We know that great social movements have inflection points. In my lifetime, I can’t help but think of Birmingham in 1963 and Bull Connor’s attack on the Children’s Crusade marchers, setting dogs on them. Or Selma in 1965 and the violence inflicted on peaceful protesters who crossed the Edmund Pettis Bridge. Those events led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and flipped public opinion decisively in favor of a new era and against Jim Crow.
That was why I found myself this Tuesday and Wednesday in Minneapolis. The killing first of Renee Good and then of Alex Pretti marked a similar turning point in the opposition to Donald Trump’s’ attempted imposition of an authoritarian regime and the democracy movement that has bloomed in response. That inflection point was only deepened by the unconstitutional indictment of independent journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort on Friday for covering a protest in the state.
Patriotic opposition to all of that and to Trump’s autocracy is radiating outward from Minnesota. For over a year now, we’ve chronicled the evolution of growing opposition to Trump here at The Contrarian. Indeed, we like to think that we’ve done our bit to advance the democracy movement with our coverage – and thanks to your paid subscriptions supporting pro-democracy litigation (249 cases and matters–and counting!).
We’ve chronicled and litigated resistance to Trump’s presidency. But I went to Minnesota to see the patriotic opposition for myself. My first stop was a visit with my fellow Contrarian and YouTube co-host Katie Phang, who was in the state reporting for us for most of the week. Her dynamic real-time conversations on our YouTube channel were part of what inspired me to get on the plane and see what was happening in person, as I explained:
As it turned out, the view from afar, as impressive as it was, did not begin to describe the breadth and depth of the pro-democracy movement that I witnessed when I touched down. But it wasn’t just me: I met with civil rights leaders, who were also drawn to bear witness, not just to the terrible wrongs but also to the resilience of the people of Minneapolis/St Paul and of the patriotic opposition of Americans to tyranny.
Here is an interview Katie and I did with two great American civil rights leaders, Juan Proaño, the CEO of LULAC, the nation’s largest and oldest Latino civil rights organization (and one of our most frequent pro-democracy litigation clients), and Derrick Johnson, head of the NAACP (with whom we also have the honor of litigating from time to time).
Those were only some of the dozens of conversations I had. One of the most meaningful was with Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, my long-time dear friend. I’ve known him since he was a brilliant member of Congress, but now, in this moment of crisis, the whole country can see what an extraordinary leader he is. We talked about the situation and his unbending fight for justice. But to me that wasn’t the most meaningful part of our time together. When we met, we simply embraced each other. Resistance is powered not just by lawsuits but also by hugs.
Of course, I didn’t only talk to nationally known leaders. I had dozens of conversations with everyday folks, including when I stopped for breakfast at Nina’s Coffee Cafe and chatted with the barista and the patrons. Everywhere I go, I meet Contrarians, and this trip was no exception. Several of the coffee drinkers said, “We’re here to support you” – they included Contrarian subscribers! I see y’all wherever I go.
Some of the most meaningful time I spent came when I visited the Alex Pretti and Renee Good memorial sites, situated just a short distance from each other. I recorded this reflection for our Contrarian YouTube Channel.
At the Pretti site, one resister was offering hot coffee for everyone. Another person brought a stack of pizzas to feed people. And others were there to extend a welcome and to share the moment. Afterward, it occurred to me that between those offerings of kindness and the candles, s flowers, and other artifacts that surrounded the spot where Pretti died was a holy site . I shared a further impression on Coffee with the Contrarians live from Minneapolis on Wednesday morning:
Wherever I go, people want to talk to me about the terrible things Trump has done. Yes, the death, devastation, and destruction have been vast. We mustn’t however only focus on that half of the equation but also on how we have met his flood-the-zone wrongdoing with rule-of-law shock and awe, both in the courts of law and of public opinion. I never felt that more acutely than in my time in Minneapolis as I experienced the power of the pro-democracy opposition that has sprung up. That same spirit of acknowledging what we are up against honestly but greeting it with a spirit of hope for the future runs through our Contrarian coverage.
That coverage ended on an unexpected note, with yesterday’s shocking news that journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort had been arrested – for doing their jobs by covering events in Minneapolis this month. Be assured that neither we at The Contrarian nor our friends in the independent media and legal communities will be cowed by such an outrageous violation. Just the opposite: independent journalism – and your support of it! – has never felt more essential.
The inimitable April Ryan, Jen Rubin, and I went live to discuss this flagrant violation of our First Amendment. Here’s our initial response to the breaking news, followed by our roundup of the rest of the week’s wealth of Contrarian analysis and reporting put together by my colleagues.
The ICE Front Lines
Alex Pretti Cannot Die in Vain
Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD) joined April Ryan last Sunday to discuss what must be done in the aftermath of the murder of yet another American citizen — and to ask: Why are Republicans so afraid to do the right thing? “If you can do this in Minneapolis, you can do it anywhere.”
For the Love of God, Get ICE Out of Minnesota
Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush wrote on his experience of protesting with fellow faith leaders and community members in Minnesota, where he felt the “contagious courage” of neighbors rejecting state violence. “It is time for people of faith and for all Americans to choose love and solidarity over ICE’s brutality.”
Trump’s Comply-Or-Die Policing Isn’t New
Tim Dickinson contextualized the brutality unfolding in Minnesota in a much longer legacy of police violence in America — in which what is shocking to so many Americans is who’s getting shot. “The protective factor of white privilege is collapsing in the face of Trump’s fascism.”
