Dear Minneapolis:
We are sorry for what you are going through. We got it.
One day, you live in a vibrant, multicultural city, which has its problems but is also very wonderful. The next day, the president calls you terrorists and insurgents and threatens to turn the American military on you and your children.
I’ve been there.
First, thank you for standing with Lady Liberty. The old girl had a tough year in 2025, and 2026 doesn’t bode well. She needs all the friends she can get, and the people of the Twin Cities are true blue. And I’m not talking about Democrats or Republicans, because we’ve moved beyond that.
It’s time to decide what kind of American you are. The kind that believes in the Constitution, the rule of law, and due process, or the kind that believes in strongmen and the rule of rich, armed authorities who will make you disappear if you make them crazy, citizens or not.
Minneapolis residents have proven to be on the good side of this divide.
But here’s the thing – you have to keep these protests peaceful. Being the entertainment capital of the world, we can’t deny that it’s fun to watch video after video Of ICE officers sliding on the ice like some idiot Keystone Cops short. The passion with which the protesters come out, risking their safety to protect strangers, is inspiring.
But don’t take the bait. Don’t cross the line. Do not use physical violence, whether it is throwing a water bottle or something else. President Trump on Thursday threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act, just as he did in Los Angeles before sending in the National Guard using less authority. Even this turned out to be legally problematic, but he did it anyway.
“Minnesota’s insurrection is the direct result of a failed governor and a terrible mayor who encourage violence against law enforcement,” Deputy Atty. Gen. Todd Blanche wrote on social media after Trump’s post. “It’s disgusting. Waltz and Frey – I’m focused on preventing you from engaging in terrorism by any means necessary. This is not a threat. It is a promise.”
Whatever it means is necessary.
This administration is salivating over the activation of martial law. They bring it up every chance they get. Although the Insurrection Act has been used before — by President George H.W In Los AngelesIn 1992 after Rodney King won, it was different.
Many other democracy guardrails have been torn down. Too much power has already been consolidated in the hands of one man.
If that happens, and the army turns against the citizens, borders will be broken that cannot be easily restored. We will likely then have an army on the streets of many American cities before the November election, which can only make this fragile shift at the ballot box more dangerous.
Los Angeles in 2025 was a test of how far Trump could go, and it seemed he wasn’t far enough. Just like in Minneapolis, we had some people who were violent — even though the vast majority of protesters were peaceful. Because Los Angeles is and always will be a city of activists — like Minneapolis — there were plenty of leaders willing and able to step forward and make sure the protesters policed themselves.
The result of this restraint was that ultimately, not even the so-called “journalists” in the right-wing propaganda machine could produce enough shock and horror videos to convince the rest of America that the situation was out of control.
And now the Trump machine is trying to do it to you, Minnesota. It is no coincidence that this problem has arrived at your doorstep. After the killing of George Floyd, Minneapolis showed that it is not afraid to demand justice. No one ever suspected — least of all Trump — that sending immigration in full force into your city would stir up trouble.
Gov. Tim Walz said it himself Thursday His own post on social media.
“We can and must speak loudly, urgently, but also peacefully,” he wrote. “We cannot fan the flames of chaos. This is what he wants.”
but also, Please keep filmingPlease keep fighting. Thursday was also Martin Luther King Jr.’s actual birthday. In 1959, King appeared unknown On Minneapolis TV.
He said at the time: “I am of the opinion that it is possible for one to stand firmly and courageously against an evil regime, but without using violence to stand against it.”
“It is possible to love someone who does a bad deed and hate the deed he or she does.”
Someone described Minneapolis a few days ago as having the inclusivity and weirdness of San Francisco, but with a Bronx attitude — a scary combination.
Don’t let Trump take advantage of it.
In solidarity,
ca