Stories from Minnesota: Part 9- Protesters Beware

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This story came about in the social media pages a couple of days ago. ICE troops have been notorious for inciting violence, even if calls have been made to stand down from this after the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. Even freakier are their attempts to blend in AND incite violence. Already mentioned are their attempts to record people and profile them as “domestic terrorists.” These ICE people are trying to do what the Stasi did in East Germany during the Cold War- masquerading themselves as protesters and activists, while recording and documenting their activities and in the end, collecting enough evidence to pursue them. This person, who wishes to remain anonymous, saw this as an example. This should serve not only as a warning for Minnesotans at present, but also for other states that are either dealing with ICE at present (like Maine and Illinois) or are Trump’s target of retribution, be it, New York, New England or California again, let alone states that recently earned their blue trifecta, like Virginia.

Please read this story and prepare to adapt, document and beware of their presence. Credit to the writer.

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ICE IS WEARING THIS TODAY:

Important update for you (especially if you’re protesting today)

I accidentally discovered ICE’s new uniform. I went to Roseville Walmart and found all of the snow gear I was trying to buy to protest had been bought. So I went to the Vadnis heights Walmart and got myself a hat and gloves. I then went to Kwik Trip off of highway 61 to get gas in Vadnis heights.

While I was there a suspicious car pulled up- I was about to leave but I stayed because I noticed a lot of BIPOC people at the gas station. I’m glad I did because over the course of 10 minutes I saw over 15 ICE agents. At precisely 11:30, 5 cars pulled into the gas station, all large cars with a single person driving, and all of them either large SUVs, trucks, or vans. White, bearded, republican looking men left these cars and proceeded to enter the gas station, all pretending not to know one another. They milled about, got food, and left. Then another set of 5 cars came in and repeated this. And then they did it again. And you could tell they were together because they all followed the first car to leave in unison. The most striking thing: almost none of them were wearing coats and NONE of them got gas.

Over 15 white men in -20 degree weather (-40 windchill) and they were mostly wearing long sleeve T-shirts with low-quality hockey jerseys over the top. They had mostly MN Wild jerseys (some Blackhawk) and matching knit hats- all pristine, all the same style of cut and trim, and all the exact versions of the jerseys I saw at Walmart that had been mostly sold out at the Roseville location. All of these men were slowly walking into the gas station- keeping a calm and steady pace that they were proving the cold didn’t bother them while other Minnesotans ran to their car to escape the cold. They were wearing long sleeve t-shirts- and SLOWLY walking in -20 degree weather. The other men that were suspicious and in the same group wore plaid trapper hats (grey and red), and different colored versions of corduroy jackets and army green skiing gloves. These were the same exact hats and gloves that were sold out at the Roseville Walmart- how do I know? I bought them at the Vadnis Heights store!

I tried to take videos of them and a vehicle drove in front of me to purposely block my view. By the time it was about 12:45- 10 agents were alone at the gas station with me and 2 other women. I could tell they were getting agitated to I started to leave. One car stopped in the middle of the road with the headlights pointed at me and followed me down a street. I got away safely.

I spoke with the St.Paul RR group- and we have come to the conclusion that these are ICE agents. They were all wearing the same thing, none got gas (only food), and came and left at organized increments. There was also MN gopher stickers on the truck- something I saw being sold at the Roseville Walmart.

Conclusion: ICE is trying really hard to look like what they believe a Minnesotan looks like. Stay cautious, stay alert. They may be joining protests to incite violence.

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History Will Judge Us For Our Actions

Michael Jochum presented us an analysis of the events that are unfolding in Minnesota, but also in the US in general. And the results are quite expected. What has been established in the American system may not be enough to defeat Trump and MAGAism. He shows us where we are at currently, despite attempts to de-escalate the situation in Minnesota after the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, and what we should consider doing next, assuming Trump decides that he does not want Mid-Term Elections because of the obvious fears- defeat, impeachment and imprisonment. Feel free to share and/or comment:

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Here’s the hard truth, stripped of slogans and denial:

The boat is taking on water. Fast. And the people still arguing about the paint color on the deck are going down with it.
This is a plea, not to the extremists, not to the true believers, not to the cultists who have fused their identity to one man, but to the millions of Americans who are still on the fence, still rationalizing, still telling themselves “it can’t really get that bad,” still trying to balance comfort against conscience.

It is that bad. And it’s accelerating.

