Memo to Minneapolis from California: Please don’t take the bait
Dear Minneapolis:
We are sorry for what you experienced. We understand.
One day you live in a vibrant, multicultural city; yes, it has its problems, but it’s also quite beautiful. The next day the president calls you a terrorist and an insurrectionist and threatens to turn the US military against you and your children.
I was there.
First of all, thank you for defending Lady Liberty. The old girl had a rough year in 2025, and there’s no hope that 2026 will be any better. He needs all the friends he can get, and the people of the Twin Cities are really sad. I’m not talking about Democrat or Republican because we’re over this.
You need to decide what kind of American you are. Those who believe in the Constitution, the rule of law, and due process, or those who believe in strong men, rule by the rich, and armed authorities who will take you out if you drive them crazy, citizens or not.
Minneapolitans have proven to be on the right side of this divide.
But here’s the thing; You must keep these protests peaceful. As the entertainment capital of the world, we won’t deny that it’s riveting to watch. video after video ICE officers slipping on ice like a little clumsy Keystone Kops short. The passion with which protesters show up, risking their own safety to protect strangers, is also inspiring.
But don’t take the bait. Don’t cross the line. Do not use physical violence, whether it is throwing a water bottle or anything else. President Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act on Thursday, just as he did in Los Angeles before sending in the National Guard using lesser authority. Even that turned out to be legally problematic, but he did it anyway.
“The Minnesota insurrection is the direct result of a FAILED governor and a TERRIBLE mayor encouraging violence against law enforcement,” Acting Lawyer said. General Todd Blanche wrote on social media after Trump’s post. “Disgusting. Walz and Frey – I am focused on stopping YOU from your terrorism at all costs. This is not a threat. It is a promise.”
This administration is spitting on declaring martial law. They bring this up at every opportunity. Although the Insurrection Act had previously been used by President George H. W. Bush in Los AngelesAfter the Rodney King beating in 1992 – this is different.
Many of the guardrails of democracy have been destroyed. Already too much power is concentrated in the hands of one man.
If this happens, if the army turns against the citizens, a boundary will be violated that will not be easy to restore. There will likely be military presence on the streets of many American cities ahead of the November elections, which will only make this fragile turn at the ballot box even riskier.
Los Angeles in 2025 was the test case for how far Trump could go, and it looks like he didn’t go far enough. Just like in Minneapolis, although the vast majority of protesters were peaceful, we did have some people who were violent. Because Los Angeles, like Minneapolis, is and always has been a city of activists, there were many leaders willing and able to step forward and ensure that the protesters controlled themselves.
The result of this restriction was that, at the end of the day, even the so-called “journalists” of the right-wing propaganda machine could not produce enough shock and awe videos to convince the rest of America that this place was out of control.
Now the Trump machine is trying it with you, Minnesota. It is no coincidence that this trouble has come to your door. Following the killing of George Floyd, Minneapolis showed that it is not afraid to seek justice. No one, especially Trump, had any doubt that sending immigrants into your city in full force would cause trouble.
Gov. Tim Walz said it himself on Thursday. own social media sharing.
“We can and must speak loudly, urgently, but also peacefully. We cannot fan the flames of chaos. That’s what he wants,” he wrote.
But also, please keep shootingPlease keep fighting. Thursday was also Martin Luther King Jr.’s actual birthday. In 1959 King made a little-known appearance on Minneapolis TV.
“I believe it is possible to stand up to an evil system with determination and courage and resist it without resorting to violence,” he said at the time.
“It is possible to love the one who does evil and to hate what he does.”
Someone mentioned the other day that Minneapolis has the inclusiveness and quirkiness of San Francisco, but with the attitude of the Bronx, which is a scary combination.
Don’t let Trump exploit this.
In solidarity,
California
