Since December, Andrew Fahlstrom, a proud Minneapolis resident, has been on the streets using grassroots resistance against marked, lawless ICE agents who have occupied his streets, brutalized his community, and murdered his neighbors, Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti.
Andrew isn’t a billionaire or a politician. He doesn’t wear a cape. He comes armed with a whistle and a resolute commitment to use every legal and peaceful means to protest ICE and the Trump regime. As an organizer with Defend the 612, they have been strategizing, adapting, and learning from communities in LA and Chicago who also realized they can no longer depend on institutions, weak elected officials, and law enforcement to defend their communities.
After the re-election of Trump, Jill Garvey, a mother of four, co-created States at the Core, a non-profit organization that leads and runs ICE WATCH training programs. More than 13,000 Minnesotans have completed STAC’s training, which is instrumental in capturing videos of ICE agents murdering Alex Pretti. These everyday folks don’t wear masks or use assault rifles. They use their cell phones and relentlessly document and share ICE’s reign of terror with the world.
Both Andrew and Jill are exercising their First Amendment rights, which is what terrifies the Trump regime, which is now also willing to violate the 2nd and 4th Amendments to empower their personal Gestapo and Slave Patrols to unleash hell against innocent people.
What these grassroots activists have been able to accomplish despite overwhelming odds can be taught, replicated, and refined by communities in other cities that might, unfortunately, be the next target for Trump as he sinks in the ratings and desperately tries to hold on to power by any violent, cruel, and corrupt means necessary.
Currently, ICE is so loathed that even notorious neocon and founder of The Bulwark, Bill Kristol, is banging the “Abolish ICE” drums. Sarah Longwell just shared the latest data that reveals the position has gained remarkable momentum in just three weeks. It seems murdering American citizens in cold blood and then covering it up with the most pathetic lies can radicalize the majority of Americans. There’s no excuse for weak, timid quizlings and a cautious Democratic leadership not to embrace the position.
Andrew and Jill join The Left Hook to discuss the realities on the ground in Minnesota and how grassroots communities are organizing and coming together to repel and expose ICE’s campaign of intentional terror. They also share best strategies and advice for individuals who want to become involved in the fight against fascism.
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Thank you Dani Smart, Caro Henry, ESBC NFL And SportsBetting, Richard Hogan, MD, PhD(2), DBA, Grace Alexandra Hayden, and many others for tuning into my live video with States at the Core and Defend the 612! Join me for my next live video in the app.
