Struggles in Minneapolis
This past December I was in Minneapolis and saw first hand the struggles we are seeing in the news. Since the recent killing of Renee Good, the conflicts have become more intense and more urgent. There are two struggles being played out on the streets.
The first struggle reflects what Renee was doing just prior to being shot. She was a neighbor trying to help other neighbors. In her neighborhood, masked armed people in their unmarked cars are grabbing and abducting community members while they are taking their kids to school, going to work, buying basic groceries, or attending worship services. There is no due process in what ICE is doing there. Neighborhood watches have formed to help neighbors remain safe and keep children with their parents. I saw neighbors on street corners trying to help worried parents get their children to and from school. Helping a neighbor should not be a crime and is not terrorism. A person standing on a corner blowing a whistle is not a terrorist.
The second struggle is an attempt to say ‘NO’ to spending more money on arms, surveillance, and other wasteful areas. Did you know that we are putting up ICE agents in Hilton Hotels? We are giving millions to arms manufacturers to create weapons that are being used against residents of this country. This struggle is playing out in protests across the country where people are exercising their free speech rights and voicing objections to this government’s actions. These protesters are called terrorists. Holding signs, singing, playing instruments are not acts of terrorism.
Since my return to the Upper Valley it has been a challenge to find ways to support the struggles in Minneapolis. We can protest ,stay informed, write letters and not succumb to hyperbole. It is also important to build strong neighborhoods here and get ready for what may happen next. Minneapolis can be a model for how neighbors can step up and help each other. We may not be neighbors to folks in MN, but we are all in this together.