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Friends,
I’ve just returned from two days of street actions in Minneapolis, including a solemn procession from George Floyd Square to the site of Renee Good’s murder, the general strike and massive ICE OUT march on Friday, which shut down the city. This email is a brief report-back, and comes with special thanks to everyone who kicked in donations to make the voyage possible. It changed me. I’m deeply grateful.
Arriving in the wee hours on Wednesday, I was able to make it to the federal building by noon Thursday, where an ongoing protest vigil established at the beginning of the ICE occupation has continued every day. (To put the occupation in perspective, at present there are, on average, maybe 12-14 ICE agents assigned to most cities in the country; in Minneapolis, there are now over two thousand.) Resisters at the federal building spend the time yelling at ICE personnel as they hastily pass through the gate in their cars, most hiding their faces under masks even while driving.The anger among the people here is widespread, focused and relentless. Words like “coward”, “traitor”, “fascist”, and “FUCK ICE” are hurled perpetually. Pictured on the lower left is my new friend, Bill Breeden, a retired UU minister from Indiana with whom I was connected by Barb Cass and Mike Miles from the nearby Anatoth CW farm. (They’ve graciously offered hospitality to any of us who wish to return in the coming weeks/months.) Bill and I ended up accompanying one another for the next two days of robust resistance.
On Friday morning, upwards of fifty faith-based resisters gathered at St. Paul’s Lutheran church, located in the neighborhood where George Floyd was murdered.
A solemn pilgrimage began at that very spot, now known as George Floyd Square and occupied by a variety of neighborhood people’s organizations. Each corner of G.F. Square is marked by a large statue of a raised fist, with a platform for public speaking-out. A gas station across the street has been converted to a community gathering place. The coalition of people’s organizations here has come up with a list of 24 specific demands, and they’re committed to action and occupation of this public space until each one is met.
From here, we processed a few blocks to “Say Their Names Cemetery”, a memorial to victims of state violence both local and nationwide. (I came away from here with the strong conviction that this kind of space should be replicated in all of our cities, and with additional markers naming each of the unhoused neighbors who’ve died on our streets from dehumanization and neglect. This was a poignant moment for me.)
From here it was on to the site of Renee Good’s murder. We were encouraged not to approach this holy, blood-soaked ground as tourists snapping lots of photos, but rather as mourners paying respects, so I discreetly took only a few pics. It was heart-wrenching to walk those couple of blocks, with the site of Renee’s death right next to a children’s school.
Upon returning to St. Paul’s, we all went inside for lunch and debriefing. Spotting a small group of local activists congregating on the corner sidewalk as I was exiting the bus, I lingered there for a few minutes to see what they were up to. Presently, a car pulled up and four people got out. Three were assisting a sister whose face was bruised and bloodied, and they hurried her into a small nurse’s station in the basement of the church. These brave souls had apparently been intervening in an ICE assault on a family’s home in the immediate vicinity. After lunch, as I was preparing to leave the church, an organizer at the door told me that everyone was obliged to stay inside because of ICE activity in the area. It’s clear that this neighborhood is organized, unafraid and well-prepared. After about an hour, we were directed to exit together in groups of five, with specific instructions on how to proceed. We keep each other safe!
Friday brought well more than a hundred thousand people to the center of the city, in what some are describing as the first general strike in the U.S. in eighty years. I don’t know about that, but one thing became crystal clear in reflection during the long journey back home: Minneapolis is the tipping point. If Trump and ICE are not stopped here, none of us are safe, and all of our cities will be under similar siege in the coming months. We must, each of us, take responsibility in whatever measure we can, to prepare our own communities to fight back without compromise. And right now, Minneapolis has become the teaching moment on how the times are calling on us to do that. Fascism is not primarily a political system, it is a moral disorder. To put it in biblical terms, fascism is the ultimate political expression of idolatry- the delusional worship of the state as savior, protector, and infallible judge. Blasphemy is its calling card, atrocity and terror its only power, and all it can feed on is our fear. And according to biblical faith, idols are not supposed to be argued with, voted against, rejected, nor simply kept at an arms length. They are supposed to be smashed.
The good news: this rogue government could not possibly have made a more stupid, ignorant decision than to test their fascist takeover plan on Minneapolis! Apparently the fascists have mistaken the legendary kindness and hospitality typical to folks here for weakness and capitulation. As the resistance grows- so beautifully modeled by the people’s courage and compassion- flowering community, safety, nonviolence, abundance, and antiracism, we won’t need to do very much to dismantle this evil system that has found fertile ground in our nation. The fascists are showing how fine a job of that they can do of that themselves! But we must get united, cultivate fearlessness, and prepare ourselves and our neighbors for some troubles ahead.
Oh, and one more thing: Prince, who was a beloved son of Minneapolis, often expressed his belief that the revolution would start here. When asked one time why he chose to remain living in a place with such bitter cold temperatures, he replied that the cold keeps the bad people away. May it be so!! Just before the march was finished, my companions (Carl, Barb, Emma, Mike and Bill) pointed out the very place where Prince got his start in music.
I hope this helps, at least a little bit, to clarify what’s been happening in the place that for now has become the front line of our national people’s struggle, and what could very well be coming soon to a city near you! If nothing else, may it be an opening for more of us to respond to any future calls to join them there in resistance and solidarity. I’m happy to talk about this in any forum that folks wish to organize. And again, so much gratitude for those who so generously contributed to make this trip possible. As it turned out, that huge storm last week kept me waylaid in Youngstown Ohio for an extra two days on the way back. Nevertheless, all costs were covered, thanks to you.
Blessings, courage, peace, and love…Mark Colville