I’d been keeping it together while scrolling The Horrors for the most part, but seeing a photo today of the man named James who has apparently spent the last 16 days keeping vigil outside his home protecting the Renée Nicole Good memorial daily from 10am to midnight made the tears impossible to stop. Bravo to this incredibly decent man, and to every single Minnesotan reading this. The way you are putting yourselves on the line is more than any politician or lawmaker has done, and not only should they hang their heads in shame, your collective integrity and the OPSEC and tactical aspects of your decentralized manner of organizing should be studied for centuries to come. You’re all awe-inspiring and I hope you know how much everyone watching around the world needed to see this righteous resistance at the level you are bringing it. You are all meeting the moment like no one else is, and I’m so sorry that you have to carry so much of this burden yourselves. As a Canadian who has felt frustratingly powerless in the face of fascistic territorial threats made to us by the corrupt, white supremacist regime in charge of your beleaguered nation, the grit and exquisite cooperation Minnesotans are showing the world is my oxygen today. I’m proud to share a planet with people who work together for the sake of the most vulnerable among us, and I’m even prouder to share a continent with people who are willing to put their bodies on the line for them. The most “regular” of citizens are giving us a master class in resisting fascism, and I am learning more from your example and integrity every day. Please continue to take care of yourselves and each other, and know that we watch images of your protests and your glorious General Strike with a knot in our stomachs worried for your safety, but real hope in our hearts for maybe the first time since 2016. Truly the best of humanity is on display fighting against the absolute worst of it. After what I’ve seen from the people of your incredible state, I do not regret to inform you, we are going to win. Eternal gratitude and solidarity, and F*ck ICE Forever!