The People Part of Politics

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It has been a rough 7 months since Melissa and John Hortman were assassinated in suburban Minneapolis on June 24, 2025.  Thence came Annunciation School children targeted at Catholic Mass in south Mpls, followed by the recent killings of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti on south Minneapolis streets at hands of ICE, and more.  I know how these and other situations have been covered by the national media; and the more intense coverage in our local area.  What I also know is how life on the ground is here in the Twin Cities, and my post on “9 hours in a hospital” is my small effort to look at the other side of life here in the twin cities.  We’re hanging in there, non-violently.  We’re concerned and we are also determined to make it through this.  We’re up to it.  Expect to see many of us on the streets in the future.  Know that more of us are working as hard but not as visibly.  There are bright spots: today Bruce Springsteen was live at First Avenue in Minneapolis, an unexpected high spot to go along with his new song to Minneapolis.  Thank you all.

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PRENOTE:

Related, relevant, a post I wrote yesterday about my 9 hours in a Minneapolis hospital on Wednesday Jan. 28.

IMPORTANT FOR MINNESOTANS: Minnesota Precinct Caucus Tuesday Feb 3.    This is crucial for anyone wishing to impact on their parties candidates or position on issues.  I’m Democrat.  Here’s the MN caucus preview from the DFL website.

I’m a contributing member of Indivisible (which apparently makes me a ‘domestic terrorist’ in the view of some).  I contributed $50 about the time of the fall No Kings rally, and I’m glad I did.  The next: Saturday. March 28.  Here are details.

In case you haven’t heard: Bruce Springsteen: the Streets of Minneapolis.

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Years ago, for some unremembered workshop, or maybe sitting on some committee, I sketched out an alternative definition of a Power Pyramid.   It’s undated, but I kept it all these years, and it seems more impactful, un-gussied-up.

My definition: People, even a little united, have all the power, and power people with competing interest know this, and spend their time devising ways to keep the people divided and fighting amongst themselves.  Any person in power lives in dread of being found out.  You can fill in the blanks.

There are three crucial dates ahead:

First. (In Minnesota) Precinct Caucuses on Tuesday, Feb. 3.  They are open to all, most often attended by relatively few, and (my opinion) the most important political meeting one can attend.  My last caucus was two years ago.  It had very low attendance, due largely to very bad weather, and a few of us rattled around to elect delegates and propose resolutions for later levels of political conventions.  In my case, we surviving delegates had to reconvene twice to endorse candidates for legislator vacancies in our district.  The last endorsing convention, in December, 2025, 24 of us (out of over 28,000 registered voters) nominated the endorsed candidate for interim state legislator.  Our candidate was endorsed by 21 of the 24, won the primary (requested by the candidate who was endorsed by a single delegate), and ultimately won the general election on Jan 26 with near 98% of the vote (48 write-ins for other candidates).  The only reason I had a say in who was nominated and was subsequently elected was that I showed up on that miserable winter evening two years ago, and then came to the meetings to choose successor candidates.  Of course, the candidate for office similarly had to show up and campaign for office.  This is what democracy looks like, it is what democracy is.  (Each state has its own system.  So, if you don’t know your entry level political meeting, just ask someone you know who is political!)

The second crucial date: July 4, 2026: the 250th birthday of the United States.  More on that later.  My guess is that this summer will be complicated.  If you can, search out and watch for the first time, or again, Ken Burns series on the American Revolution which led to the United States of America.

The third crucial date: Tuesday, November 10, Election Day.  On this date every member of Congress will be elected, and many other offices, local, state and federal.  Know your candidates as ethereally are, and vote for all offices..

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It is often said that we, the people, are very distrustful of Congress.  On the other hand, we like our own Congressional representative.  There is huge cognitive dissonance.
“We, the People” ARE the people who pick our own representative for all sorts of reasons.  What is yours?
Pay attention.  Your future, and ours is at stake.

POSTNOTE JAN. 31, 2026: After I’d completed the above, and overnight, came Heather Cox Richardson’s Jan. 30 post with some details about the arrest of former CNN journalist Don Lemon, and Twin Cities journalist Georgia Fort in reporting on a protest at a St. Paul church.

COMMENTS (more at end):

from Laura: Thanks, Dick.

Be sure to view the YouTube three minute Marsh family  song Minnesota Tribute, it’s beautiful.

from Mary: I did hear yesterday that Minneapolis is to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize – first time for a city.  Probably just a pipe dream but would be a fitting reward for the persistence of the activism.  And DJT would be furious!

from Larry: Excellent piece and the recent shootings took those two legislators out of the breaking news. Glad you brought up those victims. My God, Minnesota is turning into some kind of assassination/murder capital – something like NYC when it was run by the mafia. But in Minnesota’s case, it’s the federal gov’t under Donald Trump that is doing the shooting. Appalling! As Rachelle Cordova (known in social media as “Elle”), who is a Youtuber who grew up in Fargo and is a U of M grad, said in a recent “short” video essay: “Nothing will make Trump’s magabase turn against him...but he is losing approval points (with the general public) almost as fast as he’s losing his marbles.”  So true. LG


from SAK (two contributions):

Dear Mr Bernard, I was moved by your “We’re hanging in there, non-violently.  We’re concerned and we are also determined to make it through this.  We’re up to it.  Expect to see many of us on the streets in the future.”

It parallels 2 lines from Marilynne Robinson’s article which was on the front page of the Financial Times’ Life & Arts today, Saturday 31st of January, 2026:

“This country is in a state of crisis that began decades ago and will continue for decades more, if we are fortunate. The worst outcome would be a quiet that meant the exhaustion of the public resistance to the post-democratic, post-constitutional movement that controls the government at present.”

Here is the full article:

The killings in Minneapolis

 

As American cities have been left reeling by the deployment of ICE federal agents, acclaimed novelist Marilynne Robinson explores the deeper conflict that lies behind Donald Trump’s show of force.

This country is in a state of crisis that began decades ago and will continue for decades more, if we are fortunate. The worst outcome would be a quiet that meant the exhaustion of the public resistance to the post-democratic, post-constitutional movement that controls the government at present. The disorder we are seeing now is a show of force for its own sake encountering resistance that is entirely to be anticipated, since, as a matter of common sense, these cities that have offered sanctuary to immigrants do not want to see them abused or expelled. If they were, in any significant numbers, the gangsters and criminals and the burden on resources President Donald Trump says they are, hundreds of thousands of people would not be turning out to defend them, to help them stay.

It is clear from what Trump frequently says about immigrants and the countries many of them come from that he quite sincerely despises them. He earnestly wishes that America could be the pure white country it never was. But there is a profounder issue here, that is, whether the American people really do have the right to govern themselves. Federal troops have surged into blue cities, cities that usually elect Democrats to govern them, that provide necessities and amenities to their populations with a freer hand than might be done elsewhere, that embrace new thinking about the definition of family or about environmental issues, for example. They tend to be prosperous and well educated, and to love themselves. And they tend to know their rights. Minneapolis is a prime example of all this. Renée Good and Alex Pretti were credits to their community.

This is the source of its present troubles. There has long been a controversy in this country about what a real America is or would be. Is it its history of change and reform, or is it the past that was lost in all that progress? There is something else in play now that has disrupted the old, frayed likemindedness, our former willingness, however grudging, to grant the other side a point or two. Now we have a president with no sense of shared history or purpose, who speaks of carnage in the streets and calls his opposition “left lunatics” and “very sick people” who hate our country and want to destroy it. Obviously this view of things is not compatible with the orderly transfer of power or any other civil virtue of democracy, or, frankly, of normal adulthood.

There is no better angel to be appealed to in his case. In demonising those who disagree with him he gives himself and his henchmen frightening licence to attack them. Having had so much more experience with the law than a law- abiding citizen, or non-citizen, he knows it can be thwarted or delayed, or weaponised, and that by this and other means he can enjoy more impunity than an honest man would desire or have any use for. We will learn sooner or later if the killings in Minneapolis will simply be one more demonstration of the effectiveness of his methods. We can hardly expect anything but chaos from him. The true variable here is the American in the street, the American in the voting booth.

We must hope that we are teaching our children to enjoy their rights and honour the rights of others, because this conflict may go on for generations. A weird offshoot of old controversies has sprung up, a subculture that rejects democracy. The Trump phenomenon has rested on the love and loyalty of “people”, who are more “people” than the rest of us because when they gather in crowds we are told we are witnessing “populism”. New Yorkers can amass in astonishing numbers, their worries and passions never becoming populism. Fairly or not, they are assumed to read books.

