What it’s like living in Occupied Minnesota:
The air outside is cold, just like any other January, but it’s heavy and sad and suffocating. Even if you haven’t seen any ICE agents, you know someone who has, and you keep tabs on your friends and family to make sure everyone is okay.
You know that the sound of whistles and car horns mean ICE is nearby, and you prepare yourself for the worst.
You learn your amendment rights: 1st amendment is your right to protest, to use your voice, and record the terror; 2nd is your right to lawfully have a gun; and the 4th says that it no one can unreasonably search you, take you, or seize your belongings, and they cannot burst into your home with a warrant signed by a judge.
You have also learned that those rights are being ignored. And that it doesn’t matter what you look like, or what you do- you could be next.
If you live here and find yourself more easily triggered into flashbacks and everything that goes with carrying trauma, know that you are not alone in that. I spent my weekend paralyzed with non-stop flashbacks, sometimes unable to move. And they were so strong that all I could do was wait it out. They finally stopped last night. Be kind and gentle to yourself, and help others where you can. Even if it’s just a text message to check on your loved ones.
If you don’t live here, know that all this is really happening in the state of Minnesota. It’s real. And it truly is horrifying.
So please check on your Minnesota friends, and help those around you in your own state or country. Be peaceful, be angry, but don’t be cruel. And do what you can to help others.
