Get up, Stand up!
So now we see the light (What you gonna do?) - Bob Marley
In 2020 the Proud Boys open-carry "patrolled" Snohomish, one county north of my house, while posing for selfies with smiling cops who ignored their open beers as they brandished guns on city streets. That Sheriff got un-elected after Biden's DOJ prosecuted several local Proud Boys, including statewide Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, sentenced to 22 years for organizing JAN6.
Elections have consequences.
Back then, when we weren't sure what would happen next, Jack met with the Dad of our Favorite Neighbors, a giant Black, Muslim man from Brooklyn, whose physique defied his easy laugh and best-in-class hugs. Easiest guy in the world to get along with, but his wife intimidated me with her British accent and reserve. I grew up with a different kind of British woman, but eventually I got over feeling like the country cousin. For years we celebrated all the Christian holidays together. Their Halal home was the only place I’d risk Easter dinner during Passover. Mom was originally from India, and her Onion Bhaji is family legend. Not for Passover, of course.
They were worried.
We were worried.
So the men met up to talk logistics. Who had what reserves? Which house was tactically resilient? What were the best escape routes? Did all the kids have both family's numbers? The guys went to the range a few times, but the Proud Boys never broke down doors on our street, and by the time Biden was elected, Favorite Neighbors were most of the way into emigrating to Portugal, where they live quite happily. I still cuss Trump every time I pass their house. They made the BEST jalapeño margaritas. What? You thought I had deeply orthodox friends in any religion? They kept halal for meat and Ramadan, but made a mean cocktail. Dad told me once that in Brooklyn, as a kid, his family bought kosher meat because it was "pretty much the same, and easier to find." I started stocking halal chicken, for last-minute meals.
We didn't tell our white friends. They wouldn’t have understood.
More do now.
Enrique Tarrio was pardoned by Trump, and he’s an ICE agent, now. The very same men we worried about then, are doing exactly what we prepared for : breaking into people’s homes. Beating people in the streets. Raping and killing with impunity.
Terrorizing Americans, on purpose.
Enrique and his new gang aren't bad because of Trump, though. They were always bad -- that was the hiring test. Tarrio has a long rap sheet of opportunistic crimes including selling stolen diabetic test strips. He's a common criminal born into a moment built to reward power and greed.
That's always the way with brownshirts. It's a feature, not a bug. If you want to terrorize people, you empower men like Tarrio to indulge their basest whims. You won’t even need to pay them well. They don’t care about loyalty or retirement accounts. They take their dividends in blood lust.
The threat we prepared for is now reality in Minneapolis. What should you do?
If you aren’t in Minneapolis, prepare. If you're in a big blue city, they're coming, so build the networks and alliances now that you'll need later. Minneapolis has seen the most aggressive and concentrated ICE storm, and by far the most overt abuses, so study their resistance. From mutual aid to direct observation, pick an area you feel capable of, and prepare. Are you a direct action, on-the-street adrenaline junkie, or is grocery shopping for a vulnerable neighbor more your speed? Reinforce connections now. We’re all new to in-the-streets fascism, so instead of thinking “I’m not that person” and checking out, join a training led by someone who thought they weren’t that person a month ago.
As you study Minnesota and other places that have already faced ICE, support the groups on today’s front lines. Donate money or volunteer for virtual tasks. The more connected you are to resistance in other places, the more ready you’ll be.
We may see further escalation in Minnesota. Walz is deploying the Guard to protect protesters, while Trump is threatening to send in the Army. It’s also possible ICE will melt, only to pop up somewhere else. That’s what they’ve done every time they faced organized resistance.
That’s everywhere.
Every single “surge” has been met with widespread citizen pushback, flavored with the local spice. From Portland’s frogs to Chicago’s no-nonsense organizing, each place has a style of its own. What’s your city’s style?
Every city they’ve tried to subdue shares one common thread. Wherever ICE arrives, the people stand up and say “Fuck you! Make me.”
And then we win.
Stand With Minnesota has extensive, locally vetted resources for learning more about the resistance there, and ways to support it. Now, while ICE is in Minnesota, do what you can to support the brave citizens there. ICE shifted resources from other areas due to unexpected levels of pushback. The longer that happens, the safer everyone is. Minnesota fights for us all.
Walz is doing right by deploying the guard. Minneapolis PD is also getting involved in protecting people. This is similar to what I have been calling for. It may soon come to battles between ICE and state/local forces. At that point, we will be in full blown civil war. Risky, but better than individual, less organized and less well trained violent resistance. We should maintain a strategy of individual non-violence.