How Are You Doing, America?
We had a sponsored design post today – scheduled for a few weeks. I just couldn’t put it up. I had “emotional life whiplash” this weekend – where you have to live your life with kids while also trying to stay present to the tragedies that are unfolding in real time. We went to Bend because the kids had two extra days off school and skied (or, in my case, “tried”). Every few hours I would pick up my phone and be reminded of the very clear, horrifying actions of our government on its own people. The back-and-forth was stark and unsettling. Maybe you can relate.
I have one of those personalities where I try to see most sides of most situations. I know that there is always context, nuance, and perspective that should be considered. I lean left, but I also understand that my bubble isn’t always right and that different communities, states, and groups of people have their own set of experiences that form their beliefs (and listening to others has helped shape and reshape mine). I know I don’t know everything and its impossible to understand all points of views. But this weekend hit harder than usual. Living in Portland, I knew the false narratives around immigrants here and the unnecessary “crackdown” by the government. We’ve never once felt any “negative effects” of having immigrants in our lives; in fact, our personal experience is the 100% opposite (which I recognize might not be everyone’s experience, but its ours). Everyone here together, sharing lives and cultures, is what makes living in the US so beautiful. But I’ve tried to understand that in many border states, government officials or the media portray a different experience. I also do believe that every news source is biased (because they are edited by humans… for now), so trying to feel confident about what you are reading is an absolute chore (I read a lot of news sources for this reason). But as ICE has escalated in Minnesota, it all became clearer than ever. The actual video evidence of Alex Pretti is inarguable. Watching the video over and over from different angles was horrifying and surreal. And our President’s and his government’s reaction was somehow worse.
So this is to my conservative readers. I genuinely want to understand if you think what is happening and how its happening is ok. I understand there will at times be casualties and accidents that are out of our control, but the volume of masked men, with barely any training, following brown people around town with guns, with zero accountability for their actions, surely can’t be what you wanted. I understand all the arguments about border control, I do. And I understand that Biden and Obama both deported a lot of people – millions more than Trump in his last term. It’s not about deportation as an idea; it’s how they are doing it. With such violence, cruelty, and a desire to almost torment and terrorize. Families being ripped apart who were in the midst of the immigration process. Children as bait. Moms and nurses killed due to untrained panic or maybe something more sinister. Most of the conservatives that I respect are being silent right now (*as of Sunday evening), likely scrambling to frame it in a way that is possibly aligned with their morals and political careers.
I know that America wanted change when they voted for Trump, and I accepted that desire as a criticism and referendum for how things were. It wasn’t the change that I wanted, but America spoke, and I really did try to listen. But this last year has been so damaging to democracy. In the big M macro way. I’m a huge history lover (it was my major in college), and America is a tiny blip in our world history, and it’s increasingly not looking good. There is no guarantee that we will be around in 200 years. America has only been this “experiment” for 250 years, but so many of our founding values have been challenged in this last year, and I really think that if we don’t get this guy out of power soon, we are in HUGE trouble. He’s playing by no rules, disregarding international protocol, let alone his own government’s laws on every front, with zero accountability because he has taken over every branch of government that could hold him accountable. While he’s not the only one to blame, I certainly think he’s the driving force… and I don’t think that most people would have voted for this version of him.
I guess the point of writing this is to hear from readers outside of my bubble. My hope is to hear from conservatives and republicans. I totally understand that there are things you hoped he would change and improve when he got back in office, but I genuinely want to know if you think that this is too far? The tariffs were/are troubling for our small business economy. The “being bought off by the tech billionaires in exchange for no regulation” is extremely problematic for our kids and economic futures. The cancellation of all the international aid felt cruel. I could go on… But seeing a city protest in a peaceful way, with people allowed to videotape and whistle at barely-trained masked men grabbing brown people off the streets, seeing a nurse trying to help a woman stand up and then being killed…it’s too much, too violent, too deadly.
It’s un-American. We are flawed with bureaucracy, run by people who are so imperfect and have a lot to learn. But our founders built our country to make us feel safe and free.
And right now, almost none of us do.
I am neither American nor right-leaning, but I think if you want people to comment here and trust that this is a good faith attempt at learning about other views, you need to give them space to do so without being torn down by other commentators. Could you offer that only comments trying to genuinely answer you will be posted for this post only, and that comments ripping those answers apart will be modded?
i’m up early with eyes on the comments.
no personal attacks or you’ll get hit with the ban hammer!
Thank you!
Out of curiosity, why do the blog comments even have the option to upvote or downvote other commenters? It’s one thing to “second” or support a comment, but if you have layers of moderators screening for inappropriate comments, why even have a way to “downvote” others? It feels out of alignment with the stated goals for a design blog all about building community, truly. Is there any way to turn off this feature for posts such as this one or other “personal” posts? What is really “learned” from the votes, other than a chilling effect of not wanting to be downvoted/ratioed? It seems like the main thing that happens is the first posts get lots of votes and then the majority less engagement- probably just a feature of the “oldest first” post sorting. Is this a type of “engagement” required by your brand partners? Is it just built into the blog platform? I know that like/subscribe is forced on you by instagram/YouTube/larger content platforms that monetize engagement, but in this space, what is gained (or lost) when comments become popularity contests or pile ons? What can you do as hosts of this community to make everyone more welcome while still… Read more »
As someone who leans conservative but never supported Trump or any other politician that propagates his lies (so, 97% of republicans), this is NOT OKAY. ICE OUT!
I live in a very conservative state. My mom and grandmother voted for Trump. At breakfast the other morning (even before Alex), both talked about how this has gone too far. That gave me hope, but at the same time, it’s scary because it feels so out of our control now. What is congress actually doing!?
Even after talking about how this has gone too far, do you know whether they will change their vote in the upcoming election?
That is nice to hear. Thanks for sharing.
I’m hopeful that this situation is changing some of the conservative minds. Likely not the diehard far right people that I could never fully understand myself, but the people who had sort of “other” reasons for voting for trump, like they wanted RFK, or they couldn’t bear to vote for Kamala. As a homeschooling mother in Oklahoma, it’s an interesting place to be because my husband and I (and our church) are pretty center/left, but SO many people we are in community with here are much more conservative than we are. I feel like this weekend I’ve seen a shift. People I didn’t expect to say anything have posted, condemning ICE. Although I will say, it seems like it’s pretty much the people under 40 years old. I wonder if there’s hope to change the older conservative minds.
I kinda feel the shift as well. I don’t have the guts to ask my own family members yet 🙂 thanks for sharing. xx
I asked my Mom this morning, on her thoughts. She’s conservative and voted for Trump. I’m very nervous to hear her response.
I am in my 60’s. I’ve always been fairly liberal, and live in a very blue part of Colorado. I am a retired librarian. My husband, for years was fairly apolitical. His business has traditionally been male oriented, and his suppliers are often blue collar. We also own a small farm on the Eastern plains of Colorado. My husband is a part of that rural farming community. During these years of divisive politics, I see how those divides have influenced my husband’s thinking. When he comes home from work, or from a long weekend at the farm, he has often been influenced by Trump followers who only get their news from Fox, and word of mouth. We make it a point to record and watch ABC’s World News Tonight together. I remind my husband of the importance of watching real news. After Alex was killed, we sat together and watched the video that the New York Times linked. I told him that he must remember to believe his own eyes. I think folks under 40 see these videos, and see independent comments and news sources. Older folks, especially ones with time on their hands, might just tune into Fox. They… Read more »
A thoughtful analysis, Lisa! And I admire your work to stay informed and in meaningful conversation with a hustband whose perspective is not exactly your own. That sort of engagement is so powerful.
Whoops, husband. 🙂
thank you so much for sharing. And for having those harder conversations. Really really appreciate you 🙂
I’m in my late 70s and mostly voted republican…until 10 years ago. I am so angry at how my party has been radicalized and now consider myself an independent. I’m praying for more to open their eyes to the evil in the current administration. If I can change, so can others.
The madness must be stopped! I’ve been calling my congress members and I’m out protesting in my little town almost every week. I’ve also stopped being silent on social media. I’m doing what I can for the future of my children and grandchildren.
Thanks Emily for a thoughtful and open post, as always. I’m not American and have never lived in America (although I do have American family and have visited). It’s horrifying to watch what is happening. I can tell you that, on the international stage, Trump is also destroying alliances that took decades to build and that may not be recoverable, causing lasting damage to the American reputation and economy.
One other thing I would add – everybody is allowed to change their opinion. Maybe a little, maybe a lot, again and again as new information becomes available or becomes visible. What you did or did not believe in, or vote for, in the past does not have to define you today. I think it’s very valuable that you provide a safe space for people to exchange views and gain a greater understanding of what can be a very polarising situation.
As someone who lives in Minneapolis, thank you for this conversation. We need to hear more voices in support from outside of our state.
We also need everyone to call all of their representatives to let them know how you feel!
I contact them every morning. Kinda waiting for someone to arrive at my door questioning my constant contact yikes!
Here from a few minutes outside of MPLS as well. We need help! It cannot just be our voices and bodies lifting up right now. Call, call, call. We have a moment and the ear of those in charge and it won’t last.
Thank you so much for speaking out. It’s shocking to see how many white design influencers are staying silent to protect their revenue stream over human life right now. Emily Henderson Design has never hesitated to use their voice for good.
I think its perhaps a leap to say people are staying silent to protect their revenue. Unless you know for sure that’s the case, people have many reasons for not bringing politics into their content. I for one GO to specific content hoping to ESCAPE. My parents grew up in St Paul and Minneapolis. My brother lives in down town Minneapolis, my cousin lives in an epicenter community where ICE is targeting people. I live in Minnesota. I dont go to content creators to get their take on this crisis and make ZERO assumptions about anyone’s motivations for their public content that has no political content. Thank GOD for the creators who just show me their designs their art, their music, their creativity. It’s not tone deaf, it’s a blessed relief.
I am generally a moderate who sometimes votes conservative. I never ONCE ever supported a single thing Trump ever said or did as a human or a politician. He is taking this country down a dark road.
I don’t think we should include influencers in the same category as artists/creators. Influencers are businesses, who rely on their followers as a customer base. I think it’s totally fair to treat influencers as you would any company.
Just want to add that influencers are also individuals [or occasionally couple or nuclear families]. On a personal level, since an influencer’s business is actually based on the personal, some may be or may know immigrants, legal or not, and may not speak up on certain issues using their business megaphones for that reason, to protect themselves and their loved ones.
I want to unite people through design and joyful lifestyle content, not be another voice of division. But there are times when it feels right or more that posting about anything else feels really wrong. And even writing this comment i’m sure i’m not giving enough context or saying something the wrong way. My job and our value in this world is to make people who love design have a place to learn, share, discuss design. So we obviously try to focus on that, but good god sometimes its just feels too scary to talk about anything else. xx
That is very much appreciated. I just wanted to give a bit of possible context for why some in the public sphere cannot afford to be vocal in this way right now. I’m just not sure it’s helpful to chastise these people we don’t know, while I DO appreciate the platform that’s being offered here.
I want to hear from all Americans right now. I don’t care what their job/income revenue is. And personally, I don’t want to be supporting an influencer who is supporting MAGA madness.
i love this blog and it’s staff, but i have to respectfully disagree. I used to think that and have always loved that EH took stances on political/moral stances, but there is one topic that the US was HEAVILY (like more than any other country) involved in for the past 2+ years that even EHD refused to touch. almost zero design influencers would even acknowledge it because it was career sui cide. i follow so many design accounts and influencers. the very tiny percentage willing to clearly take a strong stance on it willingly lost their careers over it. And honestly, that is exactly why we are in the situation we are now here. its an inconvenient fact that what we ignore and allow to happen abroad, will make its way here, as it has. the same people that did that overseas train the people that are doing what they are doing here. same tactics.
