I guess I’m doxxing myself here, but a man was shot and killed by ICE in my neighborhood this morning. I don’t know how this is being looked at from the outside, but from the inside it seems it’s already being swept under the rug by everybody except for those who care enough to protest. Some are pushing back, insisting the victim was using his vehicle as a weapon. I am curious to know what these people would do if a firearm was pointed into their vehicle at point-blank range, while they were being detained for no reason by masked law enforcement agents who are incentivized to push a narrative of illegality on the detainee’s part.
In this country, the punishment for the civil offense of overstaying a visa is being brutally assaulted, being sent to a concentration camp, or being murdered by law enforcement. And the punishment is the same when you’re only a suspect, or when you’re being racially profiled, or when you’re being retaliated against for not supporting the hunting of individuals who contribute to a fraction of percentage of crime and fraud in this country.
This city has been plagued by a near-constant ICE presence for a year, with a clear intention to intimidate Hispanic, Asian, Middle Eastern, African, and Caribbean individuals, families, and businesses out of the area. This is a working class city, and always has been. The apartments, restaurants, storefronts, and offices that occupy the once-bustling mill buildings along the river are proof of that. The long-standing enclaves of different lived experiences are what make it unique. Only last month, the annual Franco-American festival celebrated its 44th year of operation. This past weekend, the Greek festival served our twin city. We have an African, Middle Eastern, and Asian grocery store all within city limits. ICE is actively targeting our differences, and this has been obvious to all of us who have been paying attention, but I am afraid that not enough of us are. It seems that many people here won’t start to care until they realize that they have differences that can and will be targeted, too.
My working class grandparents raised their working class family here, and changed their status despite the obstacles in their way. They were first-generation Americans, both products of genocide survivors, both authority-questioning, union-joining, hardworking people who fought for and worked towards what they believed was their American Dream. Right here, in the same city where a young husband and father was murdered in broad daylight on his way to work.
According to official reports, this young man had work authorization and an assigned social security number. His status was legal. But regardless of status, the use of lethal force is never justified.
I have a lot more to say, but it seems futile at this point. Nobody is listening. The investigation has already been taken over by the same agencies that have covered up all of the rest of them. I’m angry, and I’m scared, and I don’t recognize this city, or this state, or this country anymore. This level of violence, hatred, and division is disgusting. EVERYONE should be disgusted.
ellievsbear
germansingergirl
theartofmadeline
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
romaincrisis
amandla
