fighting for the soul of our country.

I cried myself to sleep last night. I woke up far too early this morning, trembling--images and sounds in my head that won't go away...

And I'm a white 64 year old grandma--privileged beyond f#$%!

Imagine what it is like for my immigrant community family members?

I don't have to imagine. Several weeks ago I sat holding the hand of a tearful 28 year old new mom, that I have known since she was little. Born and raised in Mpls. Friends with a close friend's daughter. She happens to have brown skin.

She was grabbed in the parking lot by ICE agents on the way to her car after work (she works two jobs to care for her baby). She was tired, and absolutely alone in this darkening parking lot. No one to help. They were cruel, eventually releasing her when they apparently spotted someone else to pursue. Now she cannot sleep, holding her baby all night, fearful she will be taken from her.

This was just the beginning. For her community, for our community. In Mpls we are literally fighting for the soul of our country.

People everywhere, please hear us. We need help. Do not look away. Do not simply send us hopes and prayers. Don't get me wrong I am a believer in the power of all that is Love and Divinity, and am fervently praying for all that is GOOD.

Your dollars also help. They fund organizations and families that desperately need support to simply eat each day and diaper their babies.

But this isn't enough.

WE NEED YOU TO BE HERE WITH US!

We need other good hearted bodies to be with us. To help deliver food. To blow whistles when we witness the abduction of our immigrant family members. To stand in solidarity on the streets, night and day in front of businesses, in neighborhoods. To sing. To record what is happening in our city. To tell the stories. To comfort the scared and traumatized. To offer healing. To cook. To touch. To dance with us so we can remember who we are. To rage with us and cry with us. And help us hold onto hope.

We need NUMBERS!!!

Even if the Minneapolis Police and the National Guard were to help us, they are already outnumbered by ICE agents. I pray this doesn't come down to who has the bigger guns.

I personally am not interested in doing anything illegal, or agitating. That's not my way. But I have to believe that if we had thousands of people in the streets, standing with one another in peaceful resolve, it could be powerful beyond measure. Every day. Flooding the neighborhoods, especially those most targeted by ICE.

What I'm asking for is more than a post on social media, or a vote, or a dollar, or a protest in your city. I am asking you to come here to Minnesota and be with us. People all over the world. Now.

PS- Dress warm and be prepared to be welcomed by some of the kindest, heartiest, people you have ever met.

PPS--I just happen to know all the best thrift and consignment stores in the city, if you need some extra clothes for bundling up. Its all about the layers! (-;