I’ve been reading EHD since the very early blogging days (pre-Design Star), and I almost unfollowed recently because I couldn’t believe we were seeing happy design content with no acknowledgment of the heinous political terror happening around us. Instead, I just stopped engaging here entirely. I am a teacher who makes A LOT less money than a design influencers with Target collabs and who has A LOT on the line since teachers are literally being attacked in this political climate. I’m a single mother with two kids. And still, I have chosen NOT to be silent. I’ve very much appreciated design influencers like Design Mom, Rosa Beltran, Carmeon Hamilton using their platforms to raise awareness. And because they’ve been vocal since the beginning, they have an even stronger, trusting community of followers who will buy anything they sell from here on out. Just being honest, but I would have a hard time doing the same for EHD.
I am right there with you. I stopped engaging for the past 2+ years because of Gaza (except for sometimes for Caitlin or Jess because i love their stuff so much and they follow me on IG.) I couldn’t stomach the lack of acknowledgement of an actual Holocaust of a trapped population that’s 50% children that was/is happening because of our country. And I realized that we were seeing in real time exactly how the WW2 Holocaust was allowed to happen. Because people of means and influence didn’t speak up when it took bravery and there was risk to their careers. I’m going to go follow the designers you mentioned. Thank you.
You’ve hit the nail on the head. Once we bent the international laws for one country (with our help) to perpetuate horrors, we eroded the very institutions that would protect us from the same horrors.
Absolutely. I can never understand why people can so willfully stick their heads in the sand!over human abuses in the next state or a country thousands of miles away and with any intelligence think it won’t find its way back to them. Until it affects them or celebrities start speaking up do they finally gain some “courage” to speak out. I’ve lost so much respect for designers/influencers who finally speak up in the eleventh hour to avoid backslash from followers or feel it’s “safe” to do so now that that “celebrities” are doing so.
“There was one topic…” what was that topic, from overseas, that made its way here? I lost the train of thought…
Pretty sure it’s Gaza
yes
I imagine she’s referring to Palestine.
yes
As a non-American I’m just curious as to why EHD never once touched on America’s involvement in the ge/nocide of Palestinians (and how much it funds Isra/el), and you don’t comment on how cruel the IDF are in an apartheid state… So it seems like your point of view is still really narrow because if you had kept silent on that issue, you generally allowed this same thing to happen in the US. The ICE is acting exactly like the IDF. And the behaviour of America towards Venezuela and Greenland is because it allowed Israel to act with impunity, thus rendering international law useless. You can’t be an American and talk about American politics within America only, because of America’s role in the world. If you only care about what’s happening to immigrants within your country then you fail to see what caused them to become immigrants in the first place, i.e. colonialism, imperialism, exploitation.. and almost everything had America’s hand in it from Trump back to Biden, Obama, the Bushes etc. So the question to me really is why do Americans only care when it happens in their country but for some reason fail to see it when it’s… Read more »
Yes, you definitely understand exactly what I’m saying here. Over 2 years ago I DMed the Instagram account about speaking up about this due to its large platform. No response. I mentioned it in comments here as well back then. Those comments were not even published. I understand why. Brand deals and sponsorships would have disappeared. It’s very unfortunate. Almost nobody would take a stance. I follow everyone that did/does though. But when an absolute atrocity like that can be ignored here because it didn’t personally affect us, or could negatively affect our business, the powers that be knew that the same could be done here. It was like a green light. And now this is the mess we are in.
I did see a post from Yond Interiors (MN designer) Yellow Brick Home wrote two posts about ICE including one today on how to advocate. Heidi Callier and Studio Laloc also have posted. I don’t follow a huge number of designers but luckily these designers have all used their platforms for good 💙
Thank you for this thoughtful, heartfelt and courageous post. I too am curious. These events ask us all to examine our morals and our allegiance to our Constitution.
Thank you for this post! I’m paying attention to what “influencers” are ignoring what’s going on and assuming they voted for and support this– and are therefore people that I’m not interested in supporting. You always have engaging and open conversations about issues, and I appreciate the platform for this kind of dialogue.
Thank you for starting this conversation as I too have a genuine desire to hear from people who voted for Trump. I’m curious not just about how they feel about the atrocities of ICE, but are these murders helping them to connect the dots about any of his other decisions. Are people finally waking up to the realization that Trump never does anything with the American people or the greater good in mind. Every single thing he does can be traced to financial gain, self-aggrandizement or the grabbing of power. And I think too few people understand the enormous damage he has done to this country on the world stage, not just at home, both moral and economic damage that may never be repaired.
I still support Trump and disagree with you, as do the vast majority of Americans. Trump won the popular vote and electoral again this time around, just one year ago. And to be honest, any day it will be proven without a shadow of a doubt that he actually won 2020 —-by huge margins. Maduro from Venezuela is telling the authorities exactly how it was done. As
“As do the vast majority of Americans” may feel disheartening. I felt that way reading this post. But to Amanda and others who may read Karrie’s post, I want you all to know that isn’t true, data and conversations prove that. Ultimately, Karrie isn’t alone in her beliefs and views, but the “majority of Americans” statement is a lie. There was no majority population in this election, only a voter majority, and those are two very very different things and a very very important distinction.
How so
Less than half of all Americans even voted in the last election. Of that, about 77 million (out of about 350 million) voted for Trump and about 75 million voted for Harris. Any way you slice it, that’s not a vast majority of anything. That’s “how so,” since you asked.
There are 334 million people in America, not 334 million eligible voters. 174 million registered voters. 244 million eligible voters. The rest either were not registered, non-citizens (24ish million) or unable to vote because they are under 18 (74-75ish million ) many have a criminal past that bars them from voting (about 4-5 million) and then there are those who just opted not to participate in the voting process despite being registered. And if you ask me, if you CHOOSE not to vote or are not a citizen, your opinion is not relevant in this matter. So of those that elected to vote (156 million), 77 million voted republican, 75 million democrat. of the 244 million eligible, 64% voted. And the majority of those who showed up and take part in a VERY important part of our democracy, voted for Trump. Facts do matter.
Ok, so you presented the facts differently, but we’re still talking about a difference of 2 million votes (and a WHOLE bunch of eligible voters who didn’t vote). That is why I pushed back on the idea that a “vast majority” Americans support Trump. Even he that were true at the election (it wasn’t), it certainly isn’t true now, given his approval ratings. So you’re right: facts DO matter.
Data post-election showed 36% of voting age and eligible Americans did not vote in 2024. Meaning that only 64% of Americans voted, and if you take the total number of Trump votes out of the total population of eligible voters, thats only 30% of Americans (28% to Kamala, the rest to others). So “majority of Americans” is a lie. In fact, it’s only 30% of Americans, and based on data via recent polls showing serious decline in support for him and assuming that support will likely decline even more significantly after this weekend as more and more republicans and Trump voters condemn him, that 30% is likely less than 25% of Americans of voting age, if not lower. So again, your narrative is not even close to truth.
Do you believe voter ID is needed for elections to safeguard our sacred right to cast a vote? Our votes mean nothing if people here illegally without ID are voting in our elections. There is also rampant social security fraud and dead people voting.
So “illegals voting” and “rampant social security fraud” makes it ok for citizens to be murdered on our streets, our constitutional rights violated and toddlers to be kidnapped and used as bait? I fear many of us have lost our humanity.
This is where these attempts to have dialogue break down for me. Karrie, are you able to produce links to credible news sources that show rampant social security fraud and dead people voting?
Karrie, I’m really sad that you weren’t able to discuss the question at hand, rather choosing to resor to canned talking points. How do you feel about ICE agents killing US citizens in Minneapolis? Have you watched videos of the incidents? I’m really curious.
I think it is very sad that two Americans were so brainwashed that they believed they are fighting Gestapo ..and put themselves in the middle of dangerous law enforcement operations by causing chaos. Chaos that ultimately led to their tragic deaths. Entirely preventable
Hi Karrie, I really appreciate you being willing to share your views with people who disagree with you. A question that has always bothered me about anti-immigrant views is that clearly people would not come to America if many American businesses did not hire them. Many industries have a business model that is entirely reliant on undocumented labor. It bothers me that people are so willing to target those who are vulnerable because they don’t have legal status, rather than to work with the industries to find ways to get the labor they need via legal channels. Bringing workers in from elsewhere through legal methods would continue to solve a lot of problems (allows us to pay lower prices; takes pressure off countries that are having internal difficulties and those where opportunities are scarce, leading to less instability in the world; contributes to population growth which is tied to economic growth; and also make the US and our cultural exports popular throughout the world which helps our economy and gives more power and influence over outcomes). Is that a perspective that would ever resonate with you? I understand that some jobs that could otherwise be filled by Americans would go… Read more »
Thanks for your being genuinely curious. I have replied to you … it keeps being removed bc they do not truly wish to hear from a conservative take such as mine
not the case – all comments are being caught by our AI system and i’m just not looking at it 24/7 to manually approve them!
Gross.
You want to believe Trump won 2024 — fine.
But he absolutely did not win 2020. He lost by 7 million votes and got shut down in 60+ court cases, including by judges he appointed. Every audit and recount said the same thing: no widespread fraud.
And yeah – this is also the same guy who literally told supporters to “vote for me and you won’t have to vote again.” Pair that with cozying up to dictators and now citing Maduro as your source on U.S. democracy?
Support Trump if you want. Just don’t pretend conspiracy TikToks + Venezuelan strongmen = facts.
Karrie, I am sorry you couldn’t engage in the generous and thoughtful invitation to discourse. Instead you replied with falsehoods and propaganda. You and your ilk are what frighten me. The worst part of being “led” by a malignant narcissist is discovering how many people refuse to use critical thinking and simply accept what Faux News tells them.
Trump won in 2024 by half the margin (1.5%) that Biden won in 2020 (3%). If you didn’t consider Biden’s win decisive in 2020, then how can you consider Trump’s win a great victory in 2024?
Regarding Karrie’s comment, she might have different thought than majority of readers here. BUT, if we want to have an open conversation or even have any conversation at all, please really consider not to downvote them or any other readers’ comments that are conservatives/different. It would stop people across the aisle to talk and we can’t discuss things that are current and important. Remember that at the crux of the matter, this is a wealth distribution issue, not a party/race/individual issues.
Again – not American but have visited America many times. Left leaning myself, I totally understand that it’s easy to be leftist when you have plenty of money and a comfortable life. I think one of the most confronting things for non-Americans is the disparity between the haves and the have nots when you visit the US and the apparent complete acceptance that that is just the way it is. Economic inequality is what allows this type of behaviour to breed because economic inequality is the basis for insecurity and fear, and therefore hatred, and people love to have both a scapegoat and a saviour. Until Americans (and indeed other nations) accept that it’s not enough to be leftist, but there needs to be fairer distribution of wealth, (perhaps more aligned with societal worth and let go of the ingrained belief that the wealthy ‘deserve’ what wealth they have) and a thriving middle class, I fear these problems will persist, regardless of what wacky lunatic leads the country. Unfortunately wealth is not currently earned on the value the earner brings to society otherwise teachers, nurses, firefighters etc would be rich, and others such as financiers, models, (and dare I say… Read more »
Sally: I learned a lot from your balanced comment. Thank you.
Wealth is correct. Greed is spot on. All of these seemingly random acts are not so random. Case in point, Gaza. The end goal always was to benefit the coffers of Trump, Netanyahu, and Kushner and their cronies. Look at the wasteland that is going to become a luxury haven. These ICE acts are in favor of a redistricting of electoral boundaries. Bondi herself said it plainly – if you want ICE to stop, give us unbridled access all your voter data. Chaos is created to permit the use of martial law, which will them preempt the people in power to institute a third-term presidency. What people don’t realize is we are truly not a democratic nation. We the people do not have the power, as long as the electoral college exists.
