This Is Not De-Escalation: This Is Occupation
January 23rd Was Just the Beginning
The Trump Administration, mainstream news outlets and some politicians are trying to shift the narrative around ICE and the military occupation and extra judicial terror being rained down on the residents of Minnesota. Greg Bovino, the now former “Commander at Large” of ICE, has been deposed to another state and DHS secretary Tom Holman has been brought into Minnesota and is supposedly having productive talks with Minnesota Governor, Tim Walz, and Minneapolis Mayor, Jacob Frey according to Trump. The temperature is supposedly being brought down.
Meanwhile, “Secretary of War” Pete Hegseth has said he will turn Fort Snelling, an Air National Guard Base, into an operations center for ICE so that efforts can be expanded and intensified. Kash Pitel, Director of the FBI, has said the bureau has opened an investigation into Signal groups in the Twin Cities that “impede” the operations surrounding “immigration enforcement”. Trump has also said that “immigration enforcement” will continue unabated. Clearly there will be no ratcheting down of the military occupation being visited on Minnesota. Trump is simply executing a public relations maneuver to attempt to pacify and derail the visceral anger palpable throughout the state.
This anger has manifested since January 7 when Minneapolis poet and mother of three was murdered by ICE. The January 23 General Strike (the day of no work, no school and no shopping) as well as the 80,000 person strong march in sub zero temperatures in downtown Minneapolis would not have been possible if not for her assassination. The public execution of Alex Pretti the following day fanned the flames of outrage worldwide. The public outpouring of anger, disgust and solidarity with the people of Minnesota has shaken the billionaire class. Trump’s conciliatory theatrics are designed to quell that anger. The oligarchs fear this will spread to other cities and grow as a deep social and economic movement.
This fear is warranted. On January 23 a majority of unionized airport workers did not show up for work according to informed sources and many flights were delayed. 55% of white collar workers at Target and other major corporations were absent as measured by phone polling conducted afterward. An independent survey of likely voters (meaning Dems, Republicans and Independents) showed that 80% of those surveyed statewide had heard about the General Strike and 25% had participated. One industrial union local reported 80% participation. 700 businesses large and small were closed that Friday. And most of the 80,000 who marched in the cold should have been at work. By any measure this first attempt by workers to show Minnesota’s corporate class who actually holds the power was a smashing success. This coordinated fist was a way of hitting the profits of the economic elites and forcing them to convey their distress to their friend, Donald Trump.
The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce issued a statement on Sunday, January 25 that reads in part, “With yesterday’s tragic news, we are calling for an immediate deescalation of tensions and for state, local and federal officials to work together to find real solutions.” This is meaningless word salad, but it does show the first cracks in the ruling class that a general strike is intended to produce.
This means that January 23 can’t be a one off event or perceived as one. A key task now is to grow the feeling of power that workers here are beginning to experience as a result of the strike. Some workers forced their employers to close down. Others convinced their coworkers to call in sick. Still others came to the march with union banners. Discussions about collective economic and social action abounded. The next time it has to be deeper, broader and stronger with double the number of businesses closing, double the number of workers participating and even the more conservative unions joining. It has to spread nationally and internationally.
Right now some of the organizers of the January 23 actions are discussing when and how to set a date for another strike. Are more unions willing to join the strike call? Can we get more large businesses to close for the day? Are more faith communities coming onboard? Can we tap into rapid response, mutual aid groups and school solidarity networks that are popping up all over the metro that provide deep organizing infrastructure that didn’t exist only weeks ago.
In the meantime, plans are being laid for a pressure campaign on Target and other major corporations that have been accommodating ICE across our state to make them force Trump to withdraw ICE. This campaign can help build our numbers and workers’ confidence for next time. Hopefully the temperature will be above zero as we melt ICE.