The tip of the ICEberg #1. Street corners.

The tip of the ICEberg #1. Street corners.
written late January 2026

At this point what is happening in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities, and beyond in Minnesota is in news and other communication outlets across the country and the world. Many of you see the whistles and honking; people confronting ICE as they attempt to abduct our neighbors and community members. Maybe you’ve heard of the grassroots organized defense of schools, the massive amounts of mutual aid. At this point you know that they are willing to kill the people on the ground who are acting in care and defense of their communities. I live here and I see this every day, too.

It is incredible and almost impossible to explain what it’s like to be within the midst of every day. Honestly, if I stop and think about it for any amount of time, tears come to my eyes. Tears of heartbreak and also of joy and, for lack of a better word, pride. But I’m here to tell you something. It’s the tip of the iceberg. Yes, pun intended.

There are many things that I can’t tell you (yet) because it wouldn’t be safe to do so. Nonetheless, I’m going to start trying to write short notes to share with you some of what you might not be seeing. And also, some important context, some of what I’m afraid of, what I’m hopeful for, what I want to come next.

I do want to say that Minneapolis, St. Paul, the metro and greater Minnesota – we are not special. We do have a unique backstory and that context is important for how we got here. I will come back to writing on that. There is also a mythology that this is some idyllic place to live. For some of us white folks, yea, it’s fantastic. But that is just not the case if you’re poor and definitely not if you are BIPOC. For all the wonderful things that come with living here, there are also some of the worst disparities in the country due to race.¹ I do love where I live but we have a lot of work to do and that work didn’t start when ICE came to town. I hope this moment helps us do more of that work in the future. I’m also writing to you from a neighborhood steeped in progressive if not radical politics and history. I know what I share is not true of every place even in Minneapolis, let alone the metro area or state.

But, caveats written… back to street corners.

One thing to remember is that while we are carrying out this organized, high energy resistance to the violent occupation of our cities, is that we still have just regular life. People patrol before work, on their lunch break, and kids come with parents to meetings in the evening. We feed each other and do what we can because despite the ridiculous lies, we don’t get paid to do this. We still have all the shitty day-to-day aspects of attempting to survive in capitalism in addition to defending our communities. I work two jobs, have to do laundry, and well, my bathroom is kinda gross but that will have to wait. So, I had to get groceries yesterday. It couldn’t wait any longer. And I’m driving back across a couple neighborhoods in South Minneapolis and it’s relatively quiet (quiet = minimal not zero ICE activity). But as any trip through my neighborhood these days, there are people on street corners with whistles on display around their necks.

This is what I see when I’m not on a corner myself – there are always people out, walking blocks, taking the long way home on streets where ICE tends to roam, standing on street corners. Whether it’s because a school is nearby or a targeted restaurant or cultural corridor, people try to be there. Sometimes there are schedules, often times, it’s just when people can find an hour or two and text into their neighborhood rapid response loop: Hey, i’ll be out on this block or this area or this food distro or just walking this section of the neighborhood. It’s so pervasive that I don’t remember the last time I was out in the cities and didn’t see it.

Also, I want to remind you that Minnesota and, most definitely the Twin Cities, are rather artistically inclined. On the surface, it’s easy to see all the theaters, the museums, etc. and those are neat. But what you might not know is that we also are a place of the peoples’ art. In the Spring for May Day and in the Autumn around Halloween/Dia de los Muertos, there are public celebrations where thousands come out to see huge puppets, peoples’ theater, and more. Every year. So, in that spirit, as you drive through the streets these days, there are anti-ICE signs everywhere. On telephone poles, stop signs, anywhere you can imagine. They might be artistically painted or just sharpie on poster paper; there are huge wheat-pasted posters of Renee and Alex. Some are simple: Abolish ICE or ICE go home. Some are funny: ICE agents are losers. Some are heart-wrenching and mark where someone was taken. But they are everywhere. A reminder of what is happening and also an ever-present show of resistance.

There are cafes where you can pick-up pre-made signs or supplies to make your own. Their walls are covered in the posters and art against the occupation. There are PPE distribution and training events that also have tables of posters for free.

If all we had was signs, it wouldn’t be enough. If all we had was our art, it would be nice but we know it wouldn’t be enough. What I want to share with you – and encourage you to find – is that because we are out and bold and screaming with our bodies and our art on every corner we can find (also remember it hasn’t been above freezing for weeks, much of which hovered around 0F), despite how scary it is, I never feel alone.

One of the many lessons from the Twin Cities right now is that what we have built is a leaderful movement (to riff off of Margaret Killjoy) and that means that what we are able to do is because of all of us doing what we can; every little part contributes to the whole. I hope you find your own version of this, wherever you are, and please, fill your community with the expressions it needs – signs, banners, sculpture, whatever. Fill your community with yourselves. Be brave and go buddy with someone you don’t know, a neighbor, to stand on that corner with your whistle, ready to respond. Do this because it will change your life and do this so that no one feels alone.

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1. This is often referred to as “The Minnesota Paradox” and while, rightfully so, in the wake of the murder George Floyd, this focused on the disparities incurred by Black folks in Minnesota, it is also applicable to Indigenous and other POC Minnesotans. Per the state’s own health assessment, “Race and ethnicity are powerful indicators of the opportunity of people to be healthy. Data shows that people in Minnesota of American Indian, Black or African American, Hispanic/Latine, Asian American, and African descent experience poorer outcomes in education and economic status than people who are white.” ↩︎