When federal immigration agents can operate inside American cities, kill a U.S. citizen in the middle of a raid, seal off the scene from local authorities, block investigations, and immediately brand the dead as a “terrorist,” we are no longer talking about policy disagreements. We are no longer in the realm of normal governance. We are watching the emergence of a federal security apparatus that sees itself as above law, above oversight, and above accountability to the people.

That isn’t rhetoric. That’s structure. That’s architecture of power.
The Nazi analogy isn’t some edgy metaphor people throw around for effect. I don’t like it. I hate needing it. But history doesn’t announce itself with swastikas and stormtroopers. It announces itself with normalized force, manufactured enemies, propaganda ecosystems, dehumanization, and state violence wrapped in language of “security.” It starts with “exceptions.” It grows into routine. And by the time people admit what’s happening, the machinery is already built.

What’s happening in Minneapolis isn’t an “incident.” It’s a warning flare.

Go look at the “Americans for Trump” spaces. People openly calling for the Insurrection Act. Openly calling for the arrest and execution of elected officials. Openly demanding military rule. Openly celebrating state violence. All built on fabricated narratives, algorithmic lies, and the refusal to believe their own eyes even when video evidence is available.

This isn’t organic. This isn’t accidental. This is a designed information ecosystem, built by tech billionaires who engineered platforms to amplify outrage, distort reality, reward extremism, and turn mass deception into a business model. The GOP didn’t build this alone. Silicon Valley didn’t build it alone. Oligarchy, propaganda, and political power fused, and this is the result.

A nation psychologically fragmented. Reality shattered into tribes. Violence normalized. Authoritarian language mainstreamed. Democracy reframed as weakness. Compassion reframed as betrayal.

And still, still, millions of people think this is just “politics.”

It isn’t.

This is systemic collapse behavior.

Here’s the part people don’t want to hear:
Voting alone is no longer sufficient. Necessary? Yes. Sufficient? No.
Peaceful, massive, coordinated pressure is the only thing that has ever slowed authoritarian systems in history.

Millions marching, not on Minneapolis, not on symbolic targets, on Washington.
A nationwide general strike that shuts down the economy.
Organized labor.
Industry leaders.
Unions.
Civic leaders.
Faith communities.
Veterans.
Students.
Workers.
Artists.
Doctors.
Teachers.
Musicians.
Truck drivers.
Nurses.
Engineers.
Service workers.
Parents.

Not performative protest.
Not social media hashtags.
Not symbolic outrage.
Real disruption. Real pressure. Real consequence.
Because power doesn’t reform itself out of moral awakening. It reforms when it becomes afraid of losing legitimacy, stability, and control.

This requires sacrifice. Discomfort. Risk. Courage. Coordination. Discipline. Resolve.

All worthwhile causes always do.

Time is not on our side. Systems harden. Surveillance expands. Emergency powers normalize. Legal guardrails erode. Violence becomes procedural. Language becomes bureaucratic. Atrocities become paperwork.

And then people say: “How did this happen so fast?”
It didn’t.
You’re watching the middle, not the beginning.

If you supported Trump, it’s not too late.
If you defended him, it’s not too late.
If you stayed silent, it’s not too late.
If you sat on the fence, it’s not too late.
If you told yourself “both sides,” it’s not too late.

But the window is closing.

This isn’t about parties anymore.
This isn’t about ideology.
This isn’t about left vs right.

This is about whether we remain a constitutional republic or slide into managed authoritarianism with elections as theater and violence as policy.

Come to the side of integrity.
Come to the side of law.
Come to the side of human dignity.
Come to the side of accountability.
Come to the side of compassion.
Come to the side of truth.

Come to the side of the country you claim to love.

Because what’s forming right now is not strength.
It’s not security.
It’s not patriotism.
It’s not order.

It’s a parasite state, feeding on fear, rage, lies, grievance, and manufactured enemies, draining the life out of the nation while calling itself salvation.

The grief I feel over the murder of another citizen is inseparable from the grief I feel watching the slow suffocation of the republic itself, the death of trust, the collapse of institutions, the erosion of law, the normalization of cruelty, and the quiet burial of hope.

Our nation is very ill.

But it’s not dead yet.

The boat is sinking , yes.
But people are still on deck.
And the pumps still work.
And the hull hasn’t fully split.

It’s not too late, but it is late.

Choose wisely..

Not later.
Not when it’s easier.
Not when it’s safer.
Not when it’s comfortable.

Now.

Because history doesn’t ask whether you were polite.
It asks whether you were brave.

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-Michael Jochum is a drummer who has accompanied many singers and bands throughout the years. His column,
Not Just a Drummer: Reflections on Art, Politics, Dogs, and the Human Condition, can be found on X and Facebook.

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