Thank you. I have lived in midwestern cities not too different from Minneapolis for most of my life. This could very easily be happening in my town. Perhaps it will. Like you, I think about Minnesota all the time. As a history teacher, I’m struggling how to calibrate how much I talk to my students about the historical turning points in their textbooks and how much to focus on the turning point they’re living through right now.
I am so impressed with the people of Minneapolis who are risking so much to make a stand, unlike so many of the powerful people who chose cowardice. I hope all of those CEOs and senators feel deep shame every time they see a middle-aged suburban mom take the stand they won’t.
While I blame Trump I also blame every one of the 77,302,580 people who voted for him. If any of the readers of this Newsletter are among those 77,302,580 then I don't give you a pass, either.
At one time I though racism was the common thread in the MAGA world. I have come to think that what the real common thread is that there are 77,302,580 mean assed people in country who would vote against their interests in order to vote for the meanest candidate in history.
Hate to say it, but I’ve reluctantly reached the same conclusion. If anybody ever bothered to ask how many people in America lack empathy, I’d posit 77 million, more or less.
Writing from Saint Paul I’d really like it if you’d rank Kelly Reichardt movies right now. Number one has to be Old Joy. But I could see an argument for Showing Up. The Mastermind is a solid number three. Oof too many good ones. Anyway, it’s a nice distraction.
Now back to playing with my 4 year old who’s already expressed worry that the police are going to take his daycare friend Amir away.
I am just outside Chicago, half a mile from the western edge, and about a 10-minute drive from the main secret prison ICE established here, where protests have continued to take place. In November we had someone grabbed and dragged into a car right in front of our home. It was 15 minutes before school began a block away, and a number of children watched it happen, including mine. Later that day others were taken while working to repair the sidewalk at our local library on the corner across the street from the school. Again, children saw it happen. There was a week or so when our suburb was a big focus; many people were taken, and many more were scared. Other neighborhoods of course had it much, much worse, and for much, much longer, as the Twins Cities do now. I don't have the words for it.
For Reichardt films, Wendy and Lucy is my favorite. I have not seen Showing Up. I enjoyed The Mastermind a lot.
I'm just outside Chicago on the north side and ICE was all over my neighborhood in the fall. I never thought I'd see the day when a Blackhawk helicopter hovered over my head while I was talking to a neighbor. I never thought I'd see the day when someone I know had a gun pointed at them during a peaceful protest when ICE was arresting individuals who'd turned up to work at the Home Depot walking distance from my home. I am still in shock for what happened here in Chicago and in disbelief about what is going on in MN.
We must do something! I still don't know what it is.
I hope this administration is the last gasp of extreme nativist policies, but even if it is I'll have a hard time forgetting how cruel and undemocratic they have been.
No need to apologize, Will. Telling it like it is. Thanks for being a voice and encouraging others to share their voices. I'm particularly struck with your connection (in Minneapolis) to the pandemic disruptions, and how we didn't think it could happen again. And I'm trying to move forward without despair shadowing my thoughts and actions. A couple of books by Rob Hopkins are helping: From What Is to What If, and How to Fall In Love With the Future. Peace.
Damon Linker's whole schtick is being a smug, center-right dickhead who tries to blame the left for being "too woke", both-sides the genocide in Palestine and spent years arguing with people that Trump isn't a fascist. People like him are why we're in this situation.
The state is arming and putting in Uniform a non-trained set of goons who’s only requirement seems to be loyalty to the current regime then sending them to terrorise areas where there political opponents live and work
I don’t want you to fall on your fainting couches but if you read that in a book with no context you’d assume you were reading about the SA (not yet the SS but the SA were bad enough and does anyone believe ‘elite units’ won’t be created within the next 3 years)
The one-two punch of Minneapolis and CECOT on 60 Minutes tonight was extremely depressing. The head of ICE basically smirked when asked about the agents dragging a disabled woman. He said that they have a targeted operation but hey, things happen while they carry out those operations.
Prayers to Minneapolis and anyone affected. Have a feeling that this will only ramp up before November.
I live in a suburb of Minneapolis, but have been out of town since the end of December. ICE has been spotted in the parking lot of the upscale suburban mall where I work; no one was taken from the store where I work, to my knowledge. A friend was out to dinner in an upscale restaurant in a different upscale suburb when an ICE agent appeared; to her knowledge, no one was taken, and the restaurant closed shortly afterwards.
