Saturday I wept. Anguish wells up in me as I write.
Saturday, I prepared my chili for our church’s annual potluck. How can we continue with these mundane, everyday tasks when our government gunned down a man in the street? A citizen, exercising his constitutional rights. Not the first person shot this way. Not just in Minneapolis. And the killing is only the worst of the unnecessary violence waged by my federal government against civilians.
Before the potluck, we raised one obtuse prayer to mark the day. A meditation song brimmed my eyes with tears. Afterwards, as we shared a meal, we chitchatted about pets, and grandkids, and the frigid cold. I discovered a beloved couple had been reduced to one widower; a rescue dog was making slow progress; someone had a birthday.
I don’t want my world to keep turning as if nothing happened. I want it to stop. I want to know what I can do to make it stop. The very least I can do is to share my broken hearts with people who have the power to make it stop.
Perhaps you’d like to do that too. Perhaps you are wondering how. This is beyond political parties. It is beyond immigration policy. It is beyond human decency. Here’s a starting point:
Call Your Members of Congress at 833-STOP_WAR or call the switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and demand:
Hello, my name is [NAME], and I’m a constituent calling from [CITY, STATE].
I’m calling to urge you to hold the line during DHS negotiations and support clear, unified demands that restore accountability and protect the public.
First, I am demanding no additional funding for ICE in any DHS bill. Not one more dollar should be approved without enforceable limits and accountability.
Second, ICE agents must be held to the same identification standards as police. I am demanding a full ban on masks and a mandatory, visible name badge requirement, with no loopholes or discretionary exceptions.
Third, I am calling for the immediate withdrawal of ICE from Minnesota. What is happening there is unacceptable and must stop now.
Fourth, Congress must hold immediate public hearings on ICE-related killings and violence. These abuses demand transparency and oversight.
Fifth, Congress must prohibit the president from militarizing American cities or deploying federal agents without explicit invitation or consent from state leadership.
Sixth, federal agencies must be barred from retaliating against elected officials or civilians who challenge administration policies. This is a dangerous abuse of power.
These are reasonable, achievable demands, and I expect all leadership to use their leverage to secure them.
