General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsExtraordinary: "Our Neighbors in Minneapolis or: What I Saw While I Was There". You want to read this.
https://margaretkilljoy.substack.com/p/our-neighbors-in-minneapolisOur Neighbors in Minneapolis
or: What I Saw While I Was There
Margaret Killjoy
Jan 26, 2026
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But it wasnt cold enough to keep Minnesotans inside. It wasnt so cold that people didnt turn out, in the tens or hundreds of thousands, to fill the streets for the general strike. It wasnt so cold that people didnt pour out of their houses in their pajamas and crocs when they saw commotion outside, in case they could do anything to defend their communities from ICE. It wasnt so cold that people didnt resist what amounts to a foreign occupation of professional kidnappers. Im not being hyperbolic, about the cold, about the pajamas, or the kidnappers.
The shortest version of what I saw is this: a few thousand federal officers are occupying Minnesota right now. Theyre in Minneapolis, St. Paul, the suburbs, and even some of the smaller towns. No one wants them thereIve never seen a community half so united as the people of the Twin Cities.
ICE is there to kidnap black and brown people. Theyre not subtle about their racismeven the local police have complained about how all of their off-duty non-white officers are being harassed by federal agents. Masked, unmarked men are simply snatching people out of their cars, throwing them into unmarked SUVs, and driving them away, often to never to see their loved ones again. Peoples cars are left abandoned in the streets, sometimes still running, sometimes still in drive.
In response to this, many vulnerable people have essentially gone into lockdown. There are families that cant leave their houses. Other peoplefriends, families, and neighborsare looking out for them. The networks that are looking out for them are far and away the largest, most organized, and most successful networks like these Ive ever seen, and theyre entirely decentralized. There is no central group or organization that is making this happen. Its just people. People who are organized.
justaprogressive
(6,526 posts)NoMoreRepugs
(11,867 posts)littlemissmartypants
(32,648 posts)Have we been reduced to fighting red vs blue?
I want my colors back. All of them. Together.
💧❤️
popsdenver
(1,845 posts)Note that they have intentionally picked on a DEM/BLUE city with 500K residents........not a city with 5-10 Million !!!!!!!!!!!!!! I guess they learned their lesson in L.A., etc
I am guessing that they don't want to provoke the massive numbers of citizens in NYCity, Denver, Portland, Seattle, Chicago....they have tried those cities already, and backed out due to PEACEFUL resistance in far greater numbers than ICE/BORDER PATROL....
My dream would be, for ALL the ICE/BORDER PATROL to be airlifted to a REAL war zone, and let them show how brave they are when confronted with resistance that can and will actually shoot back........and not peaceful children, women and elderly............
And equal numbers of resistance...... not their 10-20 to one, like here in the U.S.