The coming Maga, or Magog, are definitely not “people” in this sense. They are masculinists with very inflated notions of their own intelligence and no respect at all for the generality of humankind. Enough of them are billionaires to make it fairly certain that their intertwined zealotries will persist and have influence. They want to make us all Christians — a tragic history there! — and they want to make us all emulate the values of Aristotle, a pagan before the word, or Word. It is all sophomoric, but with actual academic credentials and publications, a carefully constructed soi-disant elite is emerging who really wouldn’t want those Maga crowds or those Americans in the streets to know what they have in mind, once democracy is out of the way. Knowingly or not, aged Trump is preparing the world for them, a world that will claim to be Christian.

Surely nothing better can be said about the past than that it yielded the present. And no aspect of the present was harder won than the emancipation of Christianity from the state and from the custom and expectation of sectarian hatred and the repression and violence that so often made it unworthy of the name. People who call themselves conservative seem to yearn for those days, to feel the rush of that old certainty while doing sanctified harm to “very sick people”. It is still statistically true in America that there are Christians in any random group. Recently we saw soldiers gathered around a man they held prostrate. They beat him first. If Christ appears to us in this moment, he is not among the executioners.

Marilynne Robinson’s most recent books are the novel ‘Jack’ and ‘Reading Genesis’.

more from SAK, Feb 3:

To introduce Jefferson, not that he needs an introduction, this is what John F. Kennedy said at a dinner honouring Nobel prize winners:

“I want to tell you how welcome you are to the White House. I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered together at the White House, with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone.”  😊

Compare that with those dining at the White House these days – many of whom dined at an Epstein mansion or island  . . .

Well Jefferson wrote on one January 30th a few years ago:

“Societies exist under three forms sufficiently distinguishable. 1. Without government, as among our Indians. 2. Under governments wherein the will of every one has a just influence, as is the case in England in a slight degree, and in our states in a great one. [England has since much improved one hopes . . . ] 3. Under governments of force: as is the case in all other monarchies and in most of the other republics. To have an idea of the curse of existence under these last, they must be seen [hopefully it will not be seen in one or more of these United States]. It is a government of wolves over sheep. It is a problem, not clear in my mind, that the 1st. condition is not the best. But I believe it to be inconsistent with any great degree of population. The second state has a great deal of good in it. The mass of mankind under that enjoys a precious degree of liberty and happiness. It has it’s evils too: the principal of which is the turbulence to which it is subject. But weigh this against the oppressions of monarchy, and it becomes nothing. Malo periculosam, libertatem quam quietam servitutem [I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery]. Even this evil is productive of good. It prevents the degeneracy of government, and nourishes a general attention to the public affairs. I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical.”

Sadly one must also admit that Jefferson kept slaves & had a long term relationship with a young slave who bore him many children that he did not acknowledge I think.

As a tender novel, The Go-Between, opens: “The past is a foreign country, they do things differently there.” This is not meant to justify however.

Jefferson goes on to say:

“Our citizens can never be induced, either as militia or as souldiers [sic], to go there to cut the throats of their own brothers and sons,”

Sadly, as a famous Minnesotan sang, “The times they are a-changin’ . . .”, sometimes for the worse not better. Surely the pendulum has started swinging for the better though.

9 hours in a Hospital

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Two days ago I was delivering my spouse to the Day Surgery section of Abbott Northwestern Hospital (ANW) in Minneapolis.  The objective was a new shoulder, with overnight stay.  (All went fine.  I brought her home yesterday.)

I spent nine hours at the hospital, before 10 a.m. to after 6 p.m. Wednesday, mostly waiting.  You’ve likely been in the same circumstances….

But yesterday was different for me: an opening to learn.

Abbott Northwestern, a prominent hospital in Minneapolis, is less than one mile east of 26th and Nicollet, where Alex Pretti was killed a few days before.  The building where Cathy was admitted borders on 26th….  A casual visitor would have no idea there had been a murder just down the street.

Wednesday was a busy day at the hospital.  As a visitor, I went where I was told.  Everyone I saw was a stranger.

Given what had happened and is happening in the Twin Cities I had a heightened sense of the environment I was in.

The hospital – its representatives – was friendly and welcoming – nothing over the top, just the usual kind of behavior expected from people oriented employees, regardless of their position.

I did see at most desks a specific sign to costumers like myself that abusive  kinds of behavior would not be tolerated.  There is certainly some reason for the sign, which I saw in several places.  Usually this kind of signage results from individual incidents.  There was no formal check-in procedure – like scanning for weapons, or such – but staffing for check-in was near the entrance

I noticed, as I always do, the personnel infrastructure of the hospital.  ANW is diverse in all ways; helpful, welcoming.

At the end of the day, near 9 hours, I had to access my car after normal hours, and first I had to navigate hallways in a building I’d never been in to find the correct entrance.   This is nothing unusual.  But several people on or off duty who happened across me were very helpful.

A text “how did we do?” assessment came at home soon after I arrived home.  It was about the valet service.  I gave it the highest score.  The entire institution deserved the kudos.

Thinking back on the day, most of what I experienced was contemporary communication.  50 years ago, up to really very recent past, there might be a television in the waiting area; doubtless there would be all points messages heard by everyone.  I found a single ragged People magazine, for neanderthals like me.  Today, virtually everyone is ‘wired’ – iPhones, laptops, wifi….  The whole world is accessible instantly to most anyone.  Even an old-timer like me text’ed messages (though I’m too wordy)!  TV isn’t needed.  It was there, but no sound.  No fighting over what channel.  You know the drill.  Every transaction can be private, but there is no privacy, really.  Years ago I sort of coined a phrase which seems pertinent today: “there are more ways to communicate less”.  We’re all in a learning curve.

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Enroute home, I took the usual route out of downtown, which took me within a couple of blocks of the VA Hospital where Alex Pritti had been ICU nurse.

I thought back t0 early 2006 to a time when my brother-in-law, Mike,  had been at theAlex’s  VA Hospital for an extended period of time, including 10 full days in ICU after a major surgery.  Mike was also mentally ill, and his assigned nurses would not have had an easy task.  (I liked him, but you know how this goes).  I visited Mike in ICU several times.  Of course, I made no particular notice of those who were caring for him – but they, like Alex, were always there.

Not long ago I wrote about my grandfather Bernard who spent most of the last year – 1956-57 – of his long life in the VA Hospital in Fargo ND.  Someone(s) were his Alex Pretti.

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We are best advised to learn from the tragedies that we are experiencing frequently these days.

In peace.

 

 

Minneapolis

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Several previous posts on the Minnesota situation accessible here.

Sunday, one of you sent a note from England: “What with the storms & bitterly cold weather as well as the distressing images we see, I just thought I would drop you a line to make sure all ‘s well.”  I replied: “Just got back from Mass – Basilica is edge of downtown Minneapolis about 2 miles from 26th and Nicollet..  Sunshiny day.  Calm. Noon.  Zero Fahrenheit.  More later in blog.  Thanks for asking.”

These are not normal times here, or anywhere.  At the moment we’re in the spotlight.  The local papers, Minnesota Star Tribune, and St. Paul Pioneer Press, are full of news from here.  Front page headline in Star Tribune for Monday: “In ‘uncharted territory’ State and federal officials clash over shooting investigation“.  It is stressful and depressing, but we’ll endure, I’m convinced of that.  In a few days, I’ll write specifically from my point of view.  For now, what follows is my update.

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First, about 40 of you may not have received the last post, which is here, from Jan 21  Also, please note the POSTNOTE at Jan. 16, beginning, here.  Also take a quick look at the comments.  Overnight, Monday morning,  came Heather Cox Richardson’s January 25 post primarily about the Alex Pretti killing.

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Minneapolis and area, January 25, 2026.  There is an immense amount of credible information out there.  It doesn’t take much searching to sift through the disinformation.  The following are some observations as a new week begins.  I will comment later this week with my personal feelings

Overnite came this e-mail from Jeff, visiting home area in Upper Michigan: It’s hard not to wring your hands and bemoan how we got here. The problem being is it too late?  Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country.

I am up in Bessemer Michigan , the old iron mining area I grew up in.  The Pretti   [The man killed by ICE agents here yesterday]  family were from up here, his father went to Michigan Tech and eventually moved the family to Green Bay.  Alex attended the U of M on the reciprocity tuition. 
I have already seen emails from people up here who know his relatives who live up here even now. 