If ICE is going into the 'nice' suburbs, they are making it clear to the 'nice white people' that this is real and not just something happening in 'the city'. My friend will never forget it, and nothing even happened to her.
All I can do is donate money, if anyone is interested, Minneapolis-St Paul magazine has a list of orgs, as does Lyz Lenz in her newsletter.
And yes, this paramilitary operation, complete with 'investigations' into local authorities, like Mayor Frey and Governor Walz, will also be coming to a blue state near you.
Great post! But, believe or not, right here in liberal California. there are people who think just as Trump does and relish the chaos he is causing. Hard to believe but true. True, they are increasingly in the minority but they are still loud, obnoxious voices and they are still out there, spewing lies, vicious lies. It’s so depressing. I cheer the bravery of the people fighting back in a positive way in Minnesota.
Normally I'd skim over this subject in a substack story. I could not with this one. Very gripping. Even if you know everything, you don't know someone's personal everything. Gorgeous, haunting. Thank you.
I am a well-educated busy professional who is irrationally obsessed with a bunch of 20-year-olds who play basketball for the University of Illinois. As such, I breathlessly await your periodic brilliant pieces about our favorite team. This is why I read your writing.
But THIS is your best piece. American democracy is the most important fact in our lives. It's what allows us to do everything we do. Thanks, Will, for calling out this disaster (which, incidentally, is the subject of my work) for what it is: the invention of a group of self-serving, despicably cruel, inhumane individuals. Minneapolis is on general strike today, and my thoughts are with them.
I am a well-educated and busy professional who spends way too much time being irrationally obsessed with a bunch of 20-year-olds who play basketball for the University of Illinois. As such, I always breathlessly await your next brilliant piece about our favorite team. This is why I read your writing.
But THIS piece is your best. American democracy is the most important fact in our lives. It's what enables us to do everything we do. Thanks, Will, for describing this disaster (which is the subject of my work, by the way) for what it is: the creation of a group of self-serving, despicably cruel, deeply immoral, and inhumane individuals. Minneapolis is on general strike today, and my thoughts are with them.
Thank you. I have lived in midwestern cities not too different from Minneapolis for most of my life. This could very easily be happening in my town. Perhaps it will. Like you, I think about Minnesota all the time. As a history teacher, I’m struggling how to calibrate how much I talk to my students about the historical turning points in their textbooks and how much to focus on the turning point they’re living through right now.
I am so impressed with the people of Minneapolis who are risking so much to make a stand, unlike so many of the powerful people who chose cowardice. I hope all of those CEOs and senators feel deep shame every time they see a middle-aged suburban mom take the stand they won’t.
While I blame Trump I also blame every one of the 77,302,580 people who voted for him. If any of the readers of this Newsletter are among those 77,302,580 then I don't give you a pass, either.
At one time I though racism was the common thread in the MAGA world. I have come to think that what the real common thread is that there are 77,302,580 mean assed people in country who would vote against their interests in order to vote for the meanest candidate in history.
I agree with you, and I blame the Republicans in Congress.
Hate to say it, but I’ve reluctantly reached the same conclusion. If anybody ever bothered to ask how many people in America lack empathy, I’d posit 77 million, more or less.
Writing from Saint Paul I’d really like it if you’d rank Kelly Reichardt movies right now. Number one has to be Old Joy. But I could see an argument for Showing Up. The Mastermind is a solid number three. Oof too many good ones. Anyway, it’s a nice distraction.
Now back to playing with my 4 year old who’s already expressed worry that the police are going to take his daycare friend Amir away.
I’ll repeat: he’s 4.
Grierson is a WENDY AND LUCY person. I think I might be a FIRST COW or, honestly, maybe even a THE MASTERMIND person.
I am just outside Chicago, half a mile from the western edge, and about a 10-minute drive from the main secret prison ICE established here, where protests have continued to take place. In November we had someone grabbed and dragged into a car right in front of our home. It was 15 minutes before school began a block away, and a number of children watched it happen, including mine. Later that day others were taken while working to repair the sidewalk at our local library on the corner across the street from the school. Again, children saw it happen. There was a week or so when our suburb was a big focus; many people were taken, and many more were scared. Other neighborhoods of course had it much, much worse, and for much, much longer, as the Twins Cities do now. I don't have the words for it.
For Reichardt films, Wendy and Lucy is my favorite. I have not seen Showing Up. I enjoyed The Mastermind a lot.
