This weekend, we learned that federal agents killed yet another protester in Minneapolis. We are sickened and angry, but not surprised. And we know that while Alex Pretti’s name and face have spread far and wide over news and social media, there are countless others who have been hurt, killed, and kidnapped by ICE whose names we may not know due to the color of their skin. The details of Alex’s killing are horrific, built on a legacy of state-sanctioned violence against resistance. It is built on colonialism, imperialism, and white supremacy, which even white folks are not immune to, as we’ve tragically seen this weekend.
It’s important to not give up hope in this political climate. Trump, ICE, and Kristi Noem want us to feel helpless and hopeless - it’s a tactic of oppression, and we can’t let it take us over. Every bit of resistance is important, and we have some suggestions:
Show up to in-person actions, making our opposition to ICE loud, public, and impossible to ignore. Meet at Foley Square on January 27th at 5:30pm to join other New Yorkers in the streets. We’ll share more actions on our members list - sign up to join if you haven’t already.
Move money to support impacted communities and folks organizing on the ground. Support is needed in Minneapolis (here are links for Stand with Minnesota and Minneapolis Mutual Aid) and here in NYC (GoFundMe campaigns for Osvaldo, Gilberto, Glenda, Karina, and Manuel from Sunset Park).
Call your representatives and urge them not to approve any more funding for ICE in the next budget. You can use 5Calls to find talking points and easily look up what numbers to call. Even if we are losing faith in our elected officials to have a spine and do the right thing, it’s still important to register our dissent, since calls are tallied. Schumer has recently said Senate Democrats won't provide the votes if DHS funding is included, so now is the time to keep up the pressure.
It is our duty to fight for our freedom.
It is our duty to win.
We must love each other and support each other.
We have nothing to lose but our chains.- Assata Shakur
In solidarity,
SURJ NYC