How much can a city endure?

I reside in Minneapolis. My childhood was spent not far from here, in a suburb of St. Paul; after living on both coasts, my spouse and I chose to settle down here to nurture our daughters in a chilly state that had always embraced us warmly. With the ongoing presence of over 3,000 ICE personnel extending into its third week — without any clear conclusion in sight — I’ve received a continuous stream of messages from friends nationwide, increasingly anxious. They all begin the same way: Uh… is what’s happening really as dire as it appears from afar?

My response is straightforward: no, it’s worse. Not since the pandemic has my routine been disrupted in such a terrifying and surreal way. Even then, there was at least a semblance of national unity. Despite the foolishness of those protesting masks and vaccines, most Americans could agree that the world would be better off without Covid-19.

There’s no equivalent reassurance with ICE, which is an explicitly hostile, heavily armed, masked police force brutally taking over Minneapolis. No one — certainly not the ICE agents — is even pretending they’re here to enhance safety. This is Donald Trump’s reprisal campaign, and they are the soldiers on the ground.

Sadly, their evident ineptitude and foolishness doesn’t lessen their threat. The death of Renee Good was sufficiently alarming, but the obvious fabrications by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem regarding the incident — along with the FBI’s refusal to provide evidence that would enable Minnesota to investigate the death of one of its own — clearly indicated to both sides that ICE would not face repercussions for any actions taken, at least not while Trump remains in power.

In the days following, ICE agents have behaved accordingly. We know they are typically undertrained, wear masks to avoid identification, and have the unwavering support of a government that is practically encouraging violence in Minneapolis. As I write this, Trump continues to consider invoking the Insurrection Act and sending 1,500 paratroopers to the city. How concerned am I about what ICE may do to those who resist their methods? Enough to contemplate whether I should share this account anonymously.

Thus, the next question folks are messaging me — Are YOU alright? — is more complex to address. I suppose the truth is no. Call me naive, but despite ample evidence of the cruelty and cynicism of the Trump administration and its agents, I was unprepared for them to unleash this level of turmoil and violence upon my community.

The existence of ICE is not theoretical to the residents here. It poses a constant danger necessitating ongoing vigilance. Our public schools have been shut down because the state cannot assure students’ safety. Numerous shops and eateries, including 80 percent of immigrant-run businesses, are closed to protect both workers and customers from the risk of an ICE operation. Many nonwhite Minnesotans — whether or not they are citizens — are effectively self-quarantining, avoiding grocery trips and medical appointments to remain home, where ICE (theoretically) requires a court order to disturb them.

There’s a right-wing narrative, often used by Trump, suggesting that anyone opposing ICE must be a paid protester. In truth, it’s the other way around. Many of us have families, most of us hold jobs, and all of us have bills to settle. While nothing has changed in that regard, the responsibility of safeguarding our community requires considerable unpaid hours. As a white U.S. citizen, I count myself as one of the “fortunate” ones: ICE might still detain me, as they have other lawful demonstrators, but I’m much less likely to be specifically targeted. I’ve been fortunate in another aspect: up to this point, I haven’t encountered any severely troubling situations while with my young children. However, I expect that good fortune to wane soon.

In the last two weeks, I’ve taken on the role of a volunteer driver, transporting nonwhite individuals between their residences and workplaces. My passengers pull their hoodie hoods up before exiting the vehicle to conceal their faces, walking into homes that still display cheerful Christmas decorations. I don’t leave until I see them safely behind locked doors.

With no other options, families have organized using apps like Signal and WhatsApp. Collaborating with others in my community, I’ve taken shifts as a security guard, standing outside schools, daycare centers, and community hubs to issue a rapid-response alert if ICE appears. I’ve joined marches and fundraising events while boycotting retailers like Target, a Minnesota-rooted business that lacks the courage to give even a lukewarm, vague defense of Minnesotans.

None of my actions alone suffice. However, all of it, I remind myself, is better than nothing. The most uplifting aspect of this thoroughly troubling time is witnessing how consistently and forcefully people of all backgrounds in Minnesota have pushed back. It has been inspiring and radicalizing in ways I doubt anyone outside the city can truly comprehend. High school students throughout the Twin Cities metropolitan region have organized walkouts. Parents who would typically be preoccupied with PTA responsibilities are now monitoring their neighborhoods, following ICE agents while honking car horns and using whistles to alert the community to their presence. My father-in-law, a devoted Catholic in his 70s, crafted a cardboard sign that read “Love Thy Neighbor” and joined the thousands who protested against ICE on a chilling afternoon in Powderhorn Park.

This has been an especially challenging year for Minneapolis. The assassination of Democratic state representative Melissa Hortman, along with Donald Trump’s typically uncaring response, remains a fresh wound. Many yards still display pink lawn signs as a symbol of community solidarity following the tragic shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in August. The murder of George Floyd, always present in the city’s collective consciousness, has resurfaced as one unnecessary killing in the streets begets another. How much more can this city endure?

I suppose we are all about to find out. In the past two weeks, I wake up feeling more enraged than exhausted and fall asleep feeling more drained than furious. I’m ordering more takeout than I should, but it feels like an opportune moment to support local businesses — even though many remain closed. I purchased a pack of whistles and messaged some neighbors to see if anyone needed one. No one accepted; they all had already bought their own packs of whistles.

The community stands united in outrage, action, and, remarkably, even humor. A variety of local establishments, including the Detroit-style pizzeria Wrecktangle and the adult shop Smitten Kitten, have transformed into centers for resources and community engagement. We share ICE sightings via Signal and explore r/Minneapolis. When conservative figure Jake Lang — pardoned by Trump after spending four years in prison for assaulting Capitol police with a baseball bat — announced an anti-Muslim demonstration in Cedar-Riverside, group chats across the Twin Cities erupted with the same Tom Hardy GIF. We’ve encountered enough to recognize when ICE and their supporters are attempting to provoke us.

We optimistically discuss the hefty expenditures ICE is incurring daily and how challenging it will be for them to maintain this all-out assault in the weeks and months ahead. We hope that Trump’s aversion to complexity will mean he becomes frustrated with the standstill between ICE and the citizens of Minneapolis or that his child-like fixation on new, shiny targets will lead to boredom and prompt him to instruct his followers to shift their focus.

We also believe that victory is ours. Time is in our favor. ICE may possess inflated salaries and support from an oppressive federal regime, but we’re the ones who belong here, and as the city’s finest artist Prince once stated, the cold keeps the nefarious individuals at bay. And when the ICE officers eventually remove their masks, leave their awful chain accommodations, and return to wherever they came from to terrorize us, we will still be present.

Here’s my final text to anyone who reaches out to check on me: Wherever you are, start organizing now. Identify your like-minded neighbors. Establish your Signal groups. Acquire whistles (I can provide some if you need). This administration has made it clear that Minneapolis is merely the beginning, and when they arrive in your city, you’ll want to be prepared.