Great comment. Thank you so much for your insight. I think you are so right on many levels. I know its not just him (although i’m not sure another human could do this level of damage so fast). But I really really appreciate what you are saying about wealth.
I heard some reporting (I think on instagram…) that Scotland has some new laws being written that will take effect in June that say that governments have to make reducing economic inequality a goal (just tried looking this up, might be the Human Bill of Rights) and apparently a few other places have done this done this on a smaller scale as well. I also saw that Costco (a company know for ethical practices and treating workers well) is partnering with another organization to build apartments somewhere.
It seems like we need an alternative economy to stop the billionaires from amassing even more power and initiatives like these can provide models of where to go from here (from government and business). Despite the daily discouraging news for democracy, these two pieces of news have given me a bit of hope. People are also saying that Americans tolerated so many things before but now maybe people will finally start to fight for things that matter. And believe me, not every American is just accepts the economic divide! But understand the frustration with the apathy you perceive. I feel it, too.
I agree with wealth disparity being a massive issue, but blaming it on left leaning people is not factually accurate…there’s more American history needed to understand where this comes from. As someone who studied economics in college I’d like to offer some of that knowledge if you’re interested. Post WWII the wealth gap was pretty low, when you look at wealth disparity graphs the year 1980 is when you see the lines start to diverge on very different trajectories. That’s the year that Ronald Reagan, a conservative Republican, won the Presidency. He was famous for Reaganomics which was rooted in “trickle-down” economics, meaning tax cuts and policy that benefit the wealthy would trickle down to lower classes… He also was critical of Medicaid and he tried to make cuts to social security. Some of the biggest wealth disparities are evident in the data when you look across racial identities. Reagan started the “welfare queen” persona, was not a supporter on many civil rights related issues. The war on drugs was also thinly veiled racism that disproportionately incarcerated minority groups. Some of his administration didn’t even support equal pay for women. After that “wealth” in the US grew overall with more… Read more »
I studied econ in college, too, and I mostly agree, but I wish Dems could find a way to make a solid case for their policies without sounding like they want to seize the means of production and take away everyone’s private property. There is an ocean of space between where we are now and Chavez style communism a la Venezuela, which is what my midwestern conservative relatives think all Democrats secretly want in their hearts. And it scares them. This gets to the immigration issue, too. Working class people who barely have enough to pay their bills do not want to pay higher taxes so that other people can be taken care of. Period. The left needs to make the case to the working class that taking care of others will not mean less for their family, it will mean more for everybody. Maybe we could follow Nancy Pelosi’s lead and proclaim “We’re capitalists, we just want a big social safety net with universal healthcare.” That might go a long way to reassure independents and we can start winning elections again.
This is neither a blame game focused on Republicans or Democrats. Both parties have the power, Congress has the power, but none will do anything as it benefits them all financially. The end goal of these upheavals and crackdowns, is to implement martial law; the plan was always for a third term run. These are just the catalysts to create that revolutionary constitutional change. As for us Americans, if we didn’t have the moral compass to say anything about the genocide in Gaza, the massacres in Sudan and Congo, we have no right to assume this doesn’t happen to us also. The world sees our actions, mirrors it, and the returns it in a lack of empathy and disdain. We reap what we sow. As humans, as a collective grasp for humanity, it is our responsibility to stand up for all oppressed people, regardless of geographic boundaries.
i wish i could upvote your comment a thousand times. ESPECIALLY the whole sentence about Gaza/Sudan/Congo.
thank you deeply for posting this. your right so few people here in the US feel safe. and likely a big part why more dont engage with this moreso
Kudos to today’s post, thank you. This is for Emily, not for publication. Perhaps you could go to the same ski area, with the same instructor, 5 or 6 times. You could then focus on the skills, not the new area, new instructor, new lifts. I know a great teacher here in Salt Lake City if you want a field trip, although we are having a bad snow year so far. I learned to ski ⛷️ , cross country ski, and water ski in Jackson Hole in the same year. My friends all had moved there for the skiing, first ones on the tram, skied high, fast and deep. I learned enough to teach my special education students to ski. I had to ski backwards, no poles, so I could use sign language. Later I moved to Utah and found my holy grail in women’s ski clinics. Skied for 6 weeks with the same instructor in a same level group. Made all the difference, we skied in blizzards, low light, blue bird conditions, powder, etc. After the clinic I knew a bunch of women at my ability level to continue skiing with. I knew the mountain, where all the restrooms… Read more »
Like you, I lean left. Also like you, I’m wondering how people who voted for the current administration feel about what is going on. Thank you for providing this space.
Emily, thank you! Thank you for acknowledging what is happening in American to good people. The crux of the question isn’t deportation. It is how this administration is going about it. It is targeting democratic cities with one goal (to cause absolute anarchy). As Emily said, “It’s not about deportation as an idea; it’s how they are doing it. With such violence, cruelty, and a desire to almost torment and terrorize. Families being ripped apart who were in the midst of the immigration process. Children as bait. Moms and nurses killed due to untrained panic or maybe something more sinister.” It’s disgusting and I would 100% love to hear real reasons why conversative believe this particular type of action against Americans and non-violent immigrants is okay. More importantly – justified. How do you explain it to your children? I know this will likely get blocked but it is a valid question.
I am a Christian. I am a republican. I stay home with my children. I live in a small conservative town in Montana. I voted for trump. This is not ok. He took the votes
Of people who want a simple life within their communities and without government. I remember learning of the holocaust as a child and thinking how did an entire nation let it get to that point. God help us, what are we doing. I cannot go to Minneapolis and fight. I have babies to take care of and money to feed my family and pay my bills but no extra.
But I will be the first to stand up if they come here. And say I don’t care who you are. This is not democracy. This is not what my great grandparents immigrated here for. You are not what America is.
So Minnesota I am with you. My heartfelt prayers are with you all. We are here, we are with you.
KG – Thank you for allowing yourself to have a new viewpoint based on what is happening now, and sharing it. I didn’t vote for Trump but I do believe many of Trump voters didn’t want this, and could have never seen this coming. If you haven’t called your representatives, I encourage you to do so and let them know exactly what you said here. Your voice is much more meaningful to them than mine, since they care more about losing your vote than trying to gain mine. To those on the left, please please welcome Republicans like KG. We need them. Their voices are so much more influential to those on the right than ours are. If more Republicans speak up and say – no, this is not what we want – that moves the needles so much more than those of us who never supported the Republicans. So please, resist any effort to shame or virtue-lecture family members and friends and community members who open previously voted Republican or identify as MAGA if they open in this way. Statements like, “I told you so.” “What did you think was going to happen?” are just going to push them… Read more »
I appreciate your viewpoint, however, Trump showed us exactly who he was. He wrote Project 25 and it was all in there, but not many people took the time to read it and take it seriously. He is a pathologic liar, he is a narcissist, a rapist, a convicted felon. What more did you need to know? I am forever dumbfounded that people would vote for this rather than a woman who is educated, compassionate and had many years of political experience to be President. No one can tell me that she would’ve been worse for our country. We would not be in the place we are now if she was voted in.
Honestly, you’re right.
But one thing I can say for most of the people in my life, is we are very ‘pull yourself up by your bootstraps’ people. We’ve all got a fair chance. We will lend a helping hand to get you up and on your feet but you’ve got this, we’re all muddling through life the best we can. God helps those who helps themselves.
Which party overall spoke more strongly to people with those values?
This was not meant to sound derogatory in any way. I just meant, overall picture. For someone who stays out of politics the few things I heard were Kamala wanting to do something with student loans and give people money for houses while trump talked about God and family.
Again, conservative family here. So sure, some people didnt like trump as a person. But that was beside the point. Obviously there are ones who just believed it was a lie and fake news against him too but many others skim, take what they see, and move on.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and changing your mind on Trump, KG.
I would say the Democratic party speaks more to your values because they overall enact more policies that attempt to give everyone a “fair chance.” Republicans conversely remove those lending hands, remove those anti-discrimination policies and principles, and enact policies that favor the wealthy and white.
But we don’t all have a fair chance and you don’t help everyone. People generally give time and money to someone they find attractive in some way, whether physically, politically, morally…
To aim for equity, the state can choose to protect and support those who haven’t sold their dignity to try to attract support. Go fund me for a cute 6 year old will be more popular but do you really believe she should have to beg for her life on a daily basis?
KG, as Kate wrote, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts. And, like Kate, please reach out to your elected. They do want to hear from you. I reach out to mine everyday but I’m left and live in MA. I allow myself to call Thune and Cassidy sometimes. Cassidy because I’m in Public Health but losing my job because of OB3 which means the work I’ve been doing will stop being done and Thune because he has some sway. Again, thanks for sharing. Best of luck and WELCOME!
Thank you for sharing. Are you willing to vote with Democrats in next elections? What was the tipping point?
Most likely. I’m not stupid, but like I said earlier I lead a simple life and we are rural and it’s so easy for me to stay away from
Politics and what goes on in cities. I don’t even own a tv.
I don’t know What the tipping point was exactly but I just.. can’t anymore. I wish we could forget about far right and far left and compromise with the majority of America who are in the
Middle anyway, whether they realize it or not.
Thanks so much for sharing.
Democrats are infuriating. And we should want so so much better than either of these parties.
But Republicans have consolidated power, and their leadership is taking this country far away from a Democracy. And without viable other options, and people willing to stand up to Fascism and Tyranny, we must do everything we can to get these Republicans out of office.
You are right. Thank you. I realize most people here don’t understand what would lead people to vote for trump in the first place. I just didn’t fully realize what god he was serving, but it’s not my God. Someone mentioned the distinction between a Christian and a christian nationalist and that’s exactly it.
He serves the gods of greed and power. That is not Christian. I cannot sit for this.
Lady do you know where the ‘greed and power’ is coming from in MN. . . can you NOT see the Billions in daycare fraud, the Billions in Medicare fraud, (it sure isn’t Republicans or Trump) this administration is trying to clean up Biden’s mess. Now you know what open borders and NOT vetting people does to a country, crumbles it from within…don’t you want our tax dollars go for this country and not any criminal that walks into our country and starts lining their pockets, driving big new cars and take thousands and thousands of cash out of this country in suitcases to their countries! Good-bye to our hard earned dollars paid in taxes, poof, off to some other foreign land….what exactly are we doing? Trump sees this HAS to stop!! So MN. does NOT cooperate with the laws on the books, voted on by our Congressman, MN wants to be a sanctuary state and protect illegal people from ALL over the world who break our laws (and find nothing wrong with that) and MN supports ALL of them with free money for housing, schools, medical needs, etc. and, of course it is okay to set up any kind… Read more »
I mean this genuinely and would appreciate a genuine answer ftom you.
How is threatening to annex Greenland helping the American public? How is invading Venezuela and taking the oil profits from that invasion nd lining his own bank account helping the American public? How is demanding a Nobel Peace Prize helping the American public? How is insulting our NATO allies helping the American public? How does putting huge tarrifs on imports that raise prices for Americans and tank the dollar helping Americans?
You say they’re cleaning up Biden’s messes but every day most of us are just witnessing nothing at all that actually aims to help the American people. Inflation is up, unemployment is up, housing prices are up, food prices are up, healthcare prices are up, I could go on and on. It all just helps Trump, his ego and his wealthy friends. How is immigrants helping you? Has it made any real difference in your life? I would like to understand.
Mj, no. I do not want our tax dollars going to criminals and I do not want there to be billions is fraud. I don’t want immigrants to come here illegally and profit off of us. But MORE importantly, I do not want to live in a country where people are terrorized by the way they look. We’ve done this before. Never again. We can get the rest figured out.
