I’m grieving the America I learned about in my 5th grade, the one where the United States of America fought & won against the murderous, cruel, xenophobic, propaganda-serving Nazis. And because of things like fighting Nazi’s, I believe I internalized America as some sort of personified superhero. America would protect me and keep me safe. In today’s America I no longer feel safe. Do you? As I sit in my kitchen drinking decaf coffee because it’s way too late for regular coffee, I cannot TikTok myself away from the reality that our brave, strong, free, School-House-Rock America is divided and as a result, is falling.

I’m from Minnesota. My parents both graduated from Roosevelt High School located in Minneapolis, where ICE pepper sprayed all those teenagers earlier this week. I currently live in Utah which is politically super right, with a strong blue showing in places like Salt Lake City, Park City and Grand County. I can’t seem to get anything done today, yesterday and since Renee Nicole Good lost her life. Yet, I feel like I need to get everything done. How? I don’t know why my Utah GOP leaders refuse to stand up and say a mother in Minnesota was murdered by a ICE guy wearing a mark, yelling, holding his cellphone, filming as he fired his gun at her head. It doesn’t compute. I feel hopeless and I hear feeling hopeless is how I let them win. 💔