31 Jan 2026
This week we had about 100 people together for some old-fashioned sign waving. I didn’t take many photos because I was too “busy” talking to people! Today was also the first time, Police (the Good Guys) had to be called. A man (obviously a Trump supporter) was ranting and walking through our crowd, chest-bumping other men, pushing women, and swatting people’s signs while filming with his phone. When a member of our Safety team stepped in to deescalate, he even put his hands on her.
We are photographed and videoed every week by strangers, get flipped off, and have obscenities yelled at us, big whoop. Physical contact, NOPE, step too far. The Police were called; ranting man had a conversation with the police officers and left on his own accord.
That man may have been attempting to display his “masculinity,” Contrast his behavior with Alex Pretti who was killed while helping a woman who had been violently shoved to the ground by a federal agent. Alex’s last words were, “Are you okay?” Who displayed the most masculinity, – the federal agent - Alex - the ranting man?
“There’s no such thing as ‘toxic masculinity…there’s cruelty, criminality, bullying, predation, and abuse of power. If you’re guilty of any of these things, or conflate being a man with coarseness and savagery, you’re not masculine; you’re anti-masculine.” – Scott Galloway
Amen. Masculinity is not the megalomaniacal narcissism of Donald Trump, the violence of ICE agents, or the abuse of others. Men standing up nonviolently to support, defend, and protect your and your neighbors' Constitutional rights – now that’s masculinity.
Men, be yourself, be kind to others and yourself. Get out there and experience life with genuine masculinity, integrating strength with emotional control, self-awareness, responsibility, and compassion. Don’t rely on external displays like aggression or wealth to define your worth. Our nation needs your courage – your genuine masculinity.
Women, “Look for the helpers.” – Mr. Rogers
Vigilance. Resistance. Persistence.
24 Jan 2026
Today in Minneapolis, another American killed by ICE. I am sick to my stomach. I wrote my post before our sign waving and before I learned about the killing of Alex Pretti. I contemplated not posting. But no, that’s exactly what an authoritarian government wants - silence from the people. I will not be silent. I spent the morning with 75 other resisters, and I want our efforts to be documented. So here goes …
Yesterday in Minneapolis: “Status Coup News interviewed a protester walking down the street holding a sign that said: “CLASSIC NAZI BLUNDER: INVADING IN WINTER.”
The protester said this: “There is a minority who is trying to create a post-law, order less, lawless society, where their might makes right. And because, you know, they have guns and are willing to use them, they think they can suspend the Constitution … they’ve gassed people, they've shot people, you know, hit people with beanbag guns and batons for exercising their First Amendment rights.”
Seven years after World War II, Milton Mayer, American journalist and educator, moved to Germany to conduct extensive interviews of Germans. Of particular interest to Mayer was how most Germans were able to be silent about the targeting of groups of people for persecution, beatings, and murder. “That they, or some of their countrymen and their country’s government, violated the precepts of Christian, civilized, lawful life was bad enough; that they won’t see it, or say it, is what really rowels … They did not care enough.”
Mayer went on to say, " I came back home a little afraid for my country, afraid of what it might want, and get.”
History reminds us that seemingly reasonable people choose to ignore a regime that commits increasingly criminal acts, even genocide. They are silent. Indeed, as one German astutely observed, all that was (and is!) required of people in an authoritarian regime – “is that we do nothing.”
Many of us engaged in resistance actions like sign waving, have been told to “shut up” or have been ghosted by family and friends because we are “too political.” However, we take to heart the laments of many Germans who survived World War II – “If only I had resisted in 1935 the horrors of the war and the Holocaust might never have happened.” Their resistance then could have, in one German’s words, “heartened millions” of other Germans to speak out against rising fascism.
Now is the right time to be “too political!” We won’t stop being a visible sign of resistance, speaking out against this Administration. - “The indictment of the ordinary German is powerful for its refusal to let the rest of us pretend that our moment, our society, our country are fundamentally immune” to authoritarianism.
Vigilance. Resistance. Persistence.
20 Jan 2026
After volunteering today, I went to the library to return some books and pick up my hold.
And what did my wondering eyes see? But a pop-up protest! I joined the group and met several new, enthusiastic people.
Bonus: Lots of honks, waves, and thumbs up. Plus, a man saw us, turned into the parking lot, parked, got out of his car and proceeded to shake each person’s hand with a sincere, “Thank you.”
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”
17 Jan 2026
This morning community members once again joined together in non-violent protest expressing their First Amendment right of free speech. We also participated in a Day of Service to Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. , by donating personal care items for Mission House.
Especially meaningful for me today are the life-lessons of Dr.King. He discovered non-violence practices during his studies in India in 1959. Dr. King recognized Gandhi's work as a modern application of ancient spiritual wisdom, rooted in texts like the Bhagavad Gita.
Dr. King learned about non-violent resistance, a philosophy he adopted and adapted. He understood selfless service embodying the principles of duty, self-discipline, and acting without attachment to results. Dr. King then applied these ideals to the American Civil Rights Movement.
“We should never forget that everything Adolf Hitler did in Germany was "legal" … It was "illegal" to aid and comfort a Jew in Hitler's Germany. Even so, I am sure that, had I lived in Germany at the time, I would have aided and comforted my Jewish brothers… Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Thank you, Dr. King.
Vigilance. Resistance. Persistence.
10 Jan 2026: ICE Out for Good
Approximately 200 people attended our “ICE out for good” event today - a great turn out! Firepit led us in song while “The Bubble Guy” lifted spirits.
Plus, we collected personal hygiene items for Mission House which serves homeless people in our community as part of our two-week service project in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King.
About my signs: I am reminded of the book The Stranger by Albert Camus, where a man shot a stranger on a beach because he feels “threatened.” - “His inability to feel any emotion is dramatically revealed when he shoots a stranger after an altercation on the beach. Five shots: first one and then four more. The “four more” is what eventually gets him convicted.”
The killing of Renee Nicole Good, with the “two more” point-blank shots (after the first shot through the windshield) followed by the shooter calling Renee a “f**kin’ b**tch” is what convicted the ICE agent in the eyes of world.
We are not safe.
3 Jan 2026
Protest is not an endeavor that delivers immediate results; it requires considerable time, along with patience, perseverance, and courage from all involved. Brookings Institute research indicates that effective protests have demonstrated that long-term success involves many steps, from consistent protests - large and small - to community engagement to candidate support and get-out-the-vote efforts. We are resolved to sustain vigilance and resistance to this authoritarian regime.
And some good news (especially for Floridians!): “We do
think we’re seeing a shift in the willingness of people in pro-Trump areas in
the country to participate in a broader mass movement emerging in opposition to
many of his administration’s policies." - Erica Chenoweth
Keep on keepin’ on!