Sunday at Mass at Basilica, Fr. Gillespie handled the awful situation well.  Basilica is less than two miles from 26th and Nicollet.  He lives in the area where the George Floyd killing happened five years ago, and he noted community members gathering with lit candles witnessing to what  happened Saturday short miles away.  In my town, Saturday, a demonstration at an intersection.  These are the things you don’t see on TV – the micro.  I predict Minnesota is a community that will stay together.  I see Maine seems to be the new target.  Here is the statement of Pastor Dan Griffith on the Basilica website.


from Larry, long-time friend and regular newspaper columnist on peace: For Friends and Family to Whom I Regularly or Sometimes Send my OGP Column From the Sun Post:

This morning Elaine and I joined 2500 people nationwide on a Zoom Prayer Meeting organized by the Interfaith organization, ISAIAH.  I think it’s fair to say the event was to help people, in Isaiah’s words, to wait on the Lord, renew their strength, and rise up with wings like an Eagle to melt the unjust ways ICE is operating in Minneapolis.  They directed participants to www.iceoutnowmn.com, and I was astounded at the list of local businesses closed today to support this effort.  I applaud them.  I am also troubled whenever I hear national leaders say this aggressive mass deportation activity is necessary because no one is above the law.  Much of my work as a storyteller/educator for many years has been with children in families struggling with employment and income because one or more parents have a criminal conviction.  I will never understand how one such conviction keeps many people from voting or holding a decent job, but one person with multiple convictions can be President making crucial decisions for all.
We were still in Mexico when Renee Good was shot.  We were visiting family who moved there in September because they decided they could not/would not live in a country where NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW does not really mean that.  We did not know Renee, but it could have been someone we know.  Frankly, it could have been one of us.  Leaders said she had it coming because she was a member of a radical terrorist organization, INDIVISIBLE.  I’m not aware that Indivisible is a group you can join, but we have been at two enormous NO KINGS gatherings they organized, one in Golden Valley where we live, and one in Alexandria the day our grandson was competing there in a trapshooting event.  We ducked out long enough to join many other people in expressing our first amendment rights.  This was also the day Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed.  We learned later that the shooter had a list that included many of our local elected officials, and that he was involved with the general “Christian” milieu I grew up in. When I graduated from high school in 1964 I attended Bible College and was working for Minneapolis Youth for Christ, the organization Billy Graham emerged from.  They fired the Director I liked because he took a potential donor to a famous Minneapolis restaurant with a nude statue in the courtyard.  About the same time I heard a Minister rail against Pat Boone for claiming to be “born again” while appearing with a “half naked” Ann Margaret in the movie, STATE FAIR.  It is extremely difficult for me to understand how current leaders of this “Christian” strand, like Franklin Graham, could endorse a President with a history of less than one percent sexual purity.  That’s also apparently the amount of Epstein files that have been released a month past the deadline for all to be out.  Still, I could maybe overlook that if current actions were not striking intense fear in many folks I know, including grown up grandchildren who don’t look white because their mother, long a U.S. citizen, grew up in South America.
I was drafted and served as an Army Medic 4 months after National Guard troops shot and killed 4 students at Kent State in May of 1970.  It was a freedom of expression protest against the War in Vietnam, a conflict described 20 years later by its Secretary of Defense as, “Gee, I’m sorry.  We knew at the time we shouldn’t be there”.  I have friends who were students at Kent State at that time.  It could have been them.  I have friends whose names are on the Vietnam Wall. I have spent my life advocating against wars that have nothing to do with defense, as well as for better care for the Veterans sent off to fight.  More often than not they are young and traumatized between the call to Patriotism and the Specter of things they’ve been taught all their life are wrong.  I personally applaud the Congresspeople who recently reminded us all that soldiers swear an oath not only to protect the Constitution and to obey the Commander, but also that they have an obligation to disobey unlawful orders. I will turn 80 this year, so deemed myself too old to be marching at 2 p.m. in 40 below windchill temperatures.  However, I’d take the bus downtown to bail Jesus out if he were thrown in jail for disobeying unlawful orders.  It’s what he did.


from Carol, who saw this in the St. Paul Pioneer Press:

Chief executives of Target, Best Buy, General Mills, Cargill and roughly four dozen other large Minnesota companies issued a public letter Sunday calling for an “immediate de-escalation of tensions” in the state.

The letter marks the first time the most recognizable businesses in Minnesota have weighed in on the turmoil in Minneapolis amid the aggressive crackdown by federal immigration agents, which have sparked widespread protests throughout the city.

It comes one day after federal agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, 37, a nurse at the city’s Veterans Affairs hospital, while he was being restrained during a protest in Minneapolis.

“With yesterday’s tragic news, we are calling for an immediate de-escalation of tensions and for state, local and federal officials to work together to find real solutions,” the letter states.

The letter was signed by top executives of Minnesota’s largest companies and large hospital systems, including Land O’ Lakes, Hormel, U.S. Bancorp, Mayo Clinic and 3M. It also was signed by local sports teams: the Minnesota Vikings, Minnesota Timberwolves and the Minnesota Wild.

The letter is notable because many CEOs have sought to avoid weighing in on any politically charged issues during the second Trump administration.

~ Pioneer Press

 


from Carol, also from the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Jan 23, 2026 report from Frederick Melo and Talia McWright: The sex offenders federal authorities said they were seeking when they detained an elderly Hmong man in St. Paul Sunday do not appear to be missing and may not be registered sex offenders.

After federal agents handcuffed 57-year-old ChongLy “saly” Scott Thao, a U.S. citizen, and forced him out of his house at gunpoint and into cold wearing little more than crocs and boxer shorts, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security took to social media to say he lived with two criminal aliens — both of them convicted sex offenders who are still at large. DHS officials said earlier this week that the two were at large in St. Paul and “public safety threats.”

The Thao’s family has said he has no knowledge of the two men — one of whom is already in custody within the state prison system at Minnesota Correctional Facility-Faribault, where state records show the offender has resided for the past 16 months.

Lue Moua, who was born in 1973, has been in state custody since September 2024, serving a sentence for child kidnapping, with an expected release date of January 2027. An ICE detainer is already in place, according to the state Department of Corrections, meaning he is in line to be transferred to federal immigration authorities on his scheduled release date.

In defending the decision to remove Thao from his home at gunpoint, DHS issued a press statement calling Moua his roommate, and one of its “most wanted” and “a criminal illegal alien from Laos … wanted for sexual assault of a minor, rape, kidnapping and domestic violence.”

The statement noted an immigration judge issued him a final order of removal in 2012 but he remains at large.

In fact, Moua is behind bars, and has been for months. Before that, he was homeless, according to the criminal charges that landed him in state custody.

 

Court records show that in 2023, while living in a tent in a lakeside campsite off a dirt road, he repeatedly removed his ex-wife’s 6-year-old daughter from her home and threatened to harm them both, garnering convictions for felony kidnapping and misdemeanor domestic abuse. He was not charged with sex assault in the case.

Another man named Lue Moua, who was born in 1986, was placed in state custody in June 2020 following a drug conviction, and released under supervised probation in January 2022. His supervised release expires in October 2027.

ICE issued an order in June 2020 that they be notified within 72 hours of his release. DHS published a public statement Wednesday that also listed him among their “most wanted” at large, even though he’s currently listed on state records as being under the supervision of a probation officer from Ramsey County Community Corrections.

A search of the Minnesota Department of Corrections registry of sex offenders who are subject to public notification does not list either of the two Lue Mouas, or another man on the DHS “most wanted” list who was alleged but never proven to have lived with Thao.

 

On Friday, following coverage of Lue Moua’s imprisonment by Twin Cities broadcast news stations, DHS issued the following statement on X, attributing their inability to find him to the mayor of Minneapolis, who plays no obvious role in the case:

“We are calling on Governor Walz and Mayor Frey to agree to turning this child predator over to ICE, so this criminal can never prey on innocent American children. This is exactly what we have been saying: We need state and local law enforcement engagement and information so we don’t have to have such a presence on the streets.”

The other suspect, Kongmeng “Jack” Vang, was described as dangerous and at large by DHS officials. They said he was wanted for “sexual assault, gang activity and assault,” and that a federal immigration judge had ordered him to be removed from the country in 2016. It does not indicate why ICE failed to do so after he was transferred into their custody that year.

His court history on record shows Vang was convicted of misdemeanor sex assault in 2012, placed on probation, and then, following a probation violation, sentenced to 90 days in the Hennepin County Workhouse a year later.

 

In November 2016, Vang was convicted of disorderly conduct, but a fifth-degree assault charge was dismissed. He was sentenced to 30 days in the Hennepin County Workhouse and a year of probation.

Court and prison records show Vang was transferred to ICE’s jurisdiction and held in the Sherburne County Jail from November 2016 to April 2017 on an ICE hold. It’s unclear why he was not deported at that time.

 

On Thursday, a search of public records showed him living a few hours out of state, with a phone number listed.

COMMENTS (more at end of page):

from Laura: Thanks so very, very much.Dick.

