twincities.fyi

Yesterday ICE dragged a man from his shower into the frigid temps just to discover that he is a citizen and has no criminal record. Mayor Kaohly Her said she knows ChongLy Thao and that ICE was offered information that they had the wrong person, but they ignored it and brought him out into the snow anyway.

ICE is still out terrorizing children.

The CS gassing of children continues, this time with Greg Bovino CS gassing a playground.

Today, they detained two minors after rear ending them. ICE seems to get into a lot of accidents where the resolution is to detain the other car.

ICE continues to taunt the schools near me during recess. They will circle recess where kids are out and we respond by putting more people out on patrols. Kids shouldn't have to be terrorized by their government when they are out to recess.

Finally, ICE detained a five-year-old and used him as bait to lure his family out of their home.

Abolish ICE.

Every place on the main street of my neighborhood is either closed indefinitely or posts a guard at the door to keep it locked and unlock it for patrons. Volunteers often stand outside during opening and closing to keep people safe on their way to and from their cars.

People are scared to go outside if they think they'll be stopped. Sundays they go after churches. It feels like a military occupation every day. Several news outlets are reporting that the administration is reading 1,500 additional troops for the event that the president invokes the Insurrection Act.

However, every neighborhood has several Signal chats to coordinate rapid response and mutual aid and there are literally thousands of people per neighborhood working together to make things happen. It’s incredible.

Today

If these losers spend the rest of their lives in the Hague it won't be enough.

I'm thinking about kids the past few days. Kids are not showing up to school. St. Paul and Minneapolis are offering virtual learning. ICE has tear gassed and green gassed children on the North side. I marshalled a high school walkout this week where we had to prepare the students for the possibility that ICE would show up to their walkout and tear gas them. It breaks my heart that these high schoolers have to protest a government occupation, and then worry about that government attacking them while they protest.

I am hearing about a lot of good wins from friends chasing ICE off of routes or chasing them from intimidating people in houses.

However, today there were some big losses. I woke up to a military helicopter flying low in the neighborhood. Later, a message came that there was an abduction happening on one of my usual routes. I got out onto the street as fast as I could but no one was there by the time I got there. They were kidnapped. Maybe if there was an observer there on that corner, ICE would have been scared away.

Later on the neighborhood call, an observer was following an ICE vehicle when the vehicle drove up to and parked in front of that observer's home. I've heard of this happening elsewhere: ICE wants to make sure you know they know who you are and they want us to feel scared.

Elsewhere, ICE is denying non-citizens access to their lawyers. This is a basic right every person has in the United States. Not every citizen. Every person.

Finally, ICE is not only endlessly cruel, but they are also bad at their jobs. They conducted a search warrant in the wrong home, tore it to shit, and left the residents to clean up their mess.

Tomorrow

Ask your neighbors about:

patrolling your neighborhoods. food delivery and assistance in your neighborhood. *rent assistance programs in your neighborhood.

Contact your local schools and see if they need help getting kids to school safely.

Talk to a person not on patrols and get them into patrols.

Today

Writing this post one day late on January 16th.

I keep seeing posts of people saying ICE is driving erratically. In my neighborhood Signal group that is enough for grounds of ICE suspicion. I haven't verified this story about an abduction after an accident, but it aligns with all the dangerous driving and the abducting people indiscriminantly. ICE agents are breaking windows, dragging people through those windows, and leaving the car where it is.

It's now very common to hear reports of ICE going door to door asking for papers from neighborhood chats.

Ken Klippenstein also published some leaked documents about ICE's programs which include investigating political groups and placing plainclothes agents in transport vans and detention areas to gather information. Pretty classic secret police stuff.

Finally, I recommend checking out Suz Clark's account of the shooting that took place Wednesday night. It is an account of horrible cruelty and tragedy.

Tomorrow

Keep patrolling your neighborhoods.

Contact your local schools and see if they need help getting kids to school safely.

Talk to a person not on patrols and get them into patrols.

Find an organization doing food delivery in your neighborhood.

Contribute to rent assistance programs in your neighborhood.

Today

There was another shooting in North tonight. It seems not life-threatening to the victims. DHS is responding with armored vehicles, tear gas, and rubber bullets.

Last night there was a group of people in front of every business still open on Central. We stayed until closing and made sure people got home safely. So many people out and there was still an absolutely horrible and heartbreaking abduction in our neighborhood.

