smile, or go to jail!

I sat down a few days ago to write a standard “Know Your Rights” post for everyone on the ground in the Twin Cities. I wanted to tell you about the Fourth Amendment. I wanted to tell you that they need a signed judicial warrant to enter your home. I wanted to give you the script to say “I do not consent to this search.”

But I realized I would be lying to you if I said that mattered right now.

The reality on the streets of Minneapolis is that ICE is operating as a lawless, paramilitary force. They are pulling people out of cars without cause. They are snatching people off the street. We have seen them murder innocents like Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, and face zero consequences. When federal agents are tearing gas peaceful protestors and ignoring court orders, “legal rights” feel like a fairy tale.

You cannot recite the Constitution to a jackboot on your neck and expect it to save you.

So, screw the “legal” advice. If you are in Minnesota, or if you are anywhere in this country watching this nightmare expand, here is the SURVIVAL advice.

IF YOU ARE IN A VIOLENT ZONE / PROTEST:

Do not engage alone. ICE relies on isolation. If you see them grabbing someone, do not physically intervene unless you have the numbers to de-arrest safely (and know what you are doing), but do not let them operate in the dark. Film everything. Stream it. Scream. Make sure they know the world is watching.

Biometrics are dangerous. Turn off FaceID/TouchID on your phone. If you are detained, they will try to force your phone open. Set a long, alphanumeric passcode.

If you are near the protests, wear nondescript clothing. Cover identifiable tattoos. Carry saline for tear gas. Write a lawyer’s number on your arm in permanent marker.

FOR EVERYONE (CITIZEN OR NOT) DEALING WITH ICE:

If they knock, DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR. It doesn’t matter what they say. It doesn’t matter if they say they just “want to talk” or “check your papers.” Unless they batter that door down (which is rare but happening), you keep that physical barrier between you and them. Talk through the door. Slide nothing under it.

Scrub your social media if you are undocumented or organizing. Use Signal with disappearing messages. ICE is using data dragging and AI surveillance, don’t make their job easier by posting your location in real-time.

Know your neighbors. Who is vulnerable? Who has a safe basement?

Minneapolis, we are with you. We see you. We are screaming with you. The law has left the building, so we have to protect each other.

Minnesota Freedom Fund (MFF): The heavy lifters. They pay criminal bail and immigration bonds. They are currently overwhelmed by the volume of arrests from the raids and protests.

Midwest Immigration Bond Fund: Specifically focused on paying immigration bonds for those detained by ICE. This is critical because ICE bonds are often set astronomically high to keep people locked up.

LEGAL DEFENSE AND IMMIGRANT PROTECTION

Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota (ILCM): They are providing direct legal representation to those detained in the recent raids. They are the frontline legal defense against deportation.

The Legal Rights Center: Community-based legal defense. They often represent protestors and have a long history of fighting for racial justice in Minneapolis.

COPAL MN: Comunidades Organizando el Poder y la Acción Latina. They are doing massive grassroots organizing, rapid response training, and legislative advocacy. If you want to fund the movement and community power, give to them.

CAIR-MN (Council on American-Islamic Relations): With the specific targeting of the Somali community in Minneapolis during this operation, CAIR is essential for civil rights defense.

EMERGENCY NUMBERS (WRITE THESE DOWN)

Do not rely on a saved contact in a phone that ICE might confiscate.

Immigrant Law Center Detention Line: 1-651-641-1011

Prime Minister of the Adrestian Empire who contributed to its rebuilding after the war against Those Who Slither In The Dark. He participates in the festival alongside Hubert. They appear in Fire Emblem: Three Houses.

Also a little bonus skrunky drawn in the style of Sharena's meet the hero chibis!!!

im gonna try explaining myself, cus im a gambling addict and im waiting for the day that it actually works.

"forgiveness" is personal, that's why I said in the post that you might inflict harm on people for which they can never forgive you, but that's their quest. if you abuse someone, you can't go no-contact with yourself. you actually keep living in your own head indefinitely, and ultimately you need to learn to live with yourself in order to continue living a full life without further harm. this is not necessarily an anti-carceral thought, although i am generally anti-carceral myself. I simply want people to like, fix their heart and atone for real with measured accountability & self love instead of dissociating, self-marking themselves forever and guaranteeing their recidivism.

Even if everyone else has forgiven you for the abuse you did, you must never allow yourself to let what you did be forgiven. Once you've done that, you've gotten to the point where you might do it again.

And if you believe the world works like that one other thing also has to be true: You know you are a ‘good person’, so nothing you ever do could be truly abusive. You could never truly harm another person. And if you did they must have deserved it. Because you are a good person.

And wow, does that not just sound like something abusers usually say, when confronted with their own behavior?