“I’m 70 years old and I’m fucking angry,” the man yelled as clouds of chemicals hung in the subzero air in Minneapolis, capturing the sentiment of a city that’s now seen two people killed by federal agents in less than three weeks.
Agents shot and killed a 37-year-old US citizen at about 9am on Saturday, with other observers watching and videotaping their actions, in an area called Eat Street, a corridor of largely immigrant-owned restaurants and businesses.
It’s the second killing in the city after 37-year-old Renee Good was shot and killed by a federal agent in south Minneapolis on 7 January.
The Saturday killing came after tens of thousands of people in the city participated in an economic blackout and protest march the day before, calling for an end to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) occupation and justice for Good.
Local leaders have repeatedly called for ICE to leave the state. “ICE OUT” signs are a feature of front lawns, placed into the snowpiles. JD Vance came to Minnesota on Thursday calling for people to turn down the temperature – but placed the blame on local leaders, not on federal forces.
“You ask us for peace, and we give it, and we get shot in the face on the streets coming out of a donut shop,” said Tim Walz, Minnesota’s governor, during a press conference after Saturday’s killing.
In a now-familiar sequence of events, the federal government placed blame on the person killed before completing an investigation. Donald Trump issued a screed about fraud in the state. Local officials immediately cast doubt on the federal statements, citing videos of the scene, and have insisted local law enforcement need to be involved in an investigation.
At the scene of the shooting, people poured into the street as dozens of federal agents repeatedly shot chemicals into the air and at people who were yelling at them. Some were arrested. “What are you doing?” one woman yelled, captured on a livestream. “You just shot someone and now you’re terrorizing us. What more can we take?”
The city, and suburbs and some rural areas around the state, are under siege by thousands of federal agents. Some people, including US citizens, have barely left home in weeks, fearing that agents will detain them regardless of immigration status.
Neighbors have come together to bring food and needed items to their homes, disrupting mutual aid far and wide so that people can stay inside if it’s safest for them to do so. Parents have joined patrols outside schools before and after the school day to make sure children can get home safely. Children have been detained, including a two-year-old and a five-year-old.
Rachel Sayre, the director of Minneapolis’ emergency management department, compared what she’s seeing in the city to conflict zones she’s seen in other countries.
“My background is in international humanitarian response in conflict zones in Yemen, Haiti, Syria, Iraq and Ukraine,” she said. “What I’ve seen here is what I’ve seen there – a powerful entity violently and intentionally terrorizing people.”
A network of observers monitors immigration enforcement activity around the clock, following officers and alerting residents when they’re around. Agents have grown increasingly hostile and violent toward observers – pulling them from cars, showering them with chemical irritants, arresting and detaining them.
They have not backed down – and they won’t after another killing. The palpable anger and sadness at the ongoing occupation, and a desire to protect each other, continues to fuel the rapid response. One GoFundMe for rapid responders is seeking funds for people to get protective equipment, including goggles, gas masks and bulletproof vests, so they can continue to observe ICE.
There’s a sense that the situation in the state is untenable and unsteady, and that it’s unlikely the federal government will deescalate the situation.
“This will end when enough Americans say this will end,” Walz said. “Do I have any confidence Donald Trump will do the right thing? No, I don’t have a lot of confidence Donald Trump will do the right thing. I do have a lot of confidence that the majority of the American people will do the right thing.”
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