History Will Name This Moment
Pay attention to what’s happening in Minneapolis.
History rarely reveals the true beginning of a war while it’s happening. Only later, with reflection, do we see the moment when everything before was prelude. In the twentieth century, Pearl Harbor became the unmistakable flashpoint of global conflict. In the eighteenth century, Lexington and Concord marked the dawn of a revolutionary struggle. And in the decade before America’s own Civil War, it was John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry in October 1859 that splintered the illusion that the Union could be held together.
Brown’s raid was the culmination of decades of political collision. The Fugitive Slave Act forced the reach of bondage into free states, the collapse of compromise in Kansas, and the Supreme Court’s Dred Scott decision, shredding the last legal restraints on slavery’s expansion. By the time Brown crossed the railroad bridge into Harpers Ferry, the country had already irreversibly fractured.
The raid cracked the nation at its foundation. Southerners organized militias; the abolition movement could no longer be contained within polite debate, and the political and moral divide became impossible to bridge.
We don’t always know that we’ve passed the catalyst when we’re in it. Retrospective clarity is the way historians now see Harpers Ferry as the first true breach toward the Civil War, but that revelation only came many years later.
Sometimes, the conditions that make conflict inevitable are already in motion long before we name the moment that changed everything.
I believe that in years to come, when we look back, we’ll recognize we’ve already passed the catalyst.
Updates from Minneapolis.
It’s in moments like these that we learn how much news we aren’t getting from CNN or MSNow. For those of you not chronically online, let me shed some light.
ICE is now kicking down front doors, looking for immigrants, without warrants:
Did you hear the protesters in the background? Yeah. There are hundreds of people now following these ICE “officers” wherever they go. It’s led to many viral encounters.
ICE assaulted some teenagers outside of Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis.
This led Minneapolis public schools closing for two days last week. This week, several school districts have switched to remote learning.
Think about that. Children in Minneapolis can’t go to school because they’re in danger from the federal government.
Over the weekend, ICE kidnapped another 17-year-old boy, Jonathan Garcia, who IS an American citizen, while on his shift at Target. After a few frantic hours of his family searching, ICE dropped the young man off at a Walmart, badly beaten.
Here is ICE snatching a child off the streets in Minneapolis:
I don’t know what happened to this kid after this.
And here are federal agents throwing tear gas out at a busy intersection, intended for the protesters following, but as you can see from the video, there were lots of people there, including children.
I could show you countless more videos, because trust me, there are countless more videos. Minneapolis, since the murder of Renee Good, has been a place unrecognizable in America.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey says why not Texas? Why not Florida? He says it’s only happening there because they have a Democratic mayor, governor, and Attorney General.
He’s probably right.
But it is happening in Texas.
According to the Texas Tribune, data shows 1 in 4 ICE arrests happened in Texas under Trump’s immigration crackdown. On social media, I’m seeing almost-daily warnings about raids or people being taken.
Here are all the counties participating in the 287(g) program:
Maybe because Texas Republicans are fascists, and many of Texas’ laws are oppressive, that many of these operations are carried out quietly with the help of local law enforcement. Or maybe too many of us aren’t doing enough to stand up against what they’re doing. Or perhaps it’s not safe to stand up that way in Texas.
You know, what pulled me into writing about Texas politics was watching my state government in real time. I started writing because I wanted Texas voters to understand how power actually moves here, not how campaigns talk about it.
I’ve never been interested in being a purist. I pay attention to votes. I pay attention to outcomes. I understand coalitions, caucuses, constraints, and the math of legislating in hostile terrain. I’ve spent years watching how much harm people who call themselves “reasonable” can do while the machinery of the state grows more brutal by the day.
Which is why moments like this matter.
Today, I watched an influencer (someone I respect) celebrate Julie Johnson’s moderation after I learned she supports reforming ICE rather than abolishing it. The influencer argued that she was moderate, but she votes with the caucus. No shade to my friend, but this is precisely the kind of political framing that collapses under the weight of reality.
And I just want to point these out:
Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley SEVEN years ago, talking about abolishing ICE.
Congresswoman AOC SIX years ago, saying ICE can’t be reformed.
Abolishing ICE has been the progressive position since the first Trump administration. Democrats had a chance under Joe Biden, and they failed. This is one of many reasons why progressive Democrats have such a hard time trusting moderates and the establishment.
Because there is nothing abstract about what ICE is doing right now.
Children are being grabbed off the street. Schools are closing. Tear gas is being fired into crowds. American citizens are being detained, dumped, and disappeared for hours. Federal agents are kicking in doors without warrants. This is state violence.
And here’s the part many people haven’t caught up to yet. After this primary season and November, the Democratic caucus will look different. In Texas, and even more so nationwide. Whether party leadership is ready or not, the base is changing because the conditions are changing.
There are moments in history when moderation stops being a stabilizing force and starts becoming an accomplice. We are living in one of those moments now.
And if this period right now ever gets a name, if historians someday point to a specific series of events and say that was when the old rules stopped holding, I don’t think it will be because of a speech or an election result. I think it will be because of scenes like Minneapolis. Because of the normalization of federal force. Because of how long it took for too many people to say, “This has gone too far.”
Just like Harpers Ferry, we won’t recognize the catalyst until we’re already past it.
But we are past it.
So, wtf do we do now?
We show up in the streets, at campaign offices, at the ballot box, and we refuse to normalize what is happening in front of us.
There’s the Free America Walkout on January 20.
There are lots of events, protests, rallies, and marches happening near you. Find one on Mobilize.
And we organize politically now. There are Democratic primaries happening across this country, including in Texas. There are strong, unapologetic progressives on the ballot who understand that you don’t “reform” a system built for abuse, you dismantle it and replace it.
If we want different outcomes, we need different people in power. That work starts at the most local level and builds outward.
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Thank you so much for such clear and thorough reporting. As a progressive candidate, I’m terrified. I have a family and I’m deeply concerned about their welfare. But I also know I can’t look my son in the eyes if I didn’t fight at this moment. Thank you again for all you do
"There are moments in history when moderation stops being a stabilizing force and starts becoming an accomplice. We are living in one of those moments now."-- Incredibly profound words, Michelle. This article is powerful. One of your best. Maybe historic?