My great grandparents immigrated here. I am ‘safe’ because they came from Sweden and Finland and I’m white as could be. What about my neighbor, who is US born but whose dad immigrated from Mexico? What about his US born children, who are brown?
I have no problem with deportation through the correct channels but THIS IS NOT THE WAY IT SHOULD BE.
Terror and fear and violence. It makes me sick. I don’t know what more that I can say except that there are people that are afraid for their lives and that right now the fact of whether they’re citizens or not doesn’t matter.
All due respect Mj. I am living in Minneapolis and my experience has been that ICE is not following the law. They are breaking into houses, beating up pregnant women, killing people who are trying to help others. Immigrants
THAT ARE DOCUMENTED are fearing for their lives and asking others to take care of their kids if they are taken. And they are being taken. You may choose to not believe what we are LIVING and EXPERIENCING here because that just might prove that Trump and Noem, etc are lying – and I imagine that would be a scary thought to you. But I beg you to watch some other news sources and listen to the people who are seeing things with their own eyes. Minneapolis is DESPERATELY trying to keep the peace. There are always a few that will act out in their desperation and they will make the news and rioters. But overall we are all working hard to fight the good fight. I am so damn proud of Minneapolis right now. It is beautiful and you should come see it for yourselves before you judge. Or trust the people who are living in the midst of it.
All of America is proud of you. Even those who don’t get it yet. The rest of us wish we were there to help. Sending love & all kinds of support every single day.
Well said!
It’s appalling to me that Trump being a rapist, sexist con-man wasn’t enough to immediately disqualify him for conservatives no matter his talking points. The lowest threshold for any of our leaders should be “not a rapist”. How quickly conservative and religious people abandon their supposed morals when the alternative is a highly qualified brown woman…
Whether you buy what I’ve said or not, this attitude doesn’t help anyone. What’s done is done and we have to move on from here and come together. I know what’s happening now is not ok. I can’t change my vote from the election but I can change my mind moving forward. Thank you.
I so appreciate you, KG! Thank you for being so brave and sharing your experience with everybody. Stay steady.
Did you or would you have voted for Clinton? By your measure, he should have been disqualified as well. To comment on a thread of someone that voted the best way that they could AT THE TIME and then reevaluates their position is harmful to the people that are thoughtfully reconsidering their past vote and their future ones and want to speak on why they made the choices they did. I did not like either candidate personally, so I had to choose the issues that were most important to ME and then hold my nose as I voted. The fact that Trump has taken issues that many people supported like enforcing border control and legal immigration and then implemented policies that have chosen the cruelest possible way to enforce it is not something that many people would have foreseen. To say that people did not choose Kamala Harris because she was brown and a woman feels dismissive of the struggle that many Americans felt in this last election.
KG, I have read your comments and, in many ways, your words bring me more hope than those from people like me who have always opposed Trump. Because what you speak about is not politics but respect for human dignity and the well-being of all. Which I always believed was a guiding principle of our Constitution. And, you demonstrate that not all Republicans support this chaos and cruelty. As a moderate Democrat, I’ve always believed that we need a strong Democratic and a strong Republican party to be at our best as a country. While I typically vote for Democrats, I have voted for my share of Republicans if I believed they were, in that moment, the best option. I truly believe that Trump is not a true Republican and neither are many of the current Republican leadership. I believe that John McCain is rolling over in his grave at what his party is doing to the country he loved so deeply and I cannot imagine that Reagan would take kindly to any comparisons that Trump makes to him. Liz Cheney said it best – “we can survive bad policy, we cannot survive a president who torches or goes to… Read more »
Hi Maryellen, I’d like to make a post using your sentence The priority of every American right now should be on finding our way back to who we are as a country and as human beings. Is that OK? How shall I credit you?
I am glad you found my statement meaningful and I appreciate your checking in with me about it. Not really sure about how to credit me. Can you tell me more about your post?
I’m crying
Bless you KG! Thank you for speaking up.
Thank you for your post.
The EHD blog is an American Rorschach test. I commend your courage. I knew from reading the comments prior to the election that the US was going to elect this deeply disturbed, morally unfit, catastrophically incompetent narcissist again. I was stunned; it seemed like such a binary choice. Good versus evil, right versus wrong, moral versus immoral, rule of law and constitution versus authoritarianism. As an aside, there is nothing conservative about this administration, which is about upholding the rule of law and protecting the foundations of our democracy. I’m old and cried after the election wondering what kind of world we would leave. I cried yesterday knowing that it is worse than I thought it would be.
Mpls. resident here and I wasn’t sure I wanted to write here or if this was the space to do it. It is so much worse than the national news outlets are reporting. To stay the most informed I encourage you to seek out independent local journalists doing the real work, boots on the ground. I have never been prouder to be a Minnesotan. This is a clear attack on our state for not complying with this administration and their lies. This administration wants our resources (Boundary Waters) and access to native sovereign land. Trump and Bondi pushing out a letter to give them our voter rolls in exchange for relieving us from the federal siege is so un-American. I want to say so many things, but I won’t here. All I can say is, please open your eyes and believe what you see, not what they say.
Our Governor had to activate the National Guard to protect the residents of MN from the federal government. Let that sink in.
Fellow Minneapolite here and I second what you’re saying. It’s far worse than what we’re seeing on the news. ICE agents waiting at school bus stops to follow kids home. Local, legal immigrant businesses shut down for fear for their workers. Families without money for rent or food. Children as young as 5 abducted by ICE agents. Tear gas at children. And none of that accounts for the trauma and PTSD that we’re all going to be facing for a long while if/when this ends. But, even the white MAHA moms in our wealthiest suburbs are rallying around getting kids to school safely, driving food to families who can’t leave their homes, finding apartments for families whose parent(s) have been taken. So I have to believe that some Trump voters have changed their minds. For now, I couldn’t be prouder to be a Minnesotan, and any and allllll support we can get from other states is invaluable. And, CALL YOUR SENATORS and tell them to stop funding on the DHS bill to stop funding to ICE–they’re voting this week!
I live in a suburb of Minneapolis. The news don’t tell about the parents who are volunteers who park outside the schools every morning to shield the children from ICE. Or the teargas they deployed outside the school after Renee was killed. The news don’t tell you they are going door to door and asking people where the immigrants live in their own neighborhood. I have trusted local independent news I follow and I want to let the rest of the US know, he’ll be coming for you next. They are grabbing Hmong people who have been here for decades. It don’t matter if you have documents or papers, they get a bounty for the more people they bring to Fort Snelling. Only then do they sort out who is let go and who stays. They are beating people they grab and then dumping them in the nearby woods, some without clothes or coats and one with a fractured skull. It’s really bad.
I think your final words are so powerful – open your eyes and believe what you see. Thank god for video evidence, honestly. And that’s thanks to Minneapolis folk caring enough to motivate to keep filming.
Beautifully said. Emily, thank you for your sincere and heartfelt post.
I appreciate that you created this space for people to comment and are keeping it a safe space. I think this admin used the strong morals and values of the Republican and Conservative party to ride to power (I think these values have helped to create a more united, motivated group of voters compared to the Democratic big tent that struggle to unite behind clear messaging). And now I think this admin is betraying those values, along with everything America holds dear. Trump is not a Republican, he is not a conservative, he is not someone who shares our values as a patriotic America. He is someone who has been good at saying whatever he needs to say to get what he wants, and then doing whatever he needs to keep the power and riches he thinks he deserves. He is a con man who told people what they wanted to hear, sowed division, demonized immigrants and the left, and is now plundering whatever he can from our great nation. These are not American values, conserve or liberal. These aren’t Christian values. Now is not the time to squabble – despite what media tells us, we have more in common… Read more »
Just here to say that Im grieving, spent alot of time crying these past weeks about Renee and Alex and our eroding freedoms. Im done crying (mostly) and now Im angry and ready to fight for what’s good and right in this world. I wont stand by and watch people be murdered in the street. Thank you for posting this Emily, this is fascism and its scary as hell and we must organize to stop it.
I’m a Catholic and a Trump voter. I also lived in the Twin Cities for a number of years. Although I think some of the editorial elements don’t have a full picture, I do appreciate the open invitation. Full disclosure, I still support the President and these efforts. So my question is this. ICE is conducting these arrests and deportation of non-Americans who technically have broken current immigration law across the country and has been for months. We’re not seeing the same situations and conflict in other states or cities. Why is Minnesota different? I think it’s because people are organizing to not only protest (which is obviously fine), but to try to interfere in an arrest. That’s where things are deteriorating. One simply cannot interfere in a law enforcement arrest (even if the arrest ended up being a mistake). If someone doesn’t like a law, then they can protest, petition the government, and vote for a different Congress and President to change the law. But you can’t try to stop the government from carrying out the law. And in the process of trying to stop an arrest, if someone drives a car toward law enforcement or attempts to brandish… Read more »
Is it your opinion that Alex Pretti was brandishing a firearm? If so, have you watched the video? Genuinely curious, because I believe that what has made this a tipping point is that video evidence does not show him brandishing or attempting to brandish his legal weapon. And eyewitness testimony reinforced that. So I am wondering whether you are unaware of that fact, or whether you see something in the videos that other people are not seeing.
IF the US had a coherent immigration plan, one that was consistent and continued through multiple administrations, I would be more willing to back the whole “but they are breaking the law” stance and “ICE is just doing their job”. We have used and benefitted from the labor of immigrants, legal and not legal, for my entire life. Really meaningful Immigration reforms have virtually never been able to be passed, even with considerable bipartisan support, for my what seems like my entire life (I’m 64). There’s also the messing around our government has historically done to some of those very unstable Central American countries – we reap what we sow, is what it looks like to me. Arresting people at immigration offices, while people are trying to attend the meetings they are required to attend is just gross.
Well put. There are 2.1M undocumented immigrants in TX and 1.6M in FL, with only 130K in MN and 1,400 in ME. This has nothing to do with immigration efforts. The entire operation was designed to bully, terrorize and demonstrate ‘strength’ (I use that term very loosely…). And don’t ignore Pam Bondi’s latest offer to leave MN as long as the state turns over its voter rolls. We had bipartisan immigration reform ready to pass in May 2024 but Trump threatened to primary / target Republicans who voted for it. Vilifying immigrants is straight out of his favorite playbook strategy to peddle in rage. I’d encourage everyone to take a spin through the history books back to the 80’s when Republicans were the party responsible for swinging the doors open to immigrants. This was, of course, because they wanted inexpensive labor. I support immigration because immigrants contribute to our culture, economy and lives – and the majority of my friends are immigrants. I’m grateful for the discourse here, largely because I was interested in what women had to say on the matter. For those of you who still seem to think this undemocratic and unconstitutional behavior is ok, I encourage… Read more »
The videos do show a motion like one reaching back to where his holster is. If there is wrongdoing here, it wouldn’t not be with the officer who fired his gun, but with whoever yelled, “Gun!” That’s because case law says that hearing a fellow law enforcement officer yell “Gun” and acting on that is legally defensible; they do not need to independently confirm this before responding. So, I do think there was enough movement toward his holster why law enforcement was attempting to arrest, especially when watching at full-speed/being in the situation as opposed to slow-motion as a bystander, that an officer would have reasonable determined he was pulling his gun. But if a mistake is made, it would be with the person who yelled “Gun” rather than the person who fired. I think it’s easy to make these judgment calls from my computer, but putting myself in their shoes is what I try to do.
I have watched the video many times and my eyes absolutely do not see what you are describing here.
Which video? Have you watched all of them, again, at full speed?
Absolutely yes, I have. Although I certainly wish I didn’t have to. He never reaches for his gun.
Police work is hard and dangerous. We are to obey laws. All of us.