Situation just heartbreaking.We all are doing the best we can.

from Pierre: Scary indeed.

from David: You seem to have a bit more faith than I do that “The truth will out.” Or, if it does, that it will make any difference. I’ve been burned before when some outrageous information/action came out regarding Trump or his administration thinking, “Well, NOW this will be different. No one can deny what they just saw/heard.” While the latest murder by ICE agents is a new level of outrage, I can’t see why it will be different this time. I hope I’m wrong.

response from Dick: All of this is depressing.  My optimism, hopefully not misplaced, is that the American public seems to be waking up to the harsh reality.  Krugman’s view (above) might help to explain this.  It is a long struggle, and the success or failure most lies in the laps of the Congress of the United States – the House of Representatives – which has not distinguished itself.


from Brian:

Thanks for your updates, and so sorry for the assault on your community.  You and your neighbors are in our thoughts, and actions.  Friday I attended a labor-focused protest outside Home Depot and Target in Boston, Sunday joined a suburban march around the town common.  Kenbe fem!

from Jane: Good to have someone on the spot who can tell us what is really going on.


from Lawrence:

And this truth is already out, from the WH DCS Steve Miller:

“To all ICE officers: You have federal immunity in the conduct of your duties,” Miller told Fox News last week.

“Anybody who lays a hand on you or tries to stop you or tries to obstruct you is committing a felony. You have immunity to perform your duties, and no one – no city official, no state official, no illegal alien, no leftist agitator or domestic insurrectionist – can prevent you from fulfilling your legal obligations and duties.”

from Ken: Thanks Dick. For sharing your thoughts at this difficult time


from Larry:  Good summary of the way things are, Dick…I wrote – once again this morning to my delegation. It’s like a stone in the ocean…but I think we need to tell them what we think. They are cowards…if Congress can’t stop him, what or who can?  LG

Extreme

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If you have questions, please ask, or if you see errors, point them out – I’m doing this on the fly.  I guess I live in a war zone – at least as it is publicly portrayed in the words of the President of the United States and media, which persists in giving him undeserved air time.

This morning we’re preparing for an extreme weather event in the Twin Cities beginning Thursday night, per National Weather Service.  The weekend is predicted to be a doozy – good to stay indoors.

The President in Davos is talking about 19 billion or such in fraud in Minnesota, due, he says, to an incompetent governor and Democrats and evil Somalis and such who should be sent back  where they came from, and threatening to take Greenland by force if necessary.  Of course, any reliance on the Presidents numbers or assessment on anything are best received as ‘what the hell’ estimates – what plays well is all that matters to him.  Honesty is in short supply.

Apparently 1500 troops are on alert to come to Minnesota to augment the federal Army of masked hombres from ICE already here to clear the riff-raff off our streets and out of our homes, schools and churches.  The guy who murdered Renee Good seems to be off the hook…   She was apparently a domestic terrorist, and we’re harboring boatloads full of rapists, murderers and other crud from foreign countries. We are apparently the willing sanctuary of this scum and crud of the universe.

Now, our Governor, Minneapolis Mayor, the Attorney General and the Hennepin County attorney, at minimum, have been subpoenaed by the so-called Department of Justice for investigation of alleged criminal behavior…..

And the Supreme Court is hearing arguments about how the President can fire somebody from the Federal Reserve Board….  What a wonderful world!

I guess I live in the place from Hell – at least the national press agent, the President of the United States, declares it so.  Pay attention.  Pay very close attention.

On the other hand, if you believe a word der fuhrer  says about anything, there’s doubtless a bridge for sale somewhere, cheap, which you can’t access, or if you’re on it, it goes nowhere….  And likely it is phantom real estate anyway.

Into this mix comes another reality.  We’re supposed to have a day of action on Friday, but weather will likely interfere with the televised part of the revolution.  The guy I overheard on my walk this morning talking about being unable to sleep; the quiet expressions of concern; the e-mail I saw in my e-mail box when I got home from my walk (at the end of this post, from Jeff), etc. etc. etc.

I try to stay reasonably well informed, and in the last twenty-four hours have come three posts from Robert Reich that I think are worth your time.

In the first, there is a link to the proposed Minnesota action on Friday.  It’s just a link, near the beginning, brief, take a look.  The second is more of a call to action – what are you, personally, willing to do.  The two links are here and here.  In between is a third post from him, yesterday, here.

There is literally endless and credible information about the implications of this Presidents assorted mal-adventures that will affect us all if we sit on our fantasies that this will all end without our own investment of time and energy.  The next 10 months, until  the November election, are absolutely crucial for ongoing citizen action, in my opinion.  It is our future at stake.

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Finally, this mornings e-mail from Jeff about the Bond market: He also includes an article from the Jan 21 Barron’s Daily about yesterdays bond selloff.  “So, I have learned over many decades of investing that one always watches the bond market to get the feeling of what is really going on. 

Yesterday’s action maybe a one off, but I don’t think so…the bond markets are reacting to instability and uncertainty in the USA, Japan, and EU.  That is a huge percentage of the world’s GDP.    with treasury markets going down (value of the bond down, interest rate up…its often perplexing to wrap your brain around) this means rates are going up , and when the 10 year US treasury rates go up….then mortgage rates go up, and go up they did yesterday.  
The Japanese PM is a conservative, with economic plans similar to what Liz Truss proposed in the UK a few years ago (cut taxes, increase spending).  Japan is a moderate-conservative nation actually, but it values stability and cohesiveness…hence the bond markets reactions to the Japan treasury bonds….
The sad thing is Congress remains AWOL.  Now some Republicans are joining in the enthusiasm for taking over Greenland.  
As I said, Trump is a soul vampire…if you travel with him he steals your soul, you become a zombie and then he uses you up. 


Yesterday, Dave sent on a link to a half hour interview with the Minneapolis Police Chief, Bryan O’Hara:  “This is recording of NYT’s reporter Michael Barbaro’s interview with Minneapolis Chief Brian O’Hara. It was recorded Jan. 12 and is 34 minutes long. Well worth the time.

COMMENTS (more at end):

from Fred:  “Soul stealer” is an excellent description. I listened to his rambling speech at Davos. In my humble opinion it was a disaster for him.

from Joyce: Eric got an alert last night that the workers at a local Mexican restaurant were afraid to leave because ICE was in the area; he, and a few others, drove the workers home, then picked them up this morning to take them to work.

from Jeff: good one sir,  I suspect the dollar amounts in Trump’s addled synapses might be that he is confusing the amount ($19 billion) he and his family and cronies have

extracted from the US taxpayer already in his current reign.
This is not to distract from the issue of fraud in social services…having been on the firing line in this venue, I know that fraud is possible and opportunities are ripe. The problem
as usual is poor accounting, auditing and systems to promote correct usage without cutting off needy recipients.   I suspect Minnesota is only the tip of the iceberg, inconvenient fraud issues in places like Florida and Mississippi get papered over……


from Carol: My son John lives in South Minneapolis and attends a church there.  His church has a little food/clothing shelf, but he says hardly anyone is coming there now as people are too afraid to leave home.  I’m sure many of them have had their jobs put on hold also.  So the church members are individually shopping and delivering food to families – mostly Hispanic.  One of his friends is feeding four other families.  His daughter Liana is engaged to a Mexican guy who lives with his family in Minneapolis (he was born here – like that matters anymore).  So John and Tony are grocery shopping, paying themselves, and delivering to people that have contacted the church.  (Tony is a soccer coach in an elementary school over there.  Every time he goes out the door, he’s putting himself at risk.)  I told John his church should set up a fund that people can contribute to.

I understand that school teachers are doing this for their students’ families, also.
Please pass the word about these wonderful people who are stepping up.  We need to find ways to help feed our fellow Americans.

from Darleen: Well written, Dick.  We must remain vigilant; doing what we can while protecting our loved ones.  Our democracy and world stability are on the line.

from Jim: Dick, I’m afraid the die is cast and we’re too late! Trump does not care about our constitution, laws or court orders! He has built up his ICE/KGB/Gestapo to do his work, legally or illegally. If he doesn’t employ the insurrection act to cancel the November voting, he will use ICE etc. to collect the voting ballots, and his people will do the counting. He will remain as president until whoever he picks as his successor. Need to fight like hell!

 

 

 

Martin Luther King Day

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Today is Martin Luther King Day.  I notice it is not even mentioned on the White House website, at least I see no reference,  Of course, in every community in one way or another today will be recognized.  This is my tiny contribution.

I word searched Martin Luther King and found 80 blogs with references to MLK within my blog history. This one from 15 years ago is the one I want to emphasize today,  There is a specific reason.  Read on before you open it.

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First, I dedicate my post today to Andrena Guines, whose funeral I attended a couple of weeks ago at Basilica of St. Mary.  She was only 61.

Jan 8, 2026 Basilica of St. Mary

The Memorial writing about Andrea is here: Andrena Guines Jan 8 2026.  Below is a portion of the folder.  I think MLK would be proud of her.

“From an early age, Andrena was taught that one’s vote and voice matters.  Her strong social beliefs left her to a life of service and deep commitment to empowering others.  She worked on many successful political campaigns in Georgia and Minnesota.  Andrena won the Vice Chair for THE Congressional District 4 -DFL and became a 2024 Presidential Elector for the State of Minnesota.  This honor placed her name in the Library of Congress.  She also participated as one of the core members of Black Women Rising, where she found community and offered support to others.”