Maine is ICE’s Latest Battleground
Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) joined Jen to discuss the rapid escalation of ICE tactics in Maine, where just this week over 200 people were arrested in a sweep across the state.
Congressional Courage
No Funding Until we Get ICE Reform
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) took us inside the Senate’s surprise bipartisan decision this week to block the GOP’s DHS spending bill, and Democrats’ strategy for next steps to ensure that not one more dime of taxpayer money goes to funding ICE’s lawlessness.
Why Dems Should Force Kristi Noem Out
Jen wrote on the demands for DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s impeachment and removal this week, and how we can keep the anti-ICE — and pro-democracy — momentum going. “Democrats must knock out Noem and then mount even greater assaults on the Trump fascist enterprise.”
How Do We Put Checks on a Runaway Executive?
Nick Penniman joined Jen to outline the six policies that Congress and the courts must put in place to push back. “We’ve seen an absolute photo negative of what the Constitution thinks of the president.”
Voting Rights at Risk
Pam Bondi Exploited ICE Violence to Control State Elections
Samantha Tarazi wrote on the attorney general’s suspicious demand last week that Minnesota grant access to the state’s voter rolls — a demand made on the very day of Alex Pretti’s killing, which, she argues, amounted to taking advantage of a tragedy to advance the Trump regime’s undemocratic election agenda.
Carron J. Phillips explored a new report on how pro athletes vote, based on polling data, and asked: Why do some athletes participate in activism while others don’t? “The data indicates a clear distinction between ‘Black’ and ‘white’ sports at the professional level.”
It’s The Economy, Stupid
Max Stier wrote on Capitol Hill’s recent resistance to Trump’s overreach at the Federal Reserve, arguing that such opposition needs to be the norm, not the exception. “During the past year, the Supreme Court, without formal rulings, has given Trump a green light to fire members of a wide array of independent agencies and replace them with loyalists.”
No One Can Afford to Buy in Trump’s Economy
Justin Wolfers joined Jen to analyze the consequences of declining commerce under Trump, with shopping at an all-time low under fears of instability and real-time mismanagement. “Consumer sentiment is at its lowest level since 2014.”
A Five-Alarm Threat to U.S. Financial Stability
Virginia Canter and Christopher Swartz sounded the alarm on a measure of global economic stability, the U.S. Treasury market, that has never been dependent on the financial interests of a single person—until now. “Trump is making deals in broad daylight, openly entwining his presidency with private profit….”
Political Misogyny on the Rise
The Trump Regime’s Misogyny is Not Exclusive To Nor Deadly Only to Women
Jennifer Weiss-Wolf wrote on an increasingly clear, hard fact about the Trump administration’s inherent misogyny: it kills — and it doesn’t care about your gender when it does. “Their response to the killing of Alex Pretti is case in point.”
AI Sexual Assault is Pushing Women Out of the Public Square
Lily Conway took a deep dive into the Grok “undressing” scandal, which saw Elon Musk’s pet chatbot giving X users yet another tool to victimize — and silence — women online. “With a few simple keystrokes, users could demand that anyone in a photo be placed into scantily clad garments, posed in suggestive positions, or undressed completely.”
ICE: The Epitome of Toxic Masculinity
Dr. Cynthia Miller-Idriss joined Jen to discuss the latest in harmful masculinities, violent extremism, and prevention tactics. “What we see is that ‘us versus them’ thinking: the existential threat, the dehumanization, and then ultimately the belief that you’re a martyr acting heroically to thwart this threat.”
Keeping Up the Good Fight
The Contrarian Covers the Democracy Movement
This week we saw ICE Out protests in Minnesota, Boston, San Diego, Chicago, and elsewhere, a nurses’ strike and a general nationwide strike on Friday, vigils across the country for Alex Pretti, and more.
See what you can do right now in our weekly Contrarian Calls to Action, mark your calendars for the next NO KINGS protest on March 28, and as always, get help organizing from Indivisible, find protests in your area at mobilize.us, and send us your protest photos at submit@contrariannews.org.
Culture, Cartoons & Fun Stuff
This week our cartoonists took on the “justifications” for ICE’s terror campaign (Big Brother, Open Up!, Nick Anderson; The Rittenhouse Test, Michael de Adder); the MAGA reception (Tom the Dancing Bug, Ruben Bolling); the state of democracy (250 Years In The Making, Obey — Or Else!, RJ Matson); and a guy definitely not standing in Trump’s way (Missing: Mike Johnson, Calder Robinson).
Mel Brooks has Been Fighting the Good Fight for Nearly a Century
Culture columnist Meredith Blake wrote on The 99 Year Old Man!, a new documentary that looks at how legendary comedian Mel Brooks has used humor to make light of the unspeakable for going on a century.
Everything About ‘Melania’ is Unprecedented, and Not in a Good Way
Meredith also covered Amazon’s $75 million ‘documentary,’ directed by an alleged sexual predator and raising questions of influence buying. “The goal isn’t capturing some elusive truth about our remarkably inscrutable first lady, but rather getting in good with her husband—and his loyalists at the FCC.”
The Radical Act of Sloppy Hosting
Emily Beyda gave us the timely gift of Pantry Pasta: “the ultimate meal for disorganized organizers.”
I saw that ICE had to cross the street in order to knock down the woman and shoot Pretti. They were obstructing nothing, obviously, being on the other side of the street.
Norm….thanks for all that you do, for being a clear voice for law and the Constitution. Trump will go down as an ugly footnote in history and and a cautionary tale for us all. And the people of Minneapolis will be remembered as heroes.