We are not helpless
I do not subscribe to silver linings, bright sides, or any other mask for toxic positivity. I also have yet to come across a sentence that begins with “at least” that has ever made me feel better. That doesn’t mean I don’t still find things that make me smile or bring me joy, I’m just not looking for those things in the bad stuff. Like a child who doesn’t want different foods on their dinner plate to touch, I would rather let the bad be bad and look for the good elsewhere.
This week though, I surprised myself by not only finding but craving the good in the bad. It started when I was doomscrolling Instagram and came across screenshots of reporter Margaret Killjoy’s Bluesky social posts (she also wrote a Substack which you can read here). Margaret had arrived the day before in Minneapolis, curious to see the scale of ICE’s occupation. In less than 24 hours she was surprised to see that even though she “had been actively involved in protest movements for 24 years,” she had “never seen anything approaching this scale.”
She wasn’t just referring to ICE’s presence and actions. She was talking about everyday Minnesotans who were standing guard looking for ICE agents or vehicles, who were trailing ICE agents when they were located, and yet others who were actively defending local businesses.
That this level of citizen protection is necessary is wildly disheartening. But then before I could look away and let the bad be bad and pull me further into my doom scroll, the good nearly blinded me. In Minneapolis, regular people in what is reported to be an entirely decentralized network are fighting back and defending their neighbors.
To be clear, this shouldn’t be necessary. Call me crazy, but I believe that someone who arrived in this country legally and is following immigration protocol shouldn’t be at risk of deportation. I believe that children should not be held in detention centers, that we shouldn’t need to show proof of ID to walk down the street, and that neither physical nor lethal force should be used against people exercising their constitutional rights.
These continuing horrors have been breaking me over and over again. Hearing about the deaths and detentions has left me feeling helpless - not hopeless though, (if you haven’t read last week’s post about hope). But then Ms. Killjoy comes along and reminds me that the people who can help ARE HELPING. The people who are on the ground and can fight back and protect those in danger ARE DOING just that.
“There are a few basic skills involved, and so people teach each other those skills, and people are collectively refining them.” She wrote. And because there is no central organization, it is very difficult for the government to fracture them.
Just because there isn’t a clear leader though, doesn’t mean there isn’t organization. It’s just that the organizers are many and they are coming from a variety of communities.
And they are learning.
The people of the twin cities are showing us that not only is it possible to resist, but that when threatened, large amounts of people WILL show up to protect their communities. Even in extreme temperatures and even in the face of significant risk to their lives, as has been made evident over the last few weeks. I am in awe, impressed and, perhaps most importantly, encouraged by my fellow Americans residing in Minnesota.
I refuse to call this a silver lining because I don’t believe in them. The bad is still really freaking bad and I don’t want to detract from that. But also, the good is out there and it is fighting back. And in all that snow and ice of Minnesota, that good is looking pretty shiny.
Today I am grateful to the people of Minnesota for showing us what is possible and to Margaret Killjoy for sharing the possibilities with the rest of us.
As long as we have hope, we are not helpless.
Remember not to underestimate the power of the People. We are more powerful than we realize.
ID: Kelly is wearing a maroon shirt and hugging Anessa who is wearing a grey shirt. Aness is facing away from the camera and Kelly is kissing the side of her face.
