It’s the most gut-wrenching, unspeakable deja vu.
Another person executed by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis.
Another endless stream of grainy videos, analyzing every angle of a human being’s last moments.
Another surge of lies, gaslighting, and blatant disinformation from the Trump administration as they cover up and justify a brutal murder.
It’s all so dystopian. I’m incredibly sad for every person who knew and loved Alex Pretti. And I’m angry for them, too. I’m angry for all of us.
This is not OK. This is not what democratic governments do. We can’t accept it, and we don’t have to.
It’s not fair that we’re facing this reality. We shouldn’t have to be.
But when things feel particularly tumultuous or scary, I sometimes find it reassuring to remember how many times the American people have been tested before. I think about how this country got its start 250 years ago. I think about the courage and power of Civil Rights leaders who created generational change, about the millions of young people who organized against an unjust war in Vietnam. It’s not fair — but fighting for justice and democracy is interwoven in every part of our history, and we are held up by all those who came before us. There is still hope and a path forward.
So we can’t let up — for Alex Pretti and Renee Good, for Liam Ramos and every child who’s been kidnapped, for every person who’s been wrongly detained and deported, for every kid growing up in this moment in America.
Here are ways to act:
→ To support folks on the ground in Minnesota, consider donating to mutual aid groups, crowdfunding campaigns, and organizations helping with legal support: StandWithMinnesota.com.
→ If you can’t afford to donate, your time and voice are so valuable — please amplify what’s actually happening to drown out the disinformation circulating online.
→ The other really important thing right now is to make sure the Senate doesn’t give DHS another penny. They’re likely to vote on a funding bill this week that would increase the budget given to DHS, including ICE and CBP, but they can’t pass it without Democratic votes. (I proudly voted NO on this same bill in the House last week.) Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3141 and urge your Senators to block DHS funding.
Finally, I’ve said this before, but it’s too important not to repeat over and over: the most critical thing we can do to stop a backslide into authoritarianism is to stay in community with one another. Division, isolation, disillusionment, exhaustion — these are tactics, and giving in to them is the worst thing we can do right now.
Connect with your friends, your family, your neighbors, your colleagues. Even if you don’t agree on everything. If you just agree that democracy must be protected, that can be enough to make a difference.
Thank you for reading, and thank you for being a part of my community. I’m grateful to have you here, and I will keep fighting for you.
Sincerely,
Sara
