I was moved by this story of neighbors coming together to block ICE from arresting an immigrant living in Nashville. The story also talks about other recent efforts by ordinary people to stop ICE arrests.
Also, don’t miss this recent article by Marisa Franco from Mijente, helping us think through what strategies are most useful in this time and how to deploy them. Some highlights:
Taking a step back to address the big picture strategy of this time, I orient around three core strategies: reduce harm (stop deportation cases, get people out of detention even if its one person at a time), throw a wrench into the machine (target companies or groups that enable detention and deportation) and win at the ballot box (mobilizing the vote to elect people dedicated to real and bold change). In all of this we also have to hold the following orientation: roll with the punches — be ready to respond to, or take opportunities, as they come. . . .
When it comes to direct action tactics, here are three types I have been thinking a lot about: Sustained, Spectacle and Disruption. When I think about whether or not an action is ‘worth it’ I think of a couple of different criteria (not listed in order of importance): Is it going to engage new people (bonus points for folks who are new to activism) in a meaningful way? Does it reduce harm to (or at least provide a platform for) people who are directly affected? Will it expose enablers of the Trump agenda? Because Trump might not care about the optics of jailing babies, but surely some of the customers or constituents of companies, politicians, and groups who enable his agenda do.