Minnesota Goddamn
A searing examination of federal force, ICE escalation and the erosion of democratic norms as Minneapolis becomes a testing ground for authoritarian power.
Minneapolis has become the flashpoint of a fascist regime that is devouring our democracy.
At this point, we have all seen the pictures and videos of the shooting of Renee Good, a mother and American citizen who was murdered in cold blood. We all have been witnesses for weeks to the escalation of force and violence by President Trump’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) upon the city of Minneapolis under the false pretense of “corruption and illegal aliens.” Claiming a state of emergency within the city, Trump has now deployed a reported 3,000 federal agents into the city. Since he has come into office, Trump has deployed the National Guard and ICE in Washington, D.C., as well as Portland and Chicago, to lesser effect. Now the assault is on the citizens of Minneapolis under the guise of illegal Somali immigrants infesting the Midwest City that is mostly known for Prince, sports teams and independent hip-hop label Rhymesayers.
Trump has been issuing threats toward other blue and liberal cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles and New York, while using the capital and smaller cities such as Portland as test cases to ascertain the boundaries of his power. It appears that Minneapolis has become his latest experiment, and it will be the first real test of how much erosion has occurred in the rule of law and our democracy since he has taken office. Internationally, we’ve seen Trump pursue control of no less than Venezuela and Greenland with very pointed power plays and imperial nation building that has been as brazen as it has been illegal. Historically speaking, for the United States, this is nothing new. However, Trump's complete disregard for states’ rights and local sovereignty brings into laser focus some of the most troubling signs that reveal, very blatantly, the aims of Trump to establish himself as supreme ruler of the United States and the only recognized authority — Mayors, Governors and Congress be damned. We are watching the devolution of the republic into an authoritarian state.
As ICE lays siege to businesses and the homes of countless Americans within Minneapolis, the question might be asked: What is the endgame to this? Currently, the only investigation into the murder of Renee Good that the federal government has announced is for that of her widow. Even as the federal court system attempts to curtail ICE involvement with protestors, Operation Metro Surge rages on. For several weeks, agents have been going above and beyond their stated purpose, harassing anyone and everyone they can regardless of their citizenship status, terrorizing a community that, for all intents and purposes, has broken no laws nor poses any threat to the nation in any capacity. So, despite completely disobeying judicial orders, legal and historical precedents, Trump’s authority has been quietly rubber-stamped as he and this regime continue to flout the checks and balances that have supposedly safeguarded at least the notion of civil and human rights in our country.
These are truly dangerous times. The reality is that the further and increasing occupation by federal agents in Minneapolis is making the community less safe, not more so. The truth is, as ICE continues to falsely assert a mission of identifying and deporting undocumented immigrants while instead antagonizing and terrorizing innocent Americans, what we are witnessing is the very open fortification of authoritarian rule under Trump. What makes this so unprecedented in our history is the brazenness of it and its sustained implementation. But most worrying is the limp and mostly ineffective response from the legislative and judicial branches. Although we have had moments in our history where one of the two ruling parties has looked to entrench themselves in the seat of power, certain boundaries have triggered the checks and balances of this nation to at least stem the tide. However, those countermeasures to tyranny have largely been faulty and ill equipped to address the current regime and its actions. It is true that currently the majority in Congress is held by Trump’s “party” — and not so privately much of these actions have been applauded by his base — so the public response is mixed. At this point, he seemingly has the tacit approval and fealty of the legislature, so his wishes are carried out. The fact is when the Supreme Court ruled in Noem vs. Vazquez Perdomo back in September, which gave ICE unprecedented search and seizure powers, and Democrats in the senate have shown that they more interested in vanity bills that do not directly address real human and civil rights violations, this signals there is very little opposition at the federal level at this point in time to stop Trump. Minneapolis has proven to be the one city serving as the one place where his tactics have borne fruit, and in typical fashion, he has not been silent about his intentions.
With each passing hour, the tinder box seems to edge closer and closer to the matchstick. With every passing day, Trump's control over the country grows deeper and deeper. At least on the domestic front, the fight for even the cosmetic appearance of the rule of law seems to be taking place in Minneapolis, the first battleground in a pitched battle for the “democracy” of this country. Hanging over this is the insurrections act, which ironically is in place to empower the president in the case of sedition occurring within U.S. borders, giving him the right to federalize the National Guard to suppress open rebellion against the government. If citizens resist, or elected officials in Minnesota and Minneapolis choose to act more aggressively, it will give Trump the ammunition he needs to formally invoke the act, which seemingly is what he wants. Regardless, he is acting with impunity without it, and to this point very little seems to be able to stand in his way. The question remains what this will mean not only for the citizens of Minneapolis and the state of Minnesota but for the rest of the United States as a whole. Since Trump has taken office, what we have certainly learned is that the law of the land is as flimsy as the parchment it was penned on. And for all of us, that means truly dark times are ahead.
