First to the MAGA commenters: ICE has utterly shredded its credibility by lying so much. But no one really objects to catching actual criminals, they object to the spectacles of fascist brutality and the failure to provide a path to citizenship to people who were de facto brought into the country (by Republicans even more than corporate Democrats) to be inexpensive labor. If ICE pepper-sprayed or shot in the face one white employer of undocumented workers for every Latino, they could easily dry up the demand for these workers and wipe out half the agricultural sector of Minnesota.
To Hamilton: Thank you so much for this excellent reporting! But I do have a comment/question and wonder if you might like to follow it up sometime. I've written to you in these comments or directly a couple of times, urging you to reconsider your hostility to the religious left. Basically I have said if we want successful coalitions we very often need religious left and labor working together with synergy at the grass-roots organizing and messaging levels. To me this Minneapolis organizing is an example of what I was driving at. It's not that I read the past hostility/condescension from you today--the opposite is true!-- it's that I wonder if your time in Minnesota has led you to rethink anything at more generalizable levels. Of course a "Minnesota" model wouldn't work the same everywhere... but that was part of my point before, where does it work and what can we do (and not do) to make it more likely to work in more places?
I think some thought the point was to get around to deporting all illegals, none of whom have any business. They came to work as cheap labor, but they weren't rounded up off the streets of their own countries.
There is more courage in any one of the protestors than the cowards with their goddamned guns, tear gas, and orders from another lying fraud and coward to kill adults and kidnap children or anybody who dares to fight his vapid, self-centered cruelty and wish to destroy America.
The people of Minnesota are magnificent. Marching when it's below zero Fahrenheit. We are not worthy!
Trump loves Putin. Putin must subdue Ukraine, and Trump has to conquer his own renegade provinces. Putin sent his army into eastern Ukraine in 2014 wearing disguises. Trump formed an army in 2025 and sent it into American cities wearing disguises. They should rename the Department of Homeland Security the Department of Domestic War.
Nuremberg came only after the combined armed forces of the UK, USA, and USSR utterly overwhelmed the armed forces of Germany and Italy.
It gives me no pleasure to note this; I dread the implications more than I can readily express. But monsters like Hitler, Mussolini, and their enablers never back down out of embarrassment or shame or even rational self-interest.
An ICU nurse working for th VA? Defending a woman who was sprayed in th face w a chemical agent? Gang tackled and assaulted by a clown car of social misfits and gunned down in th street. What in th fuck?
This is the most detailed, vivid reporting I’ve seen about yesterday’s protest in Minneapolis. Encouraging to read about the strength and commitment of Minnesotans.
Now we need a follow-up protest/ boycott to keep the ICE resistance going.
Godspeed, brother. Thank you for the humanity.
First to the MAGA commenters: ICE has utterly shredded its credibility by lying so much. But no one really objects to catching actual criminals, they object to the spectacles of fascist brutality and the failure to provide a path to citizenship to people who were de facto brought into the country (by Republicans even more than corporate Democrats) to be inexpensive labor. If ICE pepper-sprayed or shot in the face one white employer of undocumented workers for every Latino, they could easily dry up the demand for these workers and wipe out half the agricultural sector of Minnesota.
To Hamilton: Thank you so much for this excellent reporting! But I do have a comment/question and wonder if you might like to follow it up sometime. I've written to you in these comments or directly a couple of times, urging you to reconsider your hostility to the religious left. Basically I have said if we want successful coalitions we very often need religious left and labor working together with synergy at the grass-roots organizing and messaging levels. To me this Minneapolis organizing is an example of what I was driving at. It's not that I read the past hostility/condescension from you today--the opposite is true!-- it's that I wonder if your time in Minnesota has led you to rethink anything at more generalizable levels. Of course a "Minnesota" model wouldn't work the same everywhere... but that was part of my point before, where does it work and what can we do (and not do) to make it more likely to work in more places?
I think some thought the point was to get around to deporting all illegals, none of whom have any business. They came to work as cheap labor, but they weren't rounded up off the streets of their own countries.
There is more courage in any one of the protestors than the cowards with their goddamned guns, tear gas, and orders from another lying fraud and coward to kill adults and kidnap children or anybody who dares to fight his vapid, self-centered cruelty and wish to destroy America.
The people of Minnesota are magnificent. Marching when it's below zero Fahrenheit. We are not worthy!
Trump loves Putin. Putin must subdue Ukraine, and Trump has to conquer his own renegade provinces. Putin sent his army into eastern Ukraine in 2014 wearing disguises. Trump formed an army in 2025 and sent it into American cities wearing disguises. They should rename the Department of Homeland Security the Department of Domestic War.
Nuremberg came only after the combined armed forces of the UK, USA, and USSR utterly overwhelmed the armed forces of Germany and Italy.
It gives me no pleasure to note this; I dread the implications more than I can readily express. But monsters like Hitler, Mussolini, and their enablers never back down out of embarrassment or shame or even rational self-interest.
An ICU nurse working for th VA? Defending a woman who was sprayed in th face w a chemical agent? Gang tackled and assaulted by a clown car of social misfits and gunned down in th street. What in th fuck?
"That’s what I saw in Minneapolis. The extended hand of niceness, and the way that it can form a protective fist, when it needs to."👏
You are such a wonderful wordsmith! Let's hope the pen (and our mutual care for and understanding of each other) is truly mightier than the sword.
This is the most detailed, vivid reporting I’ve seen about yesterday’s protest in Minneapolis. Encouraging to read about the strength and commitment of Minnesotans.
Now we need a follow-up protest/ boycott to keep the ICE resistance going.
Proud of all of you showing the way ahead.
This is some impressive on the ground reporting.
Now let’s make a list of all charges and convictions against commander-in-chief.
This was so heartening to read this morning, before the horrible news that would follow. Thank you for being there, for your reporting and writing.
God bless those Minnesotans! And what was the response of ICE? Kill another innocent citizen. It’s got to stop!
Great article. Thanks for sharing your experience.
This piece gave me goosebumps. Tremendous writing (as always)
What a great tribute to the citizens of Minneapolis!