ICE is real law enforcement.. they deal with dangerous people.
I, like you, struggle to see Pretti grab his firearm. But I have come to realize that LEGALLY it does not even matter. Pretti intentionally caused chaos in a dangerous enforcement operation, a gun was spotted on his person and deadly force was used amidst the chaos he caused. It is all very sad. I feel bad he lost his life. But I also feel badly for the officers harassed for protecting us from criminals and having to use force.
What in the video did you observe that amounts to “causing chaos”? I saw him reaching down to help a woman up off the ground.
I appreciate this comment and I think we’ve arrived at our difference. You believe an ICU nurse for veterans who was simply filming the scene and helping people who were shoved to the ground caused the “chaos.” I believe the under-trained and overly empowered police force hunting brown people who came here for a better life were the actual problem.
The chaos is the honking, whistling around him. His standing in the middle of the road impeding LEOs and agitating them prior to the incident where they were pepper spraying him and two women…
Ice is not Gestapo. Even US Holocaust Museum thinks MN saying that is wrong … !
Like the CDC, the US Holocaust Museum has traded academic integrity for political favor. Their public statements no longer represent the majority opinion in Holocaust scholarship
Where in the video did you see the “officers” protect someone from a criminal? All I saw was them shove a woman to the ground who was protesting.
Legally it actually definitely does matter. Law enforcement doesn’t get to summarily execute people for “intentionally causing chaos.”
You mean all of us are to obey laws, except for Donald Trump? He was convicted of 34 felony counts by a jury of his peers for paying off a porn star. He is the person who caused the January 6th riots to overturn an election. His supporters attacked police officers and he pardoned every one of them. The hypocrisy is astounding.
After they shoot him, one of them yells “where is the gun?” And the other agents point down the street. The agent in the gray coat takes it off of him BEFORE they unload into him. He was unarmed!
Thank you so much for commenting with your perspective – I know that couldn’t be easy. Curious if we could get on the same page on this: I think what we can maybe both agree on is that they are not trained properly, for long enough. I don’t know his exact work experience, but properly trained law enforcement should 100% have been able to handle someone yelling the word gun without shooting someone (I hadn’t heard that detail before, not sure its true) and should be able to handle someone who has a concealed weapon who wasn’t holding it – if you watch the video it appears that the gun was taken before they shot. Curious if you can agree to that – that Trump in his desire to enact his policies (again, trying to be super gentle here) he has empowered ICE to recruit too fast and give people with very little proper de-escalation training firearms. Hoping to find some common ground.
He may not have brandished his firearm. But he had it.
And he was harassing law enforcement.
It was chaos.
Chaos he himself caused. It’s sad he died. But police work is very dangerous, which is why an activist nurse should not have been in the middle of it.
I didn’t see him causing chaos. I saw him helping a fellow citizen that ICE pushed down. I believe my eyes.
Please help me understand what you observed in the video evidence constitutes Alex Pretti “harassing law enforcement” and causing “chaos”? I saw him bending down to help a woman off the ground.
I see things differently – improperly trained ICE should not be in the middle of a peaceful protest pushing people unprovoked onto the ground.
he was an agitator
he was in an anti ice “signal” group getting inside knowledge of ice whereabouts
his purpose was to be there to harass and impede their lawful arrests
How do you know this to be true? What did you actually observe that shows him being an agitator? What did you actually observe that shows he was there to harass and impede?
Do you think that him standing there filming with his phone equates to harassment and impeding?
When I watch the video, I saw him helping a woman off the ground. I did not see him impeding an arrest. I did not see him harassing anyone.
But I thought carrying a firearm was a sacred second amendment right??
So wait, I’m genuinely curious. In your opinion, is the second amendment a critical right, or does legally carrying a firearm justify excessive force/murder? It literally can’t be both.
He had the right to carry the gun. He didn’t follow the law and tell law enforcement he had a gun on him nor did he have his ID with him, as required by law
I did not observe the officers asking him if he had a firearm, nor observe them asking for his ID.
In the United States, there is no federal law requiring U.S. citizens to carry identification at all times while in public.
So by your logic Kyle Rittenhouse deserved to be killed when he showed up at a protest with a semi automatic rifle and killed two people? Yet he was arrested and provided due process instead. Does the same logic apply to all of the Jan 6 rioters who protested with weapons, were arrested and provided due process and then pardoned by Trump? I find it very difficult to hear your views on the tragic murders of people at the hands of ICE when they were doing nothing more than exercising their constitutional right to free speech.
Protesting is not harassing law enforcement; it is a right rooted in the First Amendment. I have sadly watched the videos more times than I care to remember, from multiple angles and I never once saw him harass or threaten. He was videotaping what he witnessed (which was his right). Rather than impeding traffic, he was helping to direct it since the ICE vehicles in the middle of the street were causing a bottleneck. And, he assisted someone who had been brutally pushed to the ground by ICE officers. He didn’t charge at the officers as has been falsely stated by Trump administration officials. In fact, he backed away from them…..all while making both hands visible so EVERYONE could clearly see that he had a phone in one hand and nothing in the other. I personally hate guns and don’t understand why any civilian needs one. BUT, it is also a Second Amendment right, a key issue this administration ran on. And, he was shot after the gun had been confiscated so there was no concern that he could use it. Regardless of what one thinks about immigration or the support they may have for ICE, the killing of Alex… Read more »
I think it was foolish of him to show up in an already volatile situation wearing a firearm. That was a very aggressive and provocative move. But yes, it could have been handled better by the authorities.
Can you say more why you think it is aggressive and provocative to carry a legally owned and licensed concealed handgun? What causes you to hold that belief?
There was no protest going on at the time that Alex was there. If you look around there are just people milling around, getting coffee, donuts, etc. Then ICE showed up and Alex used his legal right to video them, The agents pushed the woman down near him and Alex tried to help her, then they both got teargassed. His last words, looking at her were, “Are you ok?” He never reached for his gun, that he had a legal permit for.
And is the punishment for “foolishness” death now? That’s the world you want to live in?
i’d push back gently here on two points: first: it is happening in other cities! i’ve lived in koreatown, LA for almost 7 years – it’s an immigrant stronghold, about 46% hispanic and 36% asian – and my neighborhood was on the receiving end of some horrible ICE crackdowns last year. it actually took over the news cycle for several weeks – my local home depot was the star of much primetime coverage – but there’s just been SO MUCH NEWS that it seems to have faded from memory. i watched as my neighbors were terrorized: my laundromat owner. my fruit vendor. my taco truck employees. none of these people are criminals – they just had brown skin, and i watched ICE demonize them (and, in some cases, even kidnap them – despite being in the country legally and carrying proof of their residency). i think it feels different when you see it being enforced firsthand – there was no warrant, there was no specified target. the government might claim that they’re sending them after targets, but these agents are simply going after people with brown skin and accents, with little care for anything else. i’d argue that’s also why… Read more »
Thanks for your comments! I appreciate them, but I think a few things are amiss. First, arrest of people who have broken federal immigration law is legal. You can change the law, but until then the executive power has an obligation to enforce it. Second, using ICE is not the first option the Trump Administration has used. In fact, the first option was giving people free flights to their home countries, thousands of dollars, and the opportunity to return to the country as a legal immigrant in the future if they self-deport. ICE is the second option, if these individuals don’t take this first option. In that case, I think they have brought it on themselves: they are technically breaking federal law and then when the government gives them amnesty if they leave on their own they refuse. Then executive law enforcement force is needed. Third, perhaps one doesn’t believe them (but then it’s hard to have a debate if we believe everyone is lying), but ICE targets specific areas based on information that illegal immigrants who have also committed a violent crime or assault are in a given area. If it really was just based on skin color, they… Read more »
I would also add: It’s not true that ICE is untrained. If they can use a gun, they have intense and extensive training. And many are former military or law enforcement already, with decades training and experience already. Actually, given that there have been hundreds of operations and hundreds of thousands of arrests, if they were untrained the number of instances like this would be far more than 2. Same with mistaken identity. The last figure I saw was that .2% are mistaken identity.
Where are you getting your information on their training protocols?
Unfortunately, what you’re saying about ICE’s training and strategy aren’t true. 1) ICE used AI to filter resumes to only select people who had “officer” listed somewhere in their work history. But that could have been “community officer” or “safety officer”—not people who have gun training. Then, that swath of people was given an 8-week online only course, no gun training included, before they were dispatched. Yes, some ICE agents have gun training but many newcomers do not.
2) I’ve seen ICE walking down residential streets asking passersby “where are the Asians?” They do not have a coherent list of those they’re arresting for confirmed law breaking; they’re solely looking for people with accents or non white skin. Even if those people have U.S. passports, proof of legal residency or a green card. So no, they’re not operating under any level of strategy or real information. They’ve been deployed to punish Minnesota for not voting Trump into office and running against him with Governor Walz. It’s retaliation, not law enforcement.
Yes!!
Reading these, honestly I worry about decency and humanness. I think I am not interested in these comments implying Nurse Alex caused this on himself. liberty and rights! Those officers need to go to jail period.
As an attorney who has worked for the federal government, this is not correct on so many levels. Sorry, but it isn’t.
What kind of law?
I only ask what kind of law/lawyer because being an attorney doesn’t mean one is an expert or knowledgeable about all areas of law, especially use of force by law enforcement.
Specifically, criminal law. So, yes. Very versed in the subject area.
Grabbing random people off the streets because they are brown is not enforcing the law. Many of these people, including the 5-year-old on his way home from kindergarten, were in fact following the immigration laws. ICE has grabbed people as they show up for their immigration appointments, as they leave from court. How are they not following the rules? Why does my nephew, adopted from Guatemala, have to keep a copy of his passport in his car because ICE has been at the school he coaches at? Why would he ever be forced to ‘show his papers’ because of his skin color? Anyone who supports this administration does not believe in a democracy, or a constitutional republic.
Jane, they are also detaining people who have not broken immigration laws. For example, many of those detained are following the law to seek asylum. Someone requesting asylum is required to be in the country. They cannot remain in El Salvador or Afghanistan and ask the US for asylum and wait until it is granted, then come. They must actually enter the US, Claim asylum, then wait here pending the court’s determination, which can take years. This was the case for the father and the five year old boy who were detained last week. The Vice President called them illegal immigrants, but they had actually not broken a law – they were immigrants who were following the requirements for asylum and were awaiting judicial determination. My favorite way to describe law is to compare it to laundry. Imagine a giant laundry room – all the clothes need to get washed. Congress determines how the clothes get sorted (the law) which gets posted on the wall. Let’s say that they determine all laundry should be sorted into three piles then washed – light, darks, and delicates. The executive branch is the hands sorting the laundry, most of it is easy, but… Read more »
Thanks!
Love this analogy
I appreciate this open discussion, because I do think it’s important to understand all points of view on these issues, but there a few things that I don’t think you are considering. First of all, the percentage of immigrants that are being arrested who do NOT have a criminal record is somewhere between 69% and 73% percent. Which means that all of the additional ICE & Border Patrol agents (and funding for the program) is ineffective for enforcing what they claimed to be enforcing – non-citizens with criminal & violent histories. Many of the people that they are arresting are not criminals and are in fact families with children (or children themselves) who are paying taxes in this country. A large majority of them have active asylum cases and are in the process of trying to become citizens. Now, I’m assuming that your ancestors are not native to this country (if so, then please disregard the next part). When your ancestors immigrated to this country, they were not already citizens (it’s not how the system works), so they had to either become citizens somehow. Can you imagine if your ancestors had been forced to return to their country of origin… Read more »
Honestly, Jane Clare, this response is disingenuous and it feels like you’re intentionally trolling the comment section. Why are immigration laws sacrosanct and require enforcement when this administration has blatantly violated many, many, many other laws? If you truly feel so strongly about respecting and abiding by the rule of law, then how can you still support the Trump administration? Because their disregard for existing laws and norms is the very thing that will destroy this country.
