Yes, I am very well aware that many people live in real war zones, and it might be insulting to them to call the current Chicago situation “the war zone,” but there are too many episodes that feel a lot like it.
When Y visited me yesterday, we talked about the raids; I knew that she was very reluctant to travel across the city when things are so unstable. I asked her why she was afraid – after all, ICE is mainly going after Latinos, but she replied: Oh no, they take Black people as well!
Now, that I watched several news clips, I see what she meant!
I am unsure whether YouTube pieces are visible to people outside the US, but if they are, you would understand the public outrage. Also, here is a SunTimes article (this one should be available to non-subscribers).
When the ICE agents jump from the helicopter to the roof of the building to conduct arrests, I don’t know what else I can add to this picture.
Also, as it turned out, Trump did not deploy the National Guard to Chicago (it was very confusing on the evening news yesterday, so today’s update is that he wants, but the deployment is temporarily blocked by the Federal Court, so we are unsure what will happen next).
I spoke with Vlad and Dylan today; they are following the Chicago news and say they stay optimistic, trying to do the right things. They told me that National Guards actually do less harm than ICE, because they are professionally trained military people, while ICE personnel are extremely unprofessional, receive very little training, and just show off. And I second that.
The Chicago Threads are filled with messages of support for Chicago, and “stay strong!” and “there are more of us than them.” All of this gives me a lot of hope, and reassurence that we will win this fight.
Hettie's Reflections 