I'm just outside Chicago on the north side and ICE was all over my neighborhood in the fall. I never thought I'd see the day when a Blackhawk helicopter hovered over my head while I was talking to a neighbor. I never thought I'd see the day when someone I know had a gun pointed at them during a peaceful protest when ICE was arresting individuals who'd turned up to work at the Home Depot walking distance from my home. I am still in shock for what happened here in Chicago and in disbelief about what is going on in MN.
We must do something! I still don't know what it is.
Very moving and important post. Thanks.
I hope this administration is the last gasp of extreme nativist policies, but even if it is I'll have a hard time forgetting how cruel and undemocratic they have been.
No need to apologize, Will. Telling it like it is. Thanks for being a voice and encouraging others to share their voices. I'm particularly struck with your connection (in Minneapolis) to the pandemic disruptions, and how we didn't think it could happen again. And I'm trying to move forward without despair shadowing my thoughts and actions. A couple of books by Rob Hopkins are helping: From What Is to What If, and How to Fall In Love With the Future. Peace.
Damon Linker's whole schtick is being a smug, center-right dickhead who tries to blame the left for being "too woke", both-sides the genocide in Palestine and spent years arguing with people that Trump isn't a fascist. People like him are why we're in this situation.
The state is arming and putting in Uniform a non-trained set of goons who’s only requirement seems to be loyalty to the current regime then sending them to terrorise areas where there political opponents live and work
I don’t want you to fall on your fainting couches but if you read that in a book with no context you’d assume you were reading about the SA (not yet the SS but the SA were bad enough and does anyone believe ‘elite units’ won’t be created within the next 3 years)
The one-two punch of Minneapolis and CECOT on 60 Minutes tonight was extremely depressing. The head of ICE basically smirked when asked about the agents dragging a disabled woman. He said that they have a targeted operation but hey, things happen while they carry out those operations.
Prayers to Minneapolis and anyone affected. Have a feeling that this will only ramp up before November.
I believe it is time to call out all our elected officials from both parties to put an end to this meglomaniac and stand up for the real America.
I live in a suburb of Minneapolis, but have been out of town since the end of December. ICE has been spotted in the parking lot of the upscale suburban mall where I work; no one was taken from the store where I work, to my knowledge. A friend was out to dinner in an upscale restaurant in a different upscale suburb when an ICE agent appeared; to her knowledge, no one was taken, and the restaurant closed shortly afterwards.
If ICE is going into the 'nice' suburbs, they are making it clear to the 'nice white people' that this is real and not just something happening in 'the city'. My friend will never forget it, and nothing even happened to her.
All I can do is donate money, if anyone is interested, Minneapolis-St Paul magazine has a list of orgs, as does Lyz Lenz in her newsletter.
And yes, this paramilitary operation, complete with 'investigations' into local authorities, like Mayor Frey and Governor Walz, will also be coming to a blue state near you.
Last fall ICE was in my "nice white neighborhood" just north of Chicago. That message was very clear.
Great post! But, believe or not, right here in liberal California. there are people who think just as Trump does and relish the chaos he is causing. Hard to believe but true. True, they are increasingly in the minority but they are still loud, obnoxious voices and they are still out there, spewing lies, vicious lies. It’s so depressing. I cheer the bravery of the people fighting back in a positive way in Minnesota.
So depressing to hear. I will never understand why people think this is OK.
Thank you, Will.
Normally I'd skim over this subject in a substack story. I could not with this one. Very gripping. Even if you know everything, you don't know someone's personal everything. Gorgeous, haunting. Thank you.
I am a well-educated busy professional who is irrationally obsessed with a bunch of 20-year-olds who play basketball for the University of Illinois. As such, I breathlessly await your periodic brilliant pieces about our favorite team. This is why I read your writing.
But THIS is your best piece. American democracy is the most important fact in our lives. It's what allows us to do everything we do. Thanks, Will, for calling out this disaster (which, incidentally, is the subject of my work) for what it is: the invention of a group of self-serving, despicably cruel, inhumane individuals. Minneapolis is on general strike today, and my thoughts are with them.
I am a well-educated and busy professional who spends way too much time being irrationally obsessed with a bunch of 20-year-olds who play basketball for the University of Illinois. As such, I always breathlessly await your next brilliant piece about our favorite team. This is why I read your writing.
But THIS piece is your best. American democracy is the most important fact in our lives. It's what enables us to do everything we do. Thanks, Will, for describing this disaster (which is the subject of my work, by the way) for what it is: the creation of a group of self-serving, despicably cruel, deeply immoral, and inhumane individuals. Minneapolis is on general strike today, and my thoughts are with them.