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Yesterday, Sunday January 18, at the end of the Mass, our Pastor at Basilica of St. Mary suggested to us that this would be a good time to read MLK’s April, 1963, Letter from a Birmingham Jail.

If you’re interested I ask you to first return to the second paragraph in this post, and open the post from 15 years ago. August, 2010.  About half way down, note the last line of the paragraph beginning “MLK wrote…” open the link “Alabama clergy MLK 63001”.

At this link is the public letter from six prominent church leaders in Birmingham, which led to MLK’s response.  It is seldom brought to public attention,.

I’m asking you to go through this little “dance”, just to point out that the originating letter is seldom emphasized, and in 2010 I found it difficult to find on-line.  But it gives context to King’s letter, which is all most people ever see.

MLK was in his early 30s when he was in jail and wrote his letter, a young pastor.

The six clergy who wrote their position, which speaks for itself, were at the pinnacle of leadership of their own denominations in Birmingham and accustomed to being in charge, and being persons of influence in the community.  All were white and probably astute in local politics and well connected with the movers and shakers.

MLKs constituency was by and large common folk not viewed as people with power.

I hope you take the time to read the articles and reflect on how they apply to today, 63 years later.

COMMENTS (more below);

from Lois:  Yesterday I read an article: History of U. S. Sanctuary Cities and States written by Laura Madokoro, Carleton University.  Understanding this was long overdue.

After 9/11 it seems our attention was on the Middle East while the situation in Central American countries festered for 2 dozen years.  The fraud investigation sure ignited the explosion what was previously hit and miss in addressing the issue.

Can we say our federal lawmakers were asleep at the wheel since the mid ‘80’s?  Our tax money goes in, gets mixed like the salmon loaf I just made, and divvied out with the best intentions, assuming everyone down the line to distribute it, and recipients use it as intended.  The word “trust” has been lost to history after 1000 years (per definition online).

I read, I listen, and I agree with the opinion, news is a televised daily soap opera.  “This too shall pass”, hopefully soon.

from Christine in France:  It is so unbelievable from the country of freedom…!  In France, everybody is in shock and still wondering how to react… soon I hope otherwise, it will hit us as well…

response from Dick: I don’t recall Churchill’s exact words to the schoolboys in WWII, but the essence was “never, never, never, never quit”.  It’s not going to be easy, but great numbers of us are keeping on.  Remember, over 75 million Americans voted for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz one November ago.  Of course, over 90 million didn’t vote at all, and several million for candidates they knew ha no chance….  But the battle is not over, not by a long shot.

Confronting the problem.

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PRE-NOTE: The content below the asterisk was written and published Jan. 16,  If you read nothing else, note paragraphs 9&10 (para beginning with “Wednesday”).  The City Council meeting is very powerful, in a positive sort of way.  Previous related posts for Jan 7, 13 and 14 are accessible here, [and Jan. 19 here].  You can also click on specific date on calendar at right.

As I think about the context of this outrageous national incursion on places, now our state, I keep thinking of the likely architect and enabler of this outrage – the current President of the United States.  He is fond of media manipulation, and is good at it.  I only knew of him as ‘star’ of “The Apprentice” and the phrase “you’re fired”.  The program (which I never watched, not once) was popular.

Succinctly, my view is that we are watching a huge, financed-by-ourselves, national Soap Opera.  The villains are portrayed as people like me, and the plan seems to be to highlight one Democrat labelled place after another, sending in masked hoodlums to punish and make an example which will promote fear from the rest of the populace.  This is just my thought.  Of course, if it doesn’t pass muster with the architects, it will be considered “fake news”.  But it is a thought I need to share.  What follows was written before I wrote this.  Also see POSTNOTE at the end.

POSTNOTE Jan. 24: Below I have a recording of a recent Woodbury City Council meeting relating to ICE.  Mention is made of “Tonton Macoutes” notorious police in Haiti during the Duvalier Years primarily in 1960s-1980s.  Here is an article about this group, and also the two letters I wrote referencing it: Tonton Macoutes Haiti.   My cousin, Mary provided a recent YouTube presentation by Minnesota Medical Professionals on the impact of the ICE  intrusion here.  Today, of course, is the latest killing of a civilian on a Minnesota street by ICE.  This is a developing story and will be heavily covered on national media.

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This is day nine since the killing of Renee Good at 34th and Portland Avenue South in Minneapolis.  Here in the Twin Cities we are anticipating a cold weekend and early next week.  The activities continue as front page news, and I expect it to continue for some time.

Minnesotans are on the court, and not asleep.  I think it important to note that the spotlight at this moment is on one city – my metro area of over 3,000,000.  Perhaps the Twin Cities will be target for a month or two, then the “show” moves on to the next, on and on.  The intention I believe is to intimidate we the people through daily televised violence from our own governments gestapo.  I hope it doesn’t work.  But it is certainly damaging.

Here is my very brief view from my vantage point – news you won’t see on national TV or in the big city newspapers.  There is immense amounts of information out there.  This is just a very small sample.

This afternoon I got my Passport from my safe deposit box.  Then I looked: it expired in November 2025.  In ten years there has been no use, and no international travel is anticipated at my age.  But I’ll get it renewed, just in case.  But by that time, if I’m in trouble, I’m out of luck.

Away from the televised locations the local streets remain quiet, but the undercurrent is restive.  People are communicating.  Much of the more important news is not being televised – it is happening act by act in the local areas.  For example, I went to the local McDonalds on Wednesday – it’s my alternate ‘watering hole’ often in the afternoon.  Wednesday a guy told me the dining room was closed: not enough workers.   Fair enough.  It’s a very busy place in normal times.  Yesterday we went by there in late afternoon.  There was drive through, but no dining room open.  Today the same.

Odds are the McDonald’s dining room closure is in direct relation to ICE in the twin cities.  Many of their employees and customers would be  suspect because of color and language preference,

The front page in the January 15 Minnesota Star Tribune had a stunning graphic with the headline “DHS’ Minnesota presence dwarfs largest metro police forces“: 3,000 compared to 2,482 officers total for the ten largest metropolitan police departments.

Wednesday our State Representatives and many others were among those who gave maximum 3-minute comments to our local city council on issues relating to ICE.  We were going to be there.  The swarm of public arriving there, and lack of parking made it unlikely we’d even get in, so we went home.  Here is a detailed account of the City Council meeting.  The meeting is accessible on YouTube.  The relevant content begins at about 40 minutes and is extensive (about an hour).  It is well worth your time.  It is “citizen speak”.  As I have noted, Woodbury is just east of St. Paul and just west of the Wisconsin border along I-94.  It is a town of 83,000.

I did make my own input to that same Council last summer.  The letter is here: Woodbury ICE at HERO Center.  I was glad I sent the letter and had a very productive meeting with the city police chief, at his request.  Last week the local school district sent a letter to the parents/guardians of all its students.  It is worth reading: SoWashCo833 ICE.  Perhaps a third of the households have kids in school, so most residents wouldn’t. receive this notice.

Last night we were scheduled for a show, Luminescence,  at Basilica of St. Mary.  I had purchased the tickets on Dec. 5.  We didn’t go.  I frankly felt guilty about taking advantage of this, and Cathy agreed.  It would have been a good show.  It was a good idea, but a bad time.  I have no idea if there is anyone else who saw this the same way as we did.  The Pastor and the Archbishop know who I am, and I am corresponding directly with them about my concerns.

Cathy has a good friend, native of Antigua, long-time citizen of the U.S., retired.  She worries about her friend, who lives in a small low income rental facility in St. Paul.  Many residents would fit the profile of ICE targets, so leaving the apartment is risky for them.  Apparently arrivals/departures from the Caribbean states are on hold.  Or at least so I’m told.

In the general area of communication, there is really constructive communication back and forth among ‘birds of a feather’ – people who have been conversing for a long time, know each other well.  While I was working on this, Cathy was talking with her sister in Arizona, who mentioned a demonstration going on in her senior community.  I’m honored to be part of some of these small groups, and if one speaks the others listen, and can and do disagree or modify points of view.  In the end analysis, this is how the struggle – and it is a struggle – will play out.

Personally, I’m an active Democrat, one of those people the President frequently and very publicly says he hates, seeking and probably getting the desired effect from his disciples.

A closing comment:

As an active Democrat, I see the party as it is, an inclusive group that is both enabled and disabled by its openness to differing points of view.  We can be a difficult rabble as we debate issues, but then, what unit of related and unrelated people sees everything the same way.  We all need to find ways to work through disagreements.

Speaking of which, the first and very important political act in our part of the world will be Precinct Caucuses on February 3, followed by assorted conventions at progressively higher level, leading towards the 2026 election, and the 2027 Congress  swearing in Jan. 6, 2027.

