Friends, I'm here to bear witness, to tell you what's happening on-the-ground here in Minneapolis.

A taste:

➡️ A fundraising colleague reported she had long guns pointed at her while she was in an area suburb.

➡️ Last night, federal agents shot another of our neighbors, and as a family with six children tried to flee the aftermath, federal agents threw flash bangs and tear gas into the car, the subsequent explosion was so intense that the airbags deployed, all of the kids were injured (three sent to the hospital), and the six-month-old reportedly stopped breathing and had to be revived.

➡️ Friends and neighbors and loved ones (U.S. Citizens) all over the Twin Cities are no longer leaving their homes (and thus rendering themselves dependent on brave others to supply their food and supplies).

➡️ A (brown-skinned) neighbor was out walking in the early morning and had a man beckon to him from a dark, unmarked car and tell him to come over. He of course turned around and ran in the opposite direction. That car and another car chased him and cornered him. Turned out they were ICE. Thank goodness he had ID on him and he was let go. But so often folks on walks don't have ID or, even if they do, they may still be detained.

➡️ Do not buy that it's "illegal immigrants" or "criminals" being targeted. NATIVE AMERICANS are being targeted. White retirees have been targeted (multiple stories). A young special ed teacher was detained on her way to work after ICE cars rammed into her and lied, saying she had rammed them. A Minneapolis pastor was detained for a while until the agents told him he was "White, so not fun enough." There is story after story of law-abiding citizens being detained.

➡️ A colleague was a refugee, decades ago, from civil war in the former Yugoslavia. She wrote: “I’ve spent time in war zones before, places where fear hangs in the air and ordinary life is suddenly overtaken by violence and uncertainty. Minneapolis right now feels like that.”

We all feel like we are under siege here.

If you're not here, we need a couple key things from you, if you're willing to step up in solidarity with us:

1️⃣ SHARE THESE STORIES. Start following the news out of Minnesota — the real, on-the-ground reporting of citizens and journalists here. Then SHARE and AMPLIFY these stories. We need the world to know what is actually happening here, not believing ANY of the copious propaganda out there.

2️⃣ GET LOUD. Start speaking up to ALL of your elected officials. Inform your friends, family, neighbors, colleagues. Send emails. Make phone calls. Start making clear that you will NOT accept this happening in Minnesota... or ANYWHERE else. Because guess what? If this is not stopped here, it's headed elsewhere soon.

Remember: silence is not neutral.

Each of us has a pretty clear choice right now: keep silent (and thus this continues), or speak up.

What'll it be, friends?