What this journal entry was originally for
This entry was meant to be the first of many monthly posts for some accountability of my goals, things like rock climbing, books I'm reading, what I'm watching, and other pursuits.
What it actually is for
Instead, it's for Minneapolis. It's hard to write about something else when I see my home breaking. I've lived in Chicago since June 2023, but before then I lived in Minneapolis for 22 years. It's been heart-wrenching to hear the stories of what my friends are going through, and to see cold-blooded murder carried out by parks and pizza shops where we used to hang out. It's easy to feel powerless. I feel compelled to be there and yet I know it's a terrible idea. All I can do from Chicago is give to mutual aid, protest, and uplift Minneapolis voices where I can.
I don't think anyone actually reads this but if they did, and if they were on the fence about what's going on in Minneapolis or unwilling to take sides, like my mother, then this is for you:
My friend * is a school teacher at a school where children no longer feel safe attending class. Schools in the Twin Cities are starting workshops on virtual learning. At least half a dozen children from her class have already been withdrawn from school because their families would rather risk going back to their home country than being split up or put in detention facilities. Can you imagine being a child trying to learn 6th grade math despite all of that?
My friend * often works in Minneapolis on behalf of the media who are teargassed or hit with rubber bullets while covering anti-ICE protests, trying to get them more bulletproof vests and gas masks. She refuses to accept that journalism is just "a tough job" as a way for those in charge to deny those requests.
My friend * is afraid to even walk around the city he has called home all his life due to the color of his skin. I didn't have to ask but I'm sure he carries his identification wherever he goes, not because he's done anything wrong but to keep him out of a van. The fact that US citizens are afraid to be detained should tip you off that shit is fucked.
We don't have the luxury of being neutral or 'staying out of it' when our neighbors donate to mutual aid for gas masks and America's children choose exile to a place they've never known over detention.
If you are looking for somewhere to help, you can find vetted resources at standwithminnesota.com
Or you can message me personally for ways to support neighborhood-level food distribution networks, or to get anti-ICE pins and magnets (proceeds also donated).
Love to Minneapolis