Yes-agreed. Time to move on from this person.
This whole chain is an extraordinary insight into American views on gun use.
Is interfering in an arrest REALLY an executable offence?
Are guns REALLY so pervasive in the US that a suspicion of a gun is enough to shoot? Other nations just don’t allow the police to go around shooting their citizens like this. Killing a person is a very very very serious and irreversible thing.
I am also a (practising) Catholic (not that I think that makes my values ‘better’ someone who is non-Catholic but it gives me a strong moral compass) and everything in my upbringing has strongly taught me these things are reprehensible and in my view are irreconcilable.
Hello, and thank you for being will to engage with people who disagree with you. I was also raised Catholic and feel so glad that Pope Leo and so many other faith leaders are calling out Trump’s policies on immigration and ICE actions as contrary to the teachings of Christ. Does any of what they say have an impact on your thoughts about what is going on?
I have also been wanting to ask supporters of this policy if they recognize the extent to which scapegoating is at play in gaining support for anti-immigrant policies. It’s easy to blame people without power and harder to find genuine solutions that require industry to work with government to provide legal pathways to for their workforce especially with decades of scapegoating. Just wondered if any of this way of thinking makes any sense to you. Thank you again for sticking with all of us liberals and progressives in this discussion.
Jane, it’s just so hard to engage on this level when you say so many things that are untrue. Can you please, please just try to verify these claims you are making independently – not from the white house, not from Fox News? Reuters is a good place to start.
As an attorney, I think you would benefit from reading about prosecutorial discretion. In fact, there are too many laws on the books for any executive to enforce them all; resources simply do not allow for it in any jurisdiction, anywhere. As such, the essence of the executive/prosecutorial power is in the discretion exercised over which laws to enforce, how to enforce them, and how much to enforce them.
I hope this helps anyone looking to combat this weirdly common talking point that isn’t based in theory or reality.
Signed, a prosecutor
Can you recognize the difference between someone that has crossed the border illegally, maybe with their children and then worked a job under the table to provide for their family and made sure that their children are enrolled in school and a person that crosses the border to commit crime or ends up involved in greater crimes? One should be deported, one should have the opportunity for a path to citizenship or legal status. Do you see that these are different and require different enforcement paths? Crossing the border for the first time is a misdemeanor…like speeding. Do you think that the enforcement for speeding should be for you to be dragged out of your car or house, shipped hundreds of miles away from your family with no due process and then abused?
It’s very true that seeing immigration enforcement up close can shape your views on policies. I haven’t witnessed any ICE activity in NYC yet, but a long time ago I was working in Alaska at a fish processing plant and one day the CPB (I think it was at the time) shut down the factory floor and lined everyone up and asked where they were born. They put all of the Latinos in zip ties and took them away. We went from running 24 hours with two shifts to running 16 hours with one shift. This was at a remote location in Alaska accessible only by air or sea so there were no other workers to be had. It seemed so arbitrary and cruel and it was not good for business. After seeing that, I will never support worker based enforcement, there should be programs that work with employers to help them find the workers they need.
I commend you for parking in discussion. I want to ask you, if you were to see law enforcement abusing power, using unlawful and unjustified force with your own eyes in front of you, what would you do? At what point do we see law enforcement doing illegal things and step up? If you saw law enforcement push your mother to the ground, would you help her up?
Starting with the last question, no actually. I might ask law enforcement, “That’s my mother. Can I help her up?,” but if they’re telling me I have to back up then I need to listen to them. That doesn’t mean I don’t care about my mother or don’t want to help her, but I if you resist law enforcement in that way they can use force if they perceive a threat. That’s just the law.
Also, although I wouldn’t protest these because I support them, I’d encourage those on here who do to practice civil disobedience a la the civil rights movement. That doesn’t mean you won’t have consequences (including arrest), but one of the points of the civil rights movement was to accept the consequences in hope of changing the law. Notably, however, resisting arrest, therefore, was not one of them.
Will you also tell where Anne Frank is?
So to be clear, if someone “attempted to brandish” a weapon that means they…. did not actually brandish a weapon. And regardless if someone did, once they are disarmed (as Alex was, before he was shot), they are no longer legally able to use lethal force. I recommend you watch the film for yourself if you are unclear on what happened.
I have watched all the videos. But have you watched them all at full-speed? Also, please see my above comment on when an officer yells “Gun!”
No. Trained law enforcement don’t just start shooting because they hear the word “gun.” And if they do, they should be prosecuted for murder.
A police officer was recently convicted of manslaughter locally for doing that thing while on duty. (Actually, the victim had a knife, the partner said he yelled “Knife!”, and the officer testified he heard “Gun” and opened fire.) A jury convicted him.
An officer yelling “gun” means nothing. The officers physically interacting with Alex removed Alex’s gun from the holster on his back (ie, disarmed him from a weapon that he was not even brandishing) and the shot and killed him. What is difficult to see about this in the video? It is right there, whether you watch it at full-speed or slow motion.
I’m liberal and so my framing of this is entirely different, but I’m curious if it bothers you that this is a problem now when it never has been before. If Obama & Clinton, etc deported so many more folks and did so without incident, why are there so many incidents now? If folks feel the need to intervene now, is it because they feel like the options you mention are no longer available and effective? Is the risk to human life worth it? If this is what is happening, shouldn’t the administration stop the efforts? Our judicial system is set up to allow guilty folks to go free because we don’t want to convict an innocent one (putting aside the reality of how this plays out). We generally accept some level of ineffectiveness, of broken rules, of non-compliance because to ensure 100% efficacy would come at too great of a cost.
I guess my bottom line is this: Why isn’t the need to protect human life greater than the need to deport people who are here illegally? Do the ends justify the means?
This is a good question. Obama, for what it’s worth, changed what they included as a “deportation” to include people they turned away at the border. Trump’s admin doesn’t count those (maybe he should?).
But to the rest of your point, that’s why I asked, “Why is this mainly happening in Minnesota?” I think it’s because Walz and Frey won’t work with Trump (until today maybe, now that Walz had offered to work together?). Other states and cities (including some Democrat ones) and all the red ones are cooperating. So what we have is something akin to a retaliation thing: ICE is carrying out the law, the state/city/resistance interferes causing conflict, then people try to say ICE shouldn’t be there. But that’s not how law and government has ever worked. Where does that stop?
Jane, I am curious what your news outlets are. Where do you go for reputable news and do you compare reporting outlets against one other for a well-rounded account?
The administration is trying to access Minnesota’s voter rolls so they can tamper with election results. It’s not ethical to leverage voter rolls to stop the unlawful & violent enforcement by ICE/Border control. Would you give up your states voting rights to appease an authoritarian leader? If something isn’t done, it’s only a matter of time before this starts happening in other states and we’re living in a full-on military state. You may want to listen/read more news outlets. There are many “news” networks that are actually categorized as entertainment and aren’t actually reporting real news.
No – he wants voter rolls bc there has been proof of widespread fraud in MN. Stealing money from Minnesotans and federal funds and laundering it to unlawful activities. There are unlawful voters on the rolls. That is against federal law. If MN wants to be part of US, it must abide by long standing federal laws
If you could point to any news sources detailing widespread voter fraud in MN, please do so. Otherwise, the fraud in MN doesn’t seem to have anything to do with voting, so why should they want the voting rolls?
Trump has already answered that question. He said he was going to go after blue states.
ICE is not law enforcement. They have no training. These are Trumps Proud Boys covering their faces and not allowing medical staff to attend to a shooting victim or not allowing a United States Citizen to film them. They are thugs and they are out of control!
I’m sorry, but this is incorrect. ICE is federal law enforcement like the FBI is. They are trained. There is no proof of these being Proud Boys. The face coverings are because many of the criminal illegal aliens they are seeking out have drug cartel ties who put out hits on people, and their families, like they do in Mexico and Central America. Lots of people have been filming, and they can keep doing so, just not attempt to stop an arrest.
When did Alex Petti attempt to stop an arrest? Literally all he did was film, while being in the possession of a legal firearm that he had a right to carry.
*Pretti*
He was on an anti-ice “signal” chat group with inside knowledge of ICE whereabouts. He had legal right to carry. It was illegal he did not have his ID on him and that his purpose for being there was to impede law enforcement operation…. FBI has proof he was in that chat group
I flag speed traps on Waze. Is that an “anti police group chat” that will get me shot? Just want to know when my first amendment rights don’t exist anymore. Also, I don’t recall being required to carry papers/ID in everyday life. Driving, banking, courts sure, but I’m shopping in a store and I video law enforcement dragging someone out without intervening NOPE.
Are you saying he never shoved the officer?
ICE is law enforcement, akin to the FBI. They do have training, too. The face-coverings are due to cartel activity that can target them and their families.
It’s an insult to FBI agents to even try to put ICE in the same realm of training that FBI agents go through.
ICE was created in 2003.
If you think they are carrying out lawful arrests, citizen or not, or you think they are not protesting “in the right way” that would be “obviously fine” then I am really saddened that you do not seem to know your own constitutional rights as an American citizen. Please take time to learn more about what constitutes a legal arrest for your own protection, or the protection of someone you care about, should that situation ever arise. Lawful arrests are not what is occurring by the hands of ICE officials.
Can you share where I could learn more about what constitutes a legal arrest? I think I know the law well, but you seem to think there’s a different understanding during which you can ignore or resist law enforcement directives.
For one thing, law enforcement has a legal obligation to avoid excessive force and collateral damage. And they receive extensive training on that, including simulations of common scenarios, in which they are suppose to learn and demonstrate that they won’t panic and respond with a finger on the trigger.
More importantly: resisting arrest is not in itself a justification for deadly force. I cannot emphasize that enough — you seem to be making the case that any kind of resistance justifies deadly force, and that is simply not true. There are restrictions, because just like our laws don’t allow the death penalty for anything but the most serious of crimes, our laws don’t allow deadly force for anything but the most serious of threats. AND, in the situation where it is unclear whether an officer has reacted with excessive force, there is typically an extensive investigation. The officer is placed on admin leave. Body cam footage is analyzed. Etc, etc.
What happened in MN was not typical, and it was not legal. It was an extrajudicial killing.
I also think it is important that we all are aware of the rights we are guaranteed under the fourth amendment: “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”
We all have the right to not be targeted by law enforcement without probable cause. I hope for all our sakes that standing on a public street or carrying a legal weapon or simply looking a certain way is not a probable cause for search and seizure.
Florida and Texas have tens times as many illegal immigrants as Minnesota. Ask yourself, why isn’t ICE storming the streets of those states?
They are. Most are happening there, actually, every day. There’s just very little resistance because the Republican governors are A) turning over criminals from prisons directly or B) allowing local law enforcement to work with ICE.
I am in south Florida. Jane, your suggestion that our streets are being stormed everyday is categorically false.
Jane Clare Adams, I’d be inclined to agree with you on most of your points, but I just don’t think that’s what’s happening. I think there is the official narrative of the right, like “they’re only going after criminals” and “the protesters are breaking the law”, and there is the reality on the ground. If it were just a handful of instances where American citizens were accidentally rounded up, or maybe a few violent protesters who were out of control, that would be one thing. But it is a firehose of reporting about people being plucked off the street, who are not criminals and are actually following the actual process “the right way”. Also, I’m sorry, but those masks are unAmerican, they have to go.
