I know all of us have been thinking about the violent authoritarian occupation of Minnesota. Recently federal agents publicly executed Alex Pretti. This comes after the government murdered Renee Good. My friends in Minneapolis tell me of how ICE agents are out terrorizing families. And this nightmare is spreading. An educator friend who works a heavily-immigrant Seattle school told me ICE is coming to Seattle: “If you don’t hear from me for a few days, check the detention centers.”
None of us are safe anymore. Renee Good and Alex Pretti were both US citizens. The government has been detaining and murdering citizens. We can carry our passports, but individual self-protection methods are no guarantees of safety. We need to band together and act as a community.
I am finding hope in the incredible resistance the people of Minnesota have been leading. Thousands marching in below-freezing temperature. Hundreds of businesses closing in protest. It’s inspiring massive anti-ICE rallies in other cities. Meanwhile, neighbors have been supporting one another in all sorts of ways, showing once again that community is what will save us from authoritarianism. If you’d like to help, go to https://www.standwithminnesota.com/ There you can donate and take other actions like sending an encouraging message to people on the ground.
Amidst all this, there are a few amazing foundations, donor networks, and individual donors who are doing incredible things in supporting the resistance. But from most funders, it’s been the same ho-hum tepid response, if they have a response at all. As my friend and colleague from Minneapolis, Kevin Vollmers, points out in this great piece titled “The Funders Have Forgotten Their Role”:
“Many within the funding side of our philanthropic community have forgotten the responsibility inherent in their roles. It is a fact. Many institutions and individuals have more resources now than they did last year. Their investments and endowments are doing just fine. However, institutional funding and individual donations are down.”
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