Every day the schools around me are on code yellow at dismissal, meaning students are kept locked in the building. The ICE agents outside will stick around circling in their cars a while to taunt the students and teachers, until the neighbors chase them away. I'm so sad the students have to have the neighborhood show up to get them home safely.

In talking with others doing patrols people are reporting more camera crews with ICE, some with professional cameras. I heard that this is possibly Fox News or right wing YouTubers. Either way is pretty bleak to think that this is entertainment to some people.

People are still outside the Graduate hotel making sure ICE doesn't get a good night's sleep. I still can't believe the university signed that contract. It's such a betrayal to their entire community and the principles of a university.

Tomorrow

Keep patrolling your neighborhoods.

Contact your local schools and see if they need help getting kids to school safely.

Talk to a person not on patrols and get them into patrols.

Today

ICE will eventually have to face whatever justice the community decides, but on top of that everyone who has ever known them will be ashamed to have even the most tenuous connection with them.

Today at Wrecktangle a crowd intimidated an agent into leaving. Small wins are good and I love a crowd yelling you're not welcome here.

On a similar note, I heard from a friend neighbors stopped an abduction at Longfellow Park by being loud and coming out.

These two events may be nothing, but I think when connected to the national context of deep unpopularity of ICE and the Trump administration, ICE may scare easily.

They might even be moving hotels for the third time since December, but no news coverage on that yet. If that's true, that would be a result of the incredible negative public perception of ICE and pressure on hotels who house them. Who wants to spend money at hotels that house the Gestapo?

Also today Aliyah Rahman was detained by being pulled out of her car. She was on her way to a doctor's appointment, passing through the area with ICE activity. She is a US-born citizen. They will detain anyone.

Here's a friend of a friend's account of being detained. They were able to go home, but there are many at the Whipple building that will not be able to.

I also heard of several heartbreaking abductions happening in my neighborhood today. I won't get into them because I think the action is the same: keep getting out as much as possible and get more people to show up.

Tomorrow

Keep patrolling your neighborhoods.

Contact your local schools and see if they need help getting kids to school safely.

Talk to a person not on patrols and get them into patrols.

Today

This is truly the biggest bunch of losers ever assembled. Imagine having so little going for you that you resort to terrorizing a city in Amazon Basics fatigues to grasp at a feeling of importance.

The incident yesterday wherein ICE broke down a door with a battering ram was confirmed by the AP to be warrantless. This could mean that they are trying this tactic elsewhere. Make sure you know the difference between a real warrant and a fake warrant and know your rights if someone shows up to your door.

State Senator Doron Clark, Council Member Jason Chavez, and Council President Elliot Payne are reporting that we are getting 1,000 more ICE agents. They're asking for 10,000 more volunteers to patrol and be out on the street. Ask to get on your neighborhood Signal chats for patrols, or head to the Resources to find a guide on how to patrol.

Minnesota is suing the federal government, saying the government is “terrorizing Minnesota with widespread unlawful conduct.” I think anyone in the twin cities would agree with that.

Tomorrow

Keep patrolling your neighborhoods.

Contact your local schools and see if they need help getting kids to school safely.

Today

The circus of fragile masculinity continues.

iceout.org reports lots of activity across the metro today. Notably, CBP has started to block off streets and go door to door. I heard of one instance where ICE presented a fake warrant and broke down a door. Make sure you know the difference between a real warrant and a fake warrant and know your rights if someone shows up to your door.

The Department of Homeland Security is reportedly sending more agents to Minneapolis. Face the Nation had the number at a few hundred more, for a total of 2,400 agents in Minnesota, centered around the Twin Cities. There is still more of us than there are of them.

Finally, this doofus fell on his bum. Please enjoy as a moment of zen.

Tomorrow

Keep patrolling your neighborhoods.

Today

A huge crowd gathered for a massive Anti-ICE protest in Powderhorn Park. I couldn't make it, so I walked around NE with my tiny foster dog and we kept an eye out. It was good to see so many people keeping watch.

Tomorrow

Keep patrolling your neighborhoods.

Previously

The Trump Administration launched a surge in Minnesota in December, with 2,000 officers rotating through the Twin Cities over a 30 day period starting January 4. On Wednesday, Jonathan Ross, an ICE agent, murdered Renee Macklin Good.

Last night, 30 people were arrested at the noise protest at the Hilton where ICE agents are staying.