LinkedIn Post #1
I’ve been wanting to write about what is happening in my city, Minneapolis, for a couple of weeks now, but now I cannot wait any longer to share my perspective on it. I know LinkedIn is “for business” but work and real life are inextricably linked and what is happening here is absolutely related to the work that we all do, regardless of the nature of that work.
Four years ago, I moved into the neighborhood surrounding George Floyd Square in south Minneapolis. I was lucky enough to find here a community that cares deeply for one another and support each other in a multitude of ways. It is the very picture of what community is supposed to be.
Last night we held a candlelight vigil, one of many in the city, after the murder of Alex J Pretti at the hands of the ICE agents terrorizing our city. (I used the words “murder” and “terrorizing” very intentionally, because they are the correct words.) This murder was a mere 17 days after the murder of Renee Nicole Good, also by the hands of ICE agents.
Our bodies are tired from patrolling our streets and our churches and our schools to prevent more abductions by the hands of our own federal government.
Our hearts are tired from mourning the loss of two residents, both regarded as loving, caring, decent people by all that knew them.
We’re also mourning the losses of our freedoms as they get stripped away by the operation here. The presence of helicopters in the sky above us has become commonplace. Masked goons in caravans travel our streets, taking breaks from their search for their next victim to harass community members. We’re told we’re being put in a database for “domestic terrorism” merely for standing on a corner with a whistle.
Despite all this, we will continue to support each other.
I walk the streets of this city a lot, both in my neighborhood and all of south Minneapolis. I also lived in north Minneapolis for six years previous. I have never, not once, felt unsafe in this city before this operation began. The only fear I have now is that masked, unaccountable goons will arrest or murder me for caring about my community.
What is happening here is far beyond mere politics. This is a moral crisis. This is a humanitarian crisis. It needs to stop and the only people who can stop it are in the federal government. If you have not already, please call your senators and house members and ask them to hold this administration accountable for the damage they are doing.
Also, for those outside of Minnesota, prepare your community. If they are allowed to continue this here, they will come to your city and state, too. Get to know your neighbors, build community and resilience. The fear they are perpetrating only works if everyone stays isolated and afraid.
Take care of yourselves and your community and your coworkers. We’re the only ones who can save us.
PS, before anyone says this post limits my employment chances, I wouldn’t want to work for a company that would not hire me because of this anyway.