DO NOT DISCOUNT HOW IMPORTANT YOUR PARTICIPATION IS TO THE END RESULT.  Check with your local political party for specific dates and events in your area.  The long and short, if you are not involved, you cannot effectively impact.  It’s up to you, not to anyone else.

Also, recognize that a key tactic of the powerful is to simply wait out the powerless.  You need stamina to make change.  It is more than one meeting, or one protest.  Stick with it.

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POSTNOTE: In the PRE-NOTE, I mention I never watched “The Apprentice”.  I do watch TV, and two of my favorite reality shows are Dateline and 48 Hours.  This weeks Dateline was about Sarah, a very pleasant and attractive lady who abused her kids, and who attracted and in one way or another eliminated maybe five husbands (I lost count), and burned down a couple of houses, and finally took up residence for life in prison.  Granted, the subject was a little different, but not all that much.  The abuse of power ultimately will be punished.  But that’s a hard lesson for the already powerful to learn…it has worked so well for so long.

COMMENTS (more at end of post):

from Laura: Thanks very much, Dick.  Father Dan Griffith had a beautiful Mass for justice and peace that I just returned home from, after visiting with a number of people at the reception downstairs afterward.Good to have community support during these dark days.

from Carol: Speaking of the National Soap Opera…  A part of me has to be amused by photos of the ICE agents falling down on the ice, getting their vehicles stuck in snowbanks, being pelted by snowballs, beaten by snow shovels.  Today I understand the (dozen or so) counter-protestors from out of town, led by that pardoned thug from Jan. 6th, were hosed with water at their lame protest.  Sometimes ya gotta think Mother Nature has a sense of humor.  (Wonder if they’ll still be here for the finale of the Winter Carnival.  I mean, they could arrest all those Vulcans with the blackened faces…)

Can’t you just hear them discussing all this at night in their hotel?  @#$%& crazy people – who’d ever want to live here anyway?


from Mary Ellen:  In The north we all know about freeze up and ice out, the natural events that make it safe to walk or drive on the ice and to launch our boats in spring.Communities often hold raffles or lotteries to guess when the ice will go out on their local lake.

We probably need a new lottery called ICE OUT that would guess when ICE will get out. It should be a fundraiser for families broken and left behind by these brutal arrests.
What do you think? Is there any church or organization that would dare to do it?
Just as Napoleon was defeated by the Russian winter, the predicted Arctic blast may be helpful.
Does anyone know how many pardoned Jan 6 rioters have been hired by ICE?


from SAK:  No worries about wasting my time reading your posts Mr Bernard – but I cannot help thinking how much time is wasted watching lies & trivia . . . including shows like The Apprentice which was copied from UK TV if I am not mistaken.

Watching the news about Greenland & Minnesota feels like getting familiar with surrealism all over. This is amplified by your description & take on what’s happening in your own vicinity. Who would have thought it would come to this!?

Given the push back by enthusiastic & informed people like your good self as well by whole states (Canada, France, Germany, Scandinavians & even the UK which seems to have realised that with Trump there is no special relationship no matter how much one grovels!), I do get a feeling this is like a last hurrah before the downfall – “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall”.

from Mary:  Hi Dick….suffice it to say that this whole ‘Minnesota” thing is unfortunate and so dangerous.  Like many others I pray for reasonableness to prevail again.  I am not sure that future analysis of these days and weeks will provide the answers to where other decisions could have been made.

It is what it is – democracy is very messy.  Keep the courage of conviction and stay safe.


from Darleen: Once again your thoughts hit the nail on the head.  My passport is current so I guess it’s time I carry it daily.

Just last week I made a trip to the courthouse to get 2 copies of our daughter’s birth certificate so we can have one on file and she has one to carry.  She and our grandson live on E .Franklin just a block off Portland. We call her our Hawaiian child since her features and olive skin, inherited from her father, are quite evident.  When she was younger and drove into Minneapolis she was stopped more than once by the MPLS police for minor infractions and questioned.    Now she lives there and has a son she needs to get to daycare five days a week which by the way remains in lockdown and has put up curtains that block out the sunshine and Mother Nature.
Keep sharing your thoughts with us while I keep making phone calls and sharing important facts with family and friends about whom to call and why.  Wish I was strong and brave enough to take to the streets, but protecting my family in less visible ways is my priority right now.


from Gail: Thanks, Dick.  This was very interesting and very impressive how the community has spoken out and acted to defend itself against abuses by ICE.

At the end of the meeting, though, I was not happy to hear that when Councilwoman Wilson wanted a correction in something she said at the previous meeting, the Council would not listen to what she had said verbatim, but simply railroaded through approval of Minutes that Wilson claimed were inaccurate.
Minority opinions need to be protected, too.

 

The Invasion

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PRENOTE:  This is the third post on ICE in Minnesota.  The previous posts, on January 7 and 13 are included from about 24 hours ago when I posted my personal observations about ICE in my city.  I posted on what I was actually personally experiencing (and indeed am still experiencing), but I knew the rest of the story as well through media and people like yourself.  Related and relevant was a January 12 post related to Greenland.

But our rapid transition to authoritarian state alarms me even more than 9-11-01, which was the point that led to my active involvement in the peace movement.  We dismiss the problem now at our own great future peril as a nation.

Specifically for residents of Woodbury:

Overnight, two friends in my town, contemporaries in age, who I know well, one for a long time, the other more recent, both highly credible, separately sent the two following posts which focus on this area – my County and my area east of St. Paul.  What they share, I’ve heard from others, and indeed are no secret around town.  National news verified by local news and front page in this mornings Minnesota Star Tribune, is the announcement that six local DOJ attorneys, one of them a long term U.S. attorney in Minneapolis, have resigned, presumably because of disagreement with how the DOJ is handling the investigation following the death of  Renee Good.  There is plenty of open source news on this, so if interested just access on line.

If you think “it can’t happen where I am”, open your eyes and follow Minneapolis-St. Paul.  It is happening.  Following are the two shared posts.,  both from senior citizen women who I would consider activists.  Take the time to read these, and get on the court where you live.  This is not a ‘toy soldiers’ game.

FRIEND ONE: Criminy, [the newspaper]  said I could share that.  [from St. Paul Pioneer Press]

