Don Moynihan writes:

We use words like “police state.” Then we see it happen. To watch is not the same as to experience it, of course. Of being afraid to leave your house. Or having a classmate, co-worker, or family member disappear. But the images make it more real. It removes any illusion that it could not happen here. It is happening here. We see it happening here, if we are willing to look.

In recent weeks, the paramilitary occupation of the Twin Cities has moved us past some invisible breaking points. About how we expect our government to treat us. And about what might be done about the government agencies that fail those expectations.

Lets step back: the primary purpose of this occupation is the selective use of government power to establish federal dominance over blue states or cities that President Trump dislikes. Thats it. Trump thinks Minnesota is the enemy, and so he unleashed an armed and masked paramilitary upon its people. There is no serious case that this is about the number of immigrants, or some level of violent crime not seen elsewhere. It is about the Department of Homeland Security, in the form of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, and Customs and Border Patrol, developing their skills as the President’s stormtroopers. It is about making an example of a community.

Some remain reluctant to embrace the increasingly popular “Abolish ICE” movement. With better training, and more accountability, they can do their job in a better way. Or so the reasoning goes.

The experience of the Twin Cities shows us the ways that this line of thinking is delusional. Trump previously suggested that military troops could gain training experience in American cities. That is exactly what is happening with ICE and CBP. We are watching them evolve into their logical endpoint on the streets of the Twin Cities. They are learning tactics and practices that they will implement elsewhere. They are testing the limits of their power. [Continue reading…]