The masks are bc of doxxing and Ms13 – an extremely dangerous gang
I understand that, I do. But judges are putting away gangsters every day, and regular police do their dangerous work every day, and they aren’t wearing masks. They also, mostly, aren’t getting doxxed. I know some do, and I know there has been violence against judges and police, but again, they are not putting masks on. Because we don’t do that in this country. I respect law enforcement, and for them to not wear masks means they are proud of the work they do and the processes they follow. ICE needs to earn the respect of the public. I just think it’s a line we shouldn’t cross, no matter what. They need to find another way. I would literally rather have some criminals on the street for a little longer than see masked agents on the streets of America. What it does to our national spirit is worse… the cure is worse than the disease.
ICE is indeed there. The difference is that their governors and law enforcement are cooperating with ICE. The lack of chaos and outcry is not news worthy, therefore you are not seeing it.
There are larger numbers of ICE & Border Control agents in Minneapolis than any other city in the country, yet there are fewer illegal immigrants. How does that make sense?
I live here. They aren’t going after the worst of the worst. It’s something like 79% of the detainees don’t even have any criminal record. I really want to know how your faith justifies what is happening, especially because I’m also Catholic and Jesus didn’t tell us to arrest and torture the immigrants.
This is where your argument breaks down: most people being detained by ICE are not violent criminals. You can see that by keeping your eyes open to the facts on the ground – there are many, many, many stories about children, local law enforcement, citizens, journalists, teachers, etc being swept up for going about their lives in public and “looking” like an immigrant (which calling a spade a spade is just not white). But since you seem uncompelled by those stories, or maybe don’t consume media that would tell you about them, here are some facts: the majority (73%) of people detained have no past convictions.
FACT: neither interfere with an arrest. Open your eyes (or avert them from FOX News). I’ll leave it at that.
To other poster – please stop downvoting this commenter. She disagrees with the majority on here, but has come to respectfully engage and explain her views – exactly what Emily asked for. I don’t agree with her, but as someone who believes that the echo chambers on both sides don’t serve our democracy, it’s EXTREMELY disheartening to see her downvoted for politely explaining her views. I’m also not thrilled to see the site moderators jumping in to argue – it feels like a bait and switch. If you ask people to share their views who disagree with you, you have to let them do it.
sorry – not my intention at all! just wanted to relay my firsthand experiences with ICE. (i also just want to be part of the conversation – maybe i’ll join from a burner next time 🙂 ha)
I’m in the minority here but I totally agree with you. Interfering with officials doing their job is asking for trouble. And who in their right mind shows up at a heated protest wearing a firearm?!
quick clarification: the protest was on friday – he was just on a random street on sunday.
He was not attending a protest. He was grabbing coffee on the block and ICE showed up. He was actually helping to direct traffic around the area and then help a women up when she was violently shoved to the ground by ICE.
this is not the news I have seen. I have seen he was part of an anti ICE ‘signal’ group getting information by someone with inside knowledge that wanted agitators to impede operations .. w
I suggest you find more reliable sources, not just sources that confirm your biases.
Also, who cares what groups he was a part of? That does not mean he should have been murdered.
Great question, and what a coincidence but that’s the same thing I thought after the Kyle Rittenhouse story, or while watching the events unfold on Jan 6th!! Using the same line of rationale, it would have been justified for capitol police to murder all those rioters right? They interfered with officials doing their jobs, carried firearms and injured and killed law enforcement. Crazy right? Sounds like some people who “showed up trying to do maximum damage.” Yet…they got full pardons. I can understand differening points of view but the logic should be consistent across all situations and it’s just not so that’s what bothers me most is the hypocrisy when it suits the administration.
I’m curious – since you chose to lead with your religion – if your views have changed since the Pope and other Catholic leaders have spoken out against Trump’s policies? The Catholic Reporter has been particularly outspoken against JD Vance and have called him “a moral stain on the collective witness of our Catholic faith” after his comments about Renee Good.
It honestly blows my mind to see Trump supporters calling for law and order when they voted for a convicted felon. I will never understand it.
Question: do you think it was ok for Trump to say on his campaign that he would be going after his political opponents legally after he won? If those people he went after were found guilty, would you consider them to be felons?
Oh wait, that was Letitia James. That’s what she campaigned on.
It also blows my mind how much liberals go on about law and order, as long as it doesn’t get in the way of their feelings or it applies to their side.
I would be elated to get rid of all corrupt politicians of any political party. I would love to go back to a time where there weren’t so many bots inciting violence, untruths, etc. The whole FAFO comments make me sick. The blatant lies (don’t care what political party they are from) are absolutely infuriating but should be to any average, logically thinking person.
I am a conservative Christian and live in a strongly Republican area. My whole life I considered myself a Republican (Reagan, Bush), but no longer can support the party under Trump. I now consider myself an independent and I voted for Harris. Many of our friends and family voted for Trump based on the economy and/or their religious convictions. I share some of those same convictions, but recognized that a vote for Trump would be a vote against the very democracy that (so far) allows us ALL to worship/not worship how we believe. I tried to make a few understand this, but they are Christian Nationalist believing they are defending Christianity (Christ did not behave like their movement) and/or they are unwilling to stop marinating in Fox News…but they have been very quiet lately so I’m hopeful they are realizing this is too far.
Great destination between Christian and Christian Nationalist. Thanks for speaking up, in this forum and elsewhere!
Ooops, *distinction.*
Thanks so much for your comment. And I agree that the distinction between christian and christian nationalist is indeed crucial to understanding how so many religious folks can get behind what is happening.
If anyone is struggling to find a way to help those in MN, check out
www dot standwithminnesota dot com
for links to give to local organizations.
thanks
What are you doing America? What are you so silent? Why aren’t all of traveling to DC? Why aren’t you protesting like the French? Why aren’t the streets of DC full of people, tractors full of cowdung and flinging on the White House? They are a danger to your country. They are danger to the world. They are tearing down everything America has stood for almost 250 years. A few you the land of the Brave or is the land of the Brave full of cowards? You’re no angry enough. In my county state sponsored terrorism led to 30000 disappeared, many thousands more dead. The famous Vuelos de la Muerte were made to cover up their crimes, so they threw people to the Rio de la Plata. They even stole and sold babies. This is a US backed coup part of Operation Condor. Are you doing to allow your government to be a terrorist organization or will you demand that to end?
I’d offer that a lot of Americans *are* standing up and saying this isn’t right, and many have been for over a year now. We’re angry, we’re fighting back, and people are losing their lives standing up against this. Please keep in mind that media does not always show the truth of what’s happening.
I’m deathly afraid that we are doing too little, too late.
We don’t have the right leadership and we are very very very divided. But the volume of protestors last weekend is pretty incredible. Trump doesn’t really care about protestors as you can tell. But I agree with your sentiment – we are just a huge nation full of wayyyy too many guns with very opposing views. Its scary tbh.
How were we any more united under the last administration? As I recall, they called me garbage and a threat to Democracy, but it’s ok when “your” side talks trash about the opposition, right? Or is that how unification works, as long as your “side” is in power? More people were killed by police under Biden than Trump. Where were the protest? It’s called selective outrage.
I’m late to this but please understand France is the size of Texas, it would be nearly impossible for everyone to drive to DC. Also, our society is at the point where most people cannot miss a single paycheck without being completely broke
I just want to offer that I no longer identify as a member of the Democratic Party, due to their response to this situation so Trump voters are not the only ones feeling left out in the cold.
I truly believe we’re confronting a realignment of both parties, hopefully with a coalition of people who prioritize dignity, safety, and joy for humans over power, wealth, and mindless technological advancement ending up with meaningful representation. I think that there is a not-insignificant number of people who voted for Trump who will be willing to prioritize those ideals if and when a leader comes forward.
Wow. Would love to hear you provide some specifics. I have no idea what you are referring to.
i actually also left the democratic party last year! i’m so frustrated with our leadership. my final straw was chuck schumer refusing to endorse zohran mamdani (not to mention the milquetoast, last minute, half-hearted endorsement from jeffries) – if they can’t support a member of the party who won a primary (especially after a decade of shoving “vote blue, no matter who!” messaging down everyone’s throats!), why should i trust that they can hold a diverse coalition together? they’ve proven time and time again they are not up to the task of leading a true opposition party – both men have rolled over and acquiesced at every turn. when it comes to governance during this administration, there’s been no difference for me – i’m just so tired of being a member of the party of strongly worded letters. i’d run through a wall if someone like bernie started a third party right now!
Fully understand this perspective. I’m also far far left of the Democratic Establishment.
The OP implied they left the Party over the Dem response to this particular event. And I’m curious what specifically pushed them.
I hear you but could not imagine abandoning the dems. No matter how disappointing (and I know it very disheartening here in NYC – to think I was so excited when I saw Jeffries speaking to us canvassers in a nearby district and thought he might be the next speaker). But they are only hope…I am not convinced that a third party can break through. Very happy to have Zohran in office, he gives a lot of hope as well.
Oh please do expand on your thoughts here? You are against Democrats for being outraged over murders? I’m confused?
What can we? My suggestion is to email Trump and Republican Senators. Tell Trump how concerned you are about all he has done. Tell the Senators that they need to stand up to Trump and protect the constitution. I am trying to write one senator a day.
Respectfully, you can’t be serious? Trump has zero consideration for you or anyone else. He is all about himself, he will fight to the bitter end to stay in power.
I’m not American and left, but I’m equally curious about those who voted for Trump as about those who didn’t vote in the last election. Why was Kamala Harris so “bad” that not voting (und thus also not doing anything against Trump) was the better choice for you?
It’s frightening to see it happen from oversees and I hope that things get turned around soon before they can’t be turned around anymore…
It’s racism and sexism at its root, unfortunately.
Nah. We’ve elected a black president. The problem was there was no democratic process to choose the best candidate and Kamala certainly wasn’t the best choice. She literally couldn’t answer a single question in any interview about her plans for the country. Many independents and even republicans that I know were hoping for another option besides Trump. But they’d already been through one of his presidencies and I think it was easier to choose the known option in this case since Kamala didn’t seem to have anything better to offer.
Electing Obama does not mean this country does not have a racism problem.
I’m struggling with this because Trump said he had “concepts of a plan” and he blatantly misrepresented how tarrifs work. That was the known option versus a woman who served in all three branches of the US government and wanted to protect democracy. I just genuinely don’t understand, part of me wonders if this is what people say because it’s less controversial than stating more blatant reasons why they didn’t like her.
How many accomplishments can you name that Harris achieved as VP? She clearly lied about Biden’s health.
How am I doing? Not well, and I don’t even live in MN. I am a very sensitive person (hello, ADHD justice sensitivity), and I’ve clearly known who Trump was for at least 10 years now. I am sick to my stomach and afraid, repulsed by the murder of such a beautiful soul, but simultaneously in awe of the people of Minneapolis-St. Paul. I wish I could personally thank each and every one of you. You’re incredible. You’ve certainly earned your place in the history books.
To add, Emily, as someone in the mental health field, this essay is excellent, both sharing history and the long-term impact of what’s happening to the well-being of this country, pointing to our Constitutional values, and all written in a curious, conciliatory way that invites readers from the other side of the aisle in (former R here).
Well done.
I really really appreciate that. I really want all to feel invited into the conversation and even some of these comments are making me so nervous (enneogram 7 here, i tend to avoid negativity at all costs and really don’t like people to feel bad because of THIS blog). Understandably not a lot of conservatives are commenting but the few that have or the anecdotes from friends/family is possibly hopeful. Always appreciate the conversation. xx
I think we all thank you. This is a much safer place than most on the internet right now.
People on both sides have to be truly informed and not just read/listen to what gives them “confirmation bias”. I recommend the EPOCH TIMES for truly balanced reporting. They just give you the facts and let you come to your own conclusion. That’s what journalism used to be, but not anymore.
Um… many people will tell you the Epoch Times is far right leaning and not remotely ‘balanced’.
