I have been trying to figure out what to post here about ICE activity today in the Minneapolis / St. Paul metro. It is just •batshit• out there.

Some admin mucky-muck is in town today (Noem, I think?), and ICE is putting on a full We Are A Big Fascist Deal theater show. The result of this is chaos: ICE caravans all over, vulnerable people terrified, less-vulnerable residents dropping their work to keep watch on the streets.

1/

ICE has been harassing residents and lawful observers unusually aggressively yesterday and today. They walk up to random cars with window-smashing tools in hand and say threatening things. They slow-drive by people’s houses in a “we know where you live” kind of way. They detain people — completely illegally, completely unconstitutionally, of course — but that will mater later and their big photo op matters •now•.

2/

What is it like to live here now?

A message comes through from a neighbor about a swarm of ICE agents in a home just a few blocks away — gone by the time I was there to check it out. Nobody knows whether ICE abducted anyone there.

A message comes through from another neighbor trying to find support for a pregnant woman whose husband was just abducted. She cannot even figure out what she wants to ask for; she is in shock. I have no way to verify this story.

Group of vehicles at this restaurant, at that library, in this suburb. On and on.

3/

What do I want you to know, watching from far away?

I want you to know that if you are not hearing about ICE swarming all the hell over my city, you are not hearing the actual news.

I want you to know that if all you see is video of ICE marching off Very Dangerous Criminals in an orderly and authoritative way, you are not hearing the actual news.

I want you to know that these turds act tough, but run away • every • time • they think too many people are watching or there might be video.

4/

The vibe is not even the sort of “excessive show of force” vibe you get when militarized law enforcement goes off the rails and starts rioting. (I live in Minneapolis. I’m quite familiar with what •that• looks like.)

This is more like…hundreds of high school gym bullies get all hopped up on Red Bull and decided to take daddy’s SUV on a joy ride to randomly kidnap the first brown person they can corner…but only if nobody’s watching.

5/

@inthehands I mean, that's exactly the people that ICE attracts: bullies who get off on abusing people. People who are afraid to get hit back in a fight.

Living in the 2020s is like seeing all the worst people I went to high school with running the country. Noem reminds me of the mean girls who were inexplicably popular and just incredibly horrible whenever they had the chance.

I wonder what we can do from afar to help?