01/23/2026
Proud.
And hopefulâfor the first time in a long time.
Minneapolis, by the thousands, left home, work, and school to trudge together in -7 degree weather. This picture was taken in the skyway (a series of elevated tunnels that connect our buildings downtown). Iâd just sat down in a cement hallway to unzip my boots and check on my toesâonce youâve seen a picture of frostbite, it sticks with you. A passing stranger asked if I needed handwarmers. No thanks, all setâopening a new pack now. I joined in a little impromptu shaker ensemble, as folks around me shook their handwarmers to activate them before shoving them into socks, gloves, or adhere them to their body. It was a little like the warming house at skating rinkâhat hair and red facesâexcept it was also a coordinated public demonstration to protest the violence and lawlessness of a federal agency. With my boots back on, I joined a gaggle of people at a window down the hall. The procession passed beneath our feet. All of us marveled at how many we were.
Many signs said ICE OUT. Some had Bible verses. Some taunted Trump. A huge flag just said .
Iâd made my sign (RESIST) on the back of a collapsed box of beer. The brewery provided the box for that very purposeâtheyâd closed their taproom for the day, but turned the space into a donation site for food and household products. While I drew my sign, a steady stream of people dropped off groceries. Some joined a line already sorting cans and bottles, others carried donations to the cars outside waiting to deliver them to families too afraid to leave their homes.
Hundreds of businesses closed todayâmuseums, markets, restaurants. Residents here sign up to patrol their neighborhoods and use whistles to announce an ICE sighting.
While itâs not a skill you hope a community has to developâŚweâre fu***ng *good* at this stuff. After George Floydâs murder, people learned how to organize pop-up food pantries; how to set up a Signal chat for the block; how to find out who needs what and who might provide it.
I donât know what sort of coverage todayâs march will get in the press. But this afternoon, our team was looking formidable.
I bet on us.
