The shooting of Alex Pretti, citizen, nurse, and caring man, a killing that was fundamentally unprovoked, fundamentally an execution, and apparently beyond all accountability or genuine investigation — this latest murder by ICE and Homeland Security thugs, goons, and stormtroopers must be a wakeup call for all Americans, all elected officials, and to the whole world to the reality we now face: a militarized, full-on assault on American cities by armed agencies of the United States government. This is an extra-constitutional governmental war waged against all of us, one city and workplace at a time. At the caprice of Donald Trump and Kristi Noem, designed and prodded by Stephen Miller, with the connivance and active partisan support of Pam Bondi, JD Vance, and Kash Patel, and with the silence of the Congress, our American cities and residents are subject to unconstrained violence and murder by agents of the United States.
This is not the beginnings of fascism and dictatorship in America; it is the middle act, and we haven’t reached the intermission yet. Now is the time to stand up, to protest and resist in the tradition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the brave citizens of Poland, Hungary, and East Germany at the time of the collapse of Communism. We need a sustained mass campaign of non-violent resistance to the violent, dictatorial war being waged against all of us. We need mass demonstrations every week. We need to demand!, demand!, demand! the end of the mass deportation plan which underlies all of the violence we have seen, and the economic harm that has also resulted. We need an end to ICE as currently constituted and governed, and we need the removal or impeachment of Kristi Noem, whose contempt for our constitution is painfully obvious. We need a Lech Wałęsa and a determined Solidarity campaign to restore our democracy and the rule of law.
The rule of law has been set aside by the Trump administration, and the administration has shown that it will pursue its criminal and cruel goals using secrecy, lies, the control of armed men, and intimidation of its political opponents.
We are indeed, in a bad way …
Affirming Democracy, Gathering Resistance 
Thank you for this post, Dan. I agree, we are in the middle act of an authoritarian takeover. I am heartened that your call for us to “demand, demand, demand,” has achieved some success in Minnesota, thanks to the brave actions of its citizens, the steadfast leadership of the governor, the mayor, and others, the people nationwide who have engaged in protests, including the inmates of an ICE detention facility in Texas. Bovino is out, Noem’s job appears to be on the line, and at least some ICE and border patrol agents will be leaving Minnesota – how many remains to be seen. Now it is important that we not let up. Now is the time to expand the resistance. The American citizenry has shown the way and must continue to do so. I pray that our representatives in Congress build on the momentum.
You’re right, Gary — there are some positive signs. But this government has been persistent in knocking down the back door when the front door is closed, so it will be a long struggle. So important to keep focused on the human cost of the many, many crimes being committed by this government!
Absolutely, Dan. I certainly did not mean to suggest that it was time for celebration – just the opposite. We can have confidence that Trump & Co. will pursue their tyrannical ends through other means. Still, I take heart from what looks to me like the first time that mass protest – sadly, of course, coupled with the martyrdom of Renée Good and Alex Pretti – has penetrated Congressional Republican enablers, as well as the defensive shield of the administration, creating turmoil. I hope that we can be sustained in the struggle and take increased devotion to the cause from the wonderful example the courageous Minnesotans and others have set for us.
Same here … Paul Krugman this morning described the ongoing demonstrations in Minneapolis as our own “American Color Revolution” — I hope so! We can take inspiration from the citizens of other countries who have stood up in the face of repression with ongoing non-violent mass demonstrations, forcing repressive regimes to back down.