Being able to stand still and stay quiet while you witness those around you suffer through oppression and injustice is inhumane and morally wrong; there’s no reason to sugarcoat it.
This is not about politics, and it never was. This is about right and wrong and your ability to sit with yourself at the end of the day, knowing you are making the decision not to speak, or so much as think about the cruelties of the world, even though you have the voice and power to make yourself heard.
Since July, there have been 13 cases in which Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has opened fire at or into a civilian’s car, resulting in eight people shot, two deaths, with a confirmed five of those people being United States Citizens.
The White House and Department of Homeland Security continue to defend their use of firearms, stating that they were using self-defense despite contrary video evidence from bystanders.
One of the two citizens who were shot and killed was Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three in Minneapolis, Minnesota, whose murder has caused an uproar of emotions across the country.
According to AP News, Good had just dropped off her youngest child, age six, at elementary school before she was approached by masked agents, demanding she open the door while grabbing the handle. As the car slowly moved forward, different agents began moving in front of the car. The one standing directly next to Good opened fire into the slowly moving vehicle.
The other citizen was 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti, who was shot and killed by federal agents on January 24 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, after defending a woman who those same agents knocked down. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem stated during a press conference that Pretti “arrived at the scene to inflict maximum damage on individuals and to kill law enforcement.” She made this claim because there was video footage of the incident from a bystander, where you could see a 9mm semi-automatic handgun in his pocket. However, you can also clearly see that Pretti had no intention of withdrawing the handgun from his pocket in the open carry state, and did not have his hand on his handgun at any time when the federal agents opened fire.
The unjustified murders of Good and Pretti have led to protests and unrest not only around the United States but around the world, showing we are not only ready for change but need change. The United States was never meant to belong to one person or identity, so why should anyone act like it does?
From the beginning of time, it was stolen, wrongfully taken from the hands of those to whom it belonged. The concept of being “American” is built upon immigration and the movement of people to a new land. But the truth is, none of us are truly “American.”
We as citizens are built from immigrants and those who came before us, those who struggled and fought for a better life. For the current administration to look at the country and decide which people do not belong and should be treated like animals based on appearance is incomprehensible, and for others to stand by, watch and allow it to happen is sickening.
In school, we are often told the reason we are taught history is so it doesn’t repeat itself, but what happens when it does? What are we supposed to do when those in charge, the people we were told lead our country, come after those around us, our family, friends and those we love? Use your voice, fight for what you believe in, educate yourself on what you can do to help those in need and reach out to your state representatives and senators, even if they do not share the same beliefs as you.
After all, there is privilege in silence, and that will never show neutrality or the lack of political involvement, only ignorance and complicity with the current state of society.
