lot of Lowe’s. I heard about a masked person waiting at the dumpster for people to take out their trash. 

-Kids aren’t going to school. One local school had 25% of kids absent on Friday. When kids do go to school, getting them to and from school can be a challenge as ICE shows up at bus stops, and parents are afraid to come out and get their kids. Local police have been following school buses to make sure nothing happens (though I’m not sure what local police could do). Since people are afraid to go out, schools have started delivering food and essentials to families. There are even collections to pay rent and bills. 

-Businesses are closed. I saw two businesses announce temporary closures, I went to a third and found it closed, and I know of a fourth that’s considering a permanent closure. Employees are afraid to come to work and customers are afraid to go out.

-We got takeout on Friday night. When I went to pick it up, the front door was locked and an employee was there letting people in one at a time to ensure they were customers. ICE hung out in their parking lot the night before.

-My son is an immigrant. He’s a U.S. citizen, but he’s not white and could easily be targeted. We renewed his passport last year out of an abundance of caution (apparently not enough—we only got his passport book and should have also got a passport card; getting the card now would require sending in his passport book, which seems like a bad idea). We’re constantly debating what to do—should he carry his passport? Is a photocopy good enough? Will any of that matter when they frequently detain citizens? He wants to help and participate—but is that safe? Should he deliver food to apartments? Should he partake in a peaceful walkout at his school? Should he drive to work by himself?

-We all know social media has to be taken with a grain of salt. I’ve seen AI photos of crowds in Minneapolis. But I’m also seeing videos I recognize as the places I shop, posted by people I know. Yes, I see reports from random strangers, but I also see reports from friends I know and trust. I’ve also seen an absolute flood of trolls—it’s unclear if they’re bots or just riled up people, but they are folks who have not participated in our extremely local online community before. Not only does it feel like we’re under siege, but we’re being drowned out by people telling us we’re getting what we deserve.

-I’m a journalist who didn’t go to school for it, and I’ve had to take safety classes and consider how I would cover an ICE/protestor standoff, especially if it becomes violent, chemical irritants are used, etc. As a one-person, part-time operation—I’m simply not prepared. The decisions about what to cover and how to cover it are intense. I’m often at a loss. 

-I covered City Council last night and about 40 people showed up, with a dozen speaking during citizen comments. They were unanimously opposed to ICE, and the elected officials agreed but were at a loss for how to respond. 

Notice I haven’t made a value statement about anything that’s happening. I’ve simply described it. Most of it isn’t even that extreme. But through it all, there is a palpable atmosphere of fear. 

One comment I see frequently is that if you don’t do anything wrong, you have nothing to fear. Tell that to the citizens detained. And officials are lying about what is happening, so what trust can we have that citizenship will protect us? It’s a bizarre shift from the second amendment crowd.

Another comment I see frequently is the comparison to Nazi Germany—what would you have done then, well now is the moment to find out, etc. I have a new appreciation for the complexity of that scenario. Hindsight makes things simple and easily heroic. It’s a lot harder to accept risk in the here and now, especially when it means the safety and provision of your family.

I want people to understand the reality we’re facing here, because it’s so far from normal. It’s not the America we know and love. People need to make their voices heard. Call your senators and representatives in Congress. I know that sounds like bullshit, but the voice of the people matters. Sometimes it’s the only thing that does.

Finally, remember a week or two into the pandemic lockdowns in March 2020? That uncertainty and anxiety? It’s back. The doomscrolling is real. And I’m getting emotional. I broke down yesterday writing this. My eyes welled up when my wife came home and told me how people were volunteering at her school (good news at least!). And again during the Council meeting when a 16-year-old kid said, “It just hurts.”

And I’ll end with this: I have a hard time reading the comments right now. One of my stories related to ICE has nearly 500 comments and there’s a lot of hate there (and my stories don’t get 500 comments, they rarely get 10). I stopped reading them. The only reason I haven’t shut off the comments is because people are taking the opportunity to show us who they are. 

Which reminds me of a blessing I often heard at church. It’s kind of a command to show the world who you are. So to paraphrase, whatever we do in this moment, gladden the hearts of those around you, be swift to love, and quicker to kindness. Because I don’t know what else we can do. We’re frazzled and weary. Please, help.