May Township resident Patricia Isaacs was among dozens of residents of Washington County who gathered Tuesday morning to implore the county board to do all they can to stop any possible plans for an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in the county.
“My father was raised in an Orthodox Jewish home,” Isaacs said. “There’s an entire branch of my family that didn’t survive World War II. It was drummed into my head since childhood that we must never forget. Well, I’ve never forgotten. And we can’t forget. If we allow ICE to build a facility here that is essentially a concentration camp, we are complicit.”
More than 20 people spoke expressing concerns about a possible ICE detention facility on Hudson Road in Woodbury. Another 10 people submitted written comments.
Washington County Board Chair Karla Bigham said no one on the five-member county board is in favor of an ICE detention center. County and city officials previously have said they have not been notified of plans for a detention center and the property owner in question says they have not been contacted either.
“We can’t afford it financially,” Bigham said. “We can’t afford it from a public health perspective. We can’t afford it from a safety perspective. We cannot afford it from a Constitutional perspective. We cannot afford it from a due process perspective, and we darn well cannot afford it from a humanitarian perspective.”
Bigham told audience members that the board members would be “discussing and deliberating” the best response. “What I can guarantee you is that we will not be quiet,” she said. “We will not be complacent. This is about protecting our freedoms and having ICE in our communities violating the Constitution and due process does not make our communities any more safe.”
Bigham said the board plans to send a letter to the county’s federal delegation expressing concerns about the possible detention center. The letter, which is expected to be finalized next week, asks federal officials to consider the public health and safety risks and community impact.
“Beyond the local safety and compatibility concerns, such a facility would place substantial additional strain on county services, including law enforcement, public health, transportation, and other departments, at a time when resources are already stretched to meet state and federal mandates,” a draft of the letter states.
Carol Iwata, of Afton, a third-generation Japanese-American, told the county board that she now carries a photograph of her passport with her everywhere she goes, “just like St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her.”
Iwata’s mother’s family was incarcerated in a concentration camp during World War II, she said.
“My mother and her siblings were (U.S.) citizens, as were many of the people who were incarcerated,” Iwata said. “My family has experienced race-based unlawful detentions before, although we have seen from the awful tragedy of Renee Good that race doesn’t protect you from ICE.”
Janet Carlson, of Lake Elmo, said her family was forcibly removed by the Army in Seattle, Wash., in April of 1942 and incarcerated in Hunt, Idaho, in the Minidoka concentration camp.
“Today’s ICE actions bring all kinds of memories for me, even though I was not alive at the time,” she said. “These people were incarcerated without due process for two years, so this seems very similar.”
Carlson expressed concerns about the safety of the students at schools in the area of the possible detention center and said immigrants are key to the county’s economic development.
“Lake Elmo and Oakdale are on the list for the fastest-growing cities in Washington County, and that means we need construction workers,” she said. “People of color are heavily represented in the construction industry, and if we want to continue growing our community, we have to make sure that those people feel welcome and safe to work in Woodbury.”
Stillwater resident Nick Gorski said his father, a World War II veteran who fought in Northern Italy with the 10th Mountain Brigade, would be horrified by what is happening today.
“I’m glad he’s not alive to see what’s going on right now,” Gorski said. “The people he fought against are calling the shots, and it’s up to us to stand up.”
Nicole Sauer, of Woodbury, said she has been impressed with the level of trust that the Woodbury Police Department has built with the city. “I don’t want that to be ruined,” she said.
“Right now, it’s really about coming up with creative solutions and being able to act fast,” said Commissioner Michelle Clasen, who represents Woodbury.
“We don’t want to be complacent or complicit,” Clasen said. “(We) want to work with constituents, so that we can do whatever is possible to tell ICE that you are not welcome in our community. You are not welcome to have an ICE detention center. We want people who follow the laws and abide by the laws.”
Commissioner Bethany Cox, who has two young children, became emotional talking about how she, too, is “changing the way she moves around her community.”
“I’m sorry,” Cox said. “The trauma that this is causing in our communities is the part that I’m struggling with the most. Federal laws need to be followed, but there can be a way that it can be done that doesn’t hurt us as a community.”
Jennifer Vitale currently lives in Woodbury, but she was born and raised in Stillwater. She said she wanted to give the board “the parents’ perspective of what’s going on.”
Vitale said she has to tell her daughter and son-in-law that if they see ICE agents when they are at a store with their child they need to “turn around and come home — and that’s happened.”
“Parents are now thinking about where they can go and when they can go there,” she said. “They’re on the lookout for what’s around them. If there are ICE around, they turn around and go home. … Families in Woodbury are changing how we live in our community, and I think you guys should know that.”
Many of those in the audience on Tuesday were members of St. Croix Valley Indivisible, Afton Indivisible and Indivisible Twin Cities, groups working to “stand up for our democracy and the rights of our immigrant neighbors,” said Martha Winslow, a St. Mary’s Point resident who is the leader of St. Croix Valley Indivisible.
“Honestly, to call these facilities detention centers is a euphemism,” Winslow told the board. “I ask you to get out ahead on this thing. Call and write letters to anyone you can think that may have the power to stop this. Determine what powers you have to stop this before a specific proposal comes before you.”
Members of the Indivisible groups, along with officials from Woodbury and Washington County and members of the county’s immigrant communities, will hold a press conference at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Woodbury Central Park just prior to the 7:30 p.m. Woodbury City Council meeting at Woodbury City Hall, Winslow said.
On Monday, U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem demanding that DHS and ICE immediately cease all operations in Minnesota. McCollum also wrote that she has been contacted by constituents and public officials concerned about reports that ICE is “actively soliciting warehouse space to hold as many as 1,500 detainees in Woodbury.”
McCollum’s letter asks Noem if ICE is in fact seeking to acquire a warehouse in Woodbury and, if so, what the address is and the estimated cost of developing the facility. She also seeks documentation about public health and sanitation standards.
“According to comments by ICE acting director Todd M. Lyons at a border conference in April, the Trump administration’s goal is to deport immigrants like Amazon moves packages: ‘Like Prime, but with human beings,” McCollum wrote. “Not only is this plan dehumanizing, it fails to account for the fact that structures designed for storage and shipping are not fit for human habitation, because they lack adequate ventilation and temperature controls.”

FRIEND TWO: Not like you needed more on this – I deleted the name of the contributor – and I hereby thank her/him.
AND  . . . let me know if you are tired of these, or whatever

———————

Life is NOT a competition, WE are better together.
Remember, I’m pulling for you. We’re all in this together.
(Red Green, Canadian Philosopher)

Dear all,

What follows below the starred line is from a person who works in a local Twin Cities hospital. Everything is consistent with what I’m experiencing and seeing. The “ICE is not welcome” signs are up everywhere in South Minneapolis. In addition to the listing of the things the community is doing, these items are of note:

– The state of Minnesota is suing to block the ICE deployment.

– Some of us are learning to become observers at the immigration courts.

– The HHS budget (where ICE gets it funding) is up for discussion when the continuing resolution expires as of 3o Jan 2026.

 

*******************************************

 

“Friends outside MN, you need to know what is happening here. Everyone knows that ICE shot and killed a woman here on Wednesday. But that’s not the only thing that’s going on.

-ICE agents are cruising areas with immigrant-owned businesses, and kidnapping patrons and employees alike. Yesterday they abducted two US citizen employees at a suburban Target, one who was begging them to allow him to go get his passport to show them.
– ICE is going door to door in immigrant-heavy neighborhoods, asking residents where their immigrant neighbors live. Read that again. If it sounds like something out of your high school history textbook, that’s because it is.
– ICE is targeting schools and school buses. They pepper sprayed teenagers and abducted two school staff members at the high school up the street from me on Weds. Police are literally escorting school buses to ensure children can get to school and home safely. The Minneapolis Public Schools have moved to virtual learning for the next 4 weeks because it’s unsafe for children or teachers to physically come to school.
– They are targeting hospitals and clinics. Patients are scared and are canceling their appointments or just not showing up. Kids are missing their checkups and vaccines, folks aren’t getting their cancer care, etc.
– They are smashing windows in cars and homes.
– ICE is increasingly picking up Native Americans—again, targeting folks based on skin color alone.
– They are arresting and beating legal observers. A friend of a friend had her arm broken yesterday. Folks are showing up at local hospitals, brought in in ICE custody, with severe injuries that are absolutely inconsistent with mechanism of injury reported by ICE. (Think: patient appears to have been beaten unconscious, while ICE agent says he slipped and fell.)

I can’t emphasize enough that these ICE agents do not have warrants. There are 2,000+ agents here and they are simply hunting for anyone that’s not white. It doesn’t matter if you’re a citizen or a green card holder, they will kidnap you first and ask questions later.

But the community is fighting back.
– Protests are happening every day.
– Community groups have been leading know-your-rights sessions for months, often to packed venues.
– Whistles are being distributed by the thousands, carried on keychains and worn on coat zippers, always at the ready to be blown in warning if ICE is spotted.
– Drivers are following ICE vehicles, blaring their horns in warning.
– Businesses are locking their doors even while open to keep employees and customers safe. As I type this, I’m standing guard at the locked door of our neighborhood burrito joint while I wait for my takeout order, so the employees can focus on their jobs. The place is packed with neighbors supporting this small business.
– Anti-ICE signs are posted everywhere. The community is making it crystal clear that ICE is not welcome here.
– Parents and neighbors are standing guard outside schools, organizing carpools, and escorting kids to and from school on foot.
– Parents of kids in Spanish-immersion daycare (there are a LOT of these daycares here!) are keeping their kids home so the teachers don’t have to take the risk of coming to work.
– Churches and community groups are holding fundraisers to buy and deliver groceries to families who don’t feel safe leaving home.
– Mutual aid money is going out to folks who can’t make rent because they can’t work or because a breadwinner was abducted, or who need a warm place to stay after their home’s windows were smashed.

THAT is what is happening here. This fight is ongoing and it’s horrifying to watch. But we are not backing down. To my friends in other cities and states, don’t think for a minute that this won’t happen in your town. It will. Be ready. Learn from us, as we have learned from Portland and Chicago and New York. Fight back. Don’t let us get to the last line of Martin Niemoller’s poem.”

COMMENTS (more below)

from Carol: Kudos to your FRIEND TWO for the terrific post.

I want to add, re ICE going to doors and asking about neighbors, that a woman in St. Paul said they came to her door asking if she knew of any neighbors who are Hmong or Asian(!)  (I thought this was supposed to be about Somalis…)  The Hmong have been here for 40 years.