Epoch is not unbiased. Ad Fontes Media analyzes all news sources for both accuracy and bias. You can visit their site to get tons of helpful info on who to trust.
allsides.com can be quite helpful – they show sources from the right, the left, and the center.
Thank you, Emily — I know it must be really scary to acknowledge what’s going on in America and risk offending some of your followers. I’m sure it’s difficult to thread the needle of posting elevating, fun design stuff while not wanting to pretend/overlook the biggest things on peoples’ minds.
Thank you. It is indeed a challenge, and I certainly don’t always get it right. Really appreciate you saying that. xx
I too am heartbroken at what the government is doing. I have been reading “Tangle News” a non partisan online news media that works very hard to take a 360 view with quotes from all sides. It helps me to read views other than my own. Nothing excuses what is going on in Minnesota, but hearing other voices on the subject and how their thoughts are changing, are helping my outrage.
oh that’s interesting. I’ll look them up. I get that a lot of people want to hear someone’s opinion of a situation, but I prefer the facts and then to do my own thinking (which is why the multiple angles of this video felt just so clear to me). Believe your eyes, not what they say. Thank you for sharing!
Hi Emily (and the team), (I’m an immigrant to the U.S. I’ve lived here for more than 20 years, and I became a U.S. citizen just a few years ago.) I’ve subscribed to your wonderful emails for years – and you’ve been my go-to design gurus for even longer! – because I just love your take on interior design. I’ve always found your posts to be not only beautiful but also a welcome distraction from the ‘real world’ – reading about your design work is so calming. So when I saw this post a few minutes ago with the “How are you doing, America?” title, it was jarring. I’ve never actually posted here before, but I want to say THANK YOU for saying everything you said. Members of my family, including my teenage daughter, are very frightened right now. Many of our neighbors and colleagues and friends are hurting and very frightened, too. Because what the Trump administration is doing to immigrant communities – and the good people trying to protect immigrant communities – is absolutely NOT okay. Thank you for asking your questions, and for wanting to listen to different perspectives, and for reaching out to people who may… Read more »
Thank you so much for this. I’m so sorry your daughter and friends/neighbors have to live in fear. I really appreciate you sharing your story here. Hopefully other readers can listen and it might shift their perspective. We are so happy you are here 🙂
Thank you for speaking up.
Now is the time for each of us to decide whether we support immorality and murder or morality and truth. It is that simple.
Trump announced Monday morning he is sending border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota, where he will manage ICE operations on the ground. In 2015 Obama awarded Homan the Presidential Rank Award for Distinguished Service, “which is bestowed on leaders who’ve achieved sustained extraordinary results.” He served as first-in-command of ERO ― the ICE operational directorate charged with investigating, apprehending and removing criminal aliens and immigration violators from the United States, as well as dismantling terrorist and criminal organizations that exploit our borders and lawful immigration system. This award was bestowed upon top career executive and senior professionals for consistently demonstrating strength, integrity and commitment to public service.
There is an internal power struggle over who is running deportations: Kristi Noem or Tom Homan. Homan is obviously the better choice. I don’t know if anything would have gone differently, but I Homan has far more experience. Walz also sounds like he’s changing his tune and willing to cooperate with Trump. Maybe peace is coming!
I hope and pray Governor Walz never cooperates, this needs to stop.
Quite ironic that Tom Homan got an award for “sustained extraordinary results”, something that was considered “commitment to public service”, and there was no outcry about ICE deportations. Same situation, different lense.
Well said Emily, I am Canadian and am watching your country become something I do not recognize. We have been friends and allies for a very long time and this bully Mr. Trump is ruining all the peaceful allies the U.S. have had. It’s a shame because your country is beautiful and full of amazing people.
Thank you Emily for acknowledging what’s going on in our country. As a child of holocaust survivors, I never could understand how so many German citizens stood by, knowing what was happening, but unable or unwilling to do anything. Now I know. The urge to look away is so powerful. I respect your willingness to acknowledge what’s happening in our country and to give space for discussion, particularly with people who have been supportive of Trump and his administration.
Signing in with a heavy heart. I, like Emily, have been on an organizing binge, and am shocked that I now have a rubbermaid tub full of “Protest Wear”. (Statue of Liberty in Tears, Rosie the Riveter, etc) I have friends and family that voted for Trump, and now are having tremendous misgivings. For those of you in “Red States” feeling this way, please please please contact your governor, congressional reps and Senators, and tell them enough is enough!! We need honorable Republicans to act and finally rebel against this. Find them on House.gov, or on the senate website. IMHO I think we all feel that uncontrolled immigration won’t work. (I’m a Democrat, and most of us, believe it or not, agree with some kind of immigration reform.) BUT THIS IS NOT THE WAY TO DO IT! If you feel the same (and you are totally fine to disagree), please pressure your representatives to act, or be voted out. Think what you like about our governor (Newsom) who is very controversial, but at least he has had the gumption to consistently stand up vocally and say This Is Wrong. We need more governors and representatives from both sides of the… Read more »
Thank you, Emily, for this courageous post and for talking about what is happening in the US right now. I am not American, I am Belgian. What is happening in your country affects us all, as human beings with a moral sense and a conscience. Seeing innocent people being murdered by hooded law enforcement officers (who are clearly on a mission to crack down indiscriminately in order to cause chaos and fear) simply because they are protesting or trying to help people who are being mistreated is abominable, worthy of the worst dictatorships. To see a democracy slide into a totalitarian regime so “easily” is utterly terrifying. Have we learned nothing from the past? Have we learned nothing from our shared history, which is not so distant? I am 46 years old and throughout my youth I heard reports about the 1940-45 war and slogans like “never again.” Like everyone else, I learned how totalitarian regimes and fascism insidiously take hold. And yet, in recent years, some people seem to have forgotten, seem to have become blind. And little by little, history is repeating itself. When I read that pro-Trump supporters present themselves as Christians, I am shocked. I grew… Read more »
Emily, as someone who works in the Interior Design field, I have always loved your style, your newsletter, and the few glimpses you’ve given about what you are passionate about outside of those areas. Today you made my heart swell to hear your heart through this newsletter. you put into words what I have been feeling and for that I thank you. It takes courage in this highly charged atmosphere to do this. I don’t have much to add that others haven’t already replied before now. I pray that more honesty and open communication can happen so we can break this log jam of us vs them in our country and unite in a common goal to recognize the humanity in others and to treat them as our friends and neighbors. If I could give you a big hug I would.
I really, REALLY appreciate you sharing this and asking for viewpoints (even though I’m sure I won’t agree with some of them). Right now, I think that anyone with a huge platform makes to make their voices loud and clear–so I am glad you decided to do so. Thank you.
I support ICE and a few messy incidents is no reason to stop them, I suggest people stop interfering and accept that they lost an election, this country overwhelmingly supports deportations. The shootings should be handled on a case by case basis, death is part of being a police officer unfortunately and courts can decide if they were justified or not. The work must continue and in fact is, peacefully in every state but Minnesota where the governor is inciting and not allowing local police to cooperate.
I would respectfully disagree. First, “messy incidents” are what a toddler makes. Second, the blatant and public murder of Americans – or any human being – is a reason to stop the current approach of any law enforcement organization. That is what this is.
Clear video evidence of people who were not threatening law enforcement officials, who were then shot and killed by law enforcement officials, is not “messy”. It is murder.
“Messy incidents” sure is hell of a way to refer to people being shot in the streets. I’m genuinely curious how you felt about people needing to “accept that they lost an election” when people stormed the Capitol building. Or was that justified?
I’m sorry, but “accept that they lost an election”? President Trump still speaks DAILY about the 2020 election that he lost (or rather, he claims, was “stolen”).
Ally, I respect your opinion and willingness to post here, so though I disagree with your view, I’m not going to pile on or argue. I want to ask you a question though. Whatever you think about what is going on now, what would it take for you to change your mind on what ICE is doing? What would you need to see to conclude that they are in fact in the wrong? Opening fire on a large peaceful march like last Friday’s rally? Shooting a protestor who is handcuffed, or in detention? Mass deportations of US citizens? A legal judgement that their use of force is not justified? I’m not trying to be provocative, or argumentative. I’m genuinely curious, because it seems like what I am seeing, and what you are seeing, are very different.
Hi Sarah, I would like to learn and am being sincere. Please share documentation of ICE opening fire on a large peaceful march, of ICE shooting a protestor who was already in handcuffs or in detention. Please share proof of US citizens being deported – who and to what country were they sent? Yes, I would definitely rethink my opinions on ICE. Thank you. – Ana
Governor Waltz is, pretty calmly, insisting that the federal government follow the law. He is not inciting in any way. Florida and Texas have approximately 10x the number of undocumented immigrants as Minnesota; Minneapolis-St. Paul has a 600 member police force. ICE has 3000+ agents in that same area, for the estimated 150,000 undocumented immigrants. The equivalent in Florida, my home state, would be 30,000 agents in one city like Miami. Ally, ask yourself why Minnesota is being targeted? Why are Trump and Noem both quoted as saying this is retribution? And how is this not infringing on states rights? Law enforcement officers are legally held to a higher standard than a non-LEO citizen. They don’t get to shove people, or injure them, or shoot them because someone is not cooperating! “Death is part of being a police officer?!” No, ma’am.
They haven’t (yet) sent 3,000 ICE agents to any other city to march around looking for the nearest brown person and asking for papers. ICE started terrorizing, then people started protesting. Local officials are prioritizing the protection of American citizens. Genuinely so curious how you might feel if you read a couple different news sources…
I am not ok, swinging between heartache and rage. Something we need to recognize and push back on is the narrative from POTUS that immigrants are reason for all the problems. It’s almost their singular focus and it’s what he campaigned on and has dominated the news every day. Absolutely not true. But if Americans believe that, they won’t notice that he’s failed to boost the economy, lowered to cost of living, created jobs, improved healthcare options, etc. etc.
Yes. This is what dictators do – turn people against each other so we have no energy left to see what our “leaders” are really doing and fight it.
All social media and influencers should be shining their light on what is happening in this country. Thank you for saying something.
I mean, people shouldn’t be getting their news from social media and influencers. Why are we holding social media and influencers responsible for discussing the news when the burden to be an informed citizen lies with each person individually???
It’s in the name. They are influencers. They should use their influence for good.
Also, community is good. Putting everything on the individual is what got us into this mess.
Because things are on fire, and it doesn’t have to be their entire message, but it can’t be ignored either. Think back to what we all learned in history class about the holocaust, silence is complacency.
If it wasn’t for social media (Palestinian and Israeli, btw), we would have no idea of the atrocities being committed in Gaza. The mainstream media has been turning a blind eye for years.
THANK YOU for saying what you see. To me it feels somehow disorienting and even a little annihilating to be discussing cafe curtains while we are witnessing a holy hell. I wonder is this what it felt like in Vienna in the days before my Jewish grandparents escaped to America? Was the public politely avoiding saying anything about what they saw all around them?
Thank you for your thoughtful post. As a Canadian, we are arms-length from this – but still shocked and horrified at the violence and murders of innocent people. As well as the gaslighting and continued support of ICE. I’m not sure whether their intention is to foment civil war?? But the impact on millions of Americans, as well as the reputation of the USA world-wide…I’m not sure whether those wounds can truly heal. It’s sad, gut-wrenching, sickening. (As an aside, Ezra Klein’s “Why We’re Polarized” provides a range of interesting insights, though of course it’s now a few years out-of-date.)
Thank you for this Emily. I, and many from my homeland New Zealand, are watching on in disbelief wondering how can your country that we formally looked up to as a beacon of democracy and integrity (despite its sometime failings) be so easily and systematically destroyed by a near fascist leader. It is truly unbelievable and hugely frightening both for your country and the world at large. Please continue to resist this takeover of your once great country.