An update on my previous story about the man from Venezuela (a friend of our friend from Peru) who was stopped by ICE while delivering Amazon packages before Christmas.  He had a work permit, and had requested an asylum hearing.  He ended up in a prison in Texas – and is still there.
Meanwhile, our Peruvian friend, who lives in a large apartment complex in Eagan, said ICE has been going through their building knocking on doors.  He just received his green card, but says he realizes it won’t help him.  His sister has been living with him and attending college on a student visa.  He said she was so scared she went back to Peru.
This is absolutely brutal.  And to those who say, well, Minnesotans just need to get with the game and stop “disrespecting” law enforcement (and they won’t get shot), I say that I am SO proud of Minnesotans right now.  We understand legitimate immigration enforcement.  And we also understand plain thuggery.
Speaking of being “disrespectful,” I understand that’s Trump’s latest excuse for the murder of Ms. Good.  That’s rich, coming from a man who calls others vile names each and every day.  And who pardoned all the Jan. 6th rioters who beat on police officers and trashed the Capitol – inc. smearing feces on the walls.  The last thing Renee Good said before her death was “I’m not mad at you” to her killer.  His last comment as he shot her: “F**ing bitch.”

from Mary Kay:

It’s hard to describe what we feel. It’s a horrible sight to see this is what is in the streets of America.
Hoping the elections change all of this, and until then, hoping republicans will see the wrong in all of it. I live in maga country and have neighbors and family who are hard to convince djt is not for America.
Thanks for your informative  and eye-opening emails!
As always,

from Mary:  Just some additions.  U of MN is closing public hours so you need active student ID to enter building.

  Teachers are choosing offering hybrid zoom classes for students option…what alto of extra work,,,
[at Medical appointment] went right in because few patients are showing up.
Nursing desk has poster telling ICE they must meet hospital administrator

from Brian: Thanks Dick!  I agree this is all very important, and very dangerous. Our thoughts are with you and your neighbors, our actions too.

from Larry: Good posts, Dick..thanks for your work.

ICE in Minnesota at 7 days.

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Seven days ago I was waiting for my flat tire issue to be resolved, and saw the first report of 34th and Portland on the local Fox News channel.  The post is here, as added to with numerous comments since publication.

This post is a few musings about today and the past seven in the metropolitan area at the scene of the crime.  Your comments are solicited.

The suburban city I live in, population 83,000, is about 20 miles from 34th and Portland in Minneapolis, the site of the shooting one week ago, and the ICE assault of Minneapolis and environs of course is also roughly that distance from us.  Yesterday we drove through the general area to visit a friend in the west suburbs.  If I were to judge the action only by local evidence (with no media) I would not know that anything was going on, and I’m not a hermit in this town.  Make no assumptions that someone else knows what you know.

There are rumors that we’ll be in the spotlight soon, but they’re only rumors at this time.  We have a relatively diverse population, and diversity is not a virtue to ICE.

Media is a different story, of course.  It depends on what media you follow.  Media likes ‘war’.

I know that the local school district sent a letter to all parents of students in the local schools (you can read it at the end of the previous post.  I’ve also added the link at the end of this paragraph).  But I’m not a parent or employee of the local schools, so, if I didn’t know somebody in that entity, I would know nothing.  And while I don’t have exact numbers, probably two-thirds of the households in the school district have no school age children or occupants who work in the local schools.  Here is the public school position: SoWashCo833 ICE

In short, if I want to be ignorant, or totally biased, it is an easy task, living in the suburb.  I choose to be informed or to be uninformed solely by my choice of media.  There used to be a local newspaper, but that is long gone.  The alternative, on-line, has not taken root well, and at any rate has chosen not to entertain local debate like letters to the editor on political topics.

As I note often, I am a Catholic and I’ve been an active part of Basilica Parish in Minneapolis for 28 years which gives another point of conversation in this tense time.

Basilica had the funeral Mass for prominent Minnesota legislator Melissa Hortman and her husband.  It was a full house, including President Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris.  Melissa was raised Catholic but apparently was not a practicing Catholic at the time of her death (she was described as a Christian) so there was a delicate dance with this issue, I’m sure.  To this day I don’t know where or even if she went to Church; when she grew up she was part of the Catholic Parish I once was part of.  After the assassination, Basilica had the space, and of course, the publicity was not to be ignored.  The latter would be denied vigorously, but non-practicing Catholics do not normally have Catholic funerals.  It is just not the normal protocol.  Rep. Hortman was not a normal deceased – she was a very prominent and highly respected legislator.

Basilica is about 3 -4 miles from Portland and 34th, and 6 1/2 miles from Annunciation, where children were assassinated inside the church during Mass.  Annunciation is 3 1/2 miles from Portland and 34th.  So these major tragedies were in the same part of Minneapolis.  The victims and perpetrators in all the cases were white.  On and on.

At the moment, Basilica faces another ‘crisis’, which in normal times would be good news:  it is the first Basilica in the United States, and has a gala Centennial anniversary party scheduled February 1.  It has been raising boatloads of money to do a very major renovation somewhat along the lines of Notre Dame in Paris, though certainly no fire.  Probably the major source of the funds are what I call high net worth individuals: the already rich.  I could normally support the project – the renovation is needed.  But this is not a normal time, and the Church leadership faces a major moral quandary: does business as usual take priority over the community crisis we are in.

Today, at my coffee shop, and on my daily walk, both in Woodbury, with plenty of local citizens, I heard not a single word, nor did I see a single piece of evidence that anything out of normal was happening in my metropolitan area.  The Minnesota Star Tribune front page today talked about Native Americans being targeted by ICE, and of course, turn on the TV news and your computer and you know what you get, the perspective from whatever side you’re on.

We are in a crisis in this country, and best we come to grips with this.  But the odds are we won’t until it’s too late.  The TV is reporting as I write on a Supreme Court hearing on Transgender….

On we go.  Don’t sit this out.  We know more than enough.

Greenland…and guardian of morality

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A quick geography lesson on Greenland.

Here is how the CIA Facebook describes Greenland.

This source of information is not intended to be anything other than a starting point for anyone interested in learning more.  I think it is important that we become more aware of the huge island.

Here is what Greenland looks like on a globe.  This is a possession of Denmark.  Denmark is a small country, geographically, north of Germany and accessible by bridge to Sweden, which is the pink landmass on the globe.

My personal position is that in the time since WWII the world has made an attempt to coexist with each other.  There have been lots of bad decisions, and there will always be bad decisions, the the coalition of the world into a United Nations has helped get rid of the specter of a few oligarchs running things.  Even highly successful career criminals die, and rarely are succeeded by anyone who can match their power.  The people have the power, but only if they choose to exercise it.

Guarding the World?  Sunday’s Minnesota Star Tribune had a front page article about the President and Morality.  The full article is here: Star Tribune: Moral Compass Jan 11.  The ball is in each and every one of our court.  This is no time to wait until tomorrow, or next week, or the last piece of evidence, or on and on and on.  We know the consequences of doing nothing.

A Thank You Note

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Yesterday morning, Jan. 10), I was at my usual “work” station at “my” Caribou Coffee, and three young girls went to work on the blackboard…they were just being kids, and they were fun to watch.  By the time I decided their work would be a neat photo, two of they were elsewhere, but one came back to finish the task, as she saw it.  And I took a snapshot…

Jan. 10, 2026 at Caribou Coffee.

I’ve been an almost every morning patron at this place for 25 years now, usually from about 6-7 a.m….sort of a solitary fixture, by choice, at “my” table near the entrance.

I suppose I could say Caribou is my centering-place each day – a place to see community as it plays out in my own town.  Those entering are mostly on their way to work.  In a way, most of these folks – it can be a busy place – are like me.  Just in transit from one part of normal life to another.

When I first dropped into this place in November of 2000, I had no intention other than to wait for a printing job to be completed at the then-Kinko’s (now FedEx) copy center next door.  The habit part just evolved over time.

It is a place where I see community life as it is, like those three kids.  A place where politeness is the norm, light banter, catching up, sometimes a place where somebody has lost somebody else and needs somebody to just be present with them, on and on.  Doubtless you can fill in the blanks from your own experience.

25 years is quite a long time to frequent a particular place, especially considering that the normal employees are all young people, some perhaps in their first job.  There is the normal banter as tasks are being accomplished.  The kind of joyful noise one likes to experience.

People holding open a door for someone arriving or departing.  “Good morning”.  Strangers sharing space.

For me, the “tab” is a single cup of coffee, which I rarely finish.  And a $1.00 tip – a real dollar bill.

In a short while I’ll be back there again, as usual.

The girls at the blackboard remind me of another flower (below).  It’s from a brief Thank You note from the manager of the store, a “thanks for your patronage” received somewhere around Christmas time short weeks ago.  Made my day.  It’s shared with the artist’s permission.  Just a note on a plain sheet of paper.  It will survive me, I would guess.

Thank you.  Have a great day.

Pay it forward.

Thank you from Trasie December 2025

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

A new post, farewell to Andrena.

An update on ICE in Minnesota.  Particularly note first lines of the initial post, and comments there thus far.

Thought starter on Greenland.

I noticed engraved on a glass at a friends home: “Speak your mind even if your voice shakes“.  Mary, our host, who is older than me, is a superb organizer.  At home I looked up the quote, and AI noted that Maggie Kuhn founder of the Grey Panthers is the source.  I haven’t checked it further.  The same AI directed me to a fascinating TedX talk by a young teenager on the topic.  You can watch it here. The torch is passed.  Those who will be most impacted by the future are the ones who must be the ones to make it possible.