He was the helper Mr. Rogers told us to look for

Among other reasons, I started this newsletter to build community, so we can call solidarity into action when we need it. We’re already doing this in ways I find inspiring, like the Save Ridge movement.

Most often, I focus on what we can do locally to foster the society we hope to embody. But sometimes, we need to look outward at state issues (like judicial retention here and here) or national topics that need our attention.

Today, we need to call our Chadds Ford solidarity into action for the greater good beyond our 19317 zippity-zip. Our safety, security, and freedom are at great risk from the oppression and harm of our federal government. I wish I were being dramatic.

Last week, I told you I was from Minnesota. Friends back home were texting me to let me know that the ICE invasion in Minnesota was worse than you think. The point-blank murder of Alex Pretti, followed by the government’s blatant lies about the event, further confirms this reality.

💭 Do they think we are so stupid or gullible as not to believe our own eyes?!

In today’s piece, I offer a few questions I have about how we think about the recent Pretti murder in the context of what we expect from government and how we value human dignity.

I’ve also got a list of ways you can take action to help people in Minnesota and help us move forward as a country. Many of us are doom-scrolling (me too!). 💔 But there are better ways to alleviate the angst, pain, fear, and confusion. I feel all the feels, especially because my hometown is ground zero for these atrocities, where I still have many friends and family.

Lastly, I share some blurry photos to help explain why it’s important to use our voices.

Today, we must build solidarity among our physical neighbors to support the broader principles we believe define our democracy. We are part of something bigger, something that requires us to act beyond what immediately impacts us in our little town. If you need a pep talk, here it is. ❤️🤍💙

We are being called to be courageous. Scroll down for concrete ideas about how to take action and be part of a better today and tomorrow.

The government is lying to us… big time.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Krisiti Noem told us the following about Pretti’s murder:

• “An individual approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun,” adding that the suspect was “brandishing” a firearm.
• “This looks like a situation where an individual arrived at the scene to inflict maximum damage on individuals and kill law enforcement.”
• “The officers attempted to disarm this individual, but the armed suspect reacted violently.”
• “Fearing for his life and the lives of his fellow officers around him, an agent fired defensive shots.”

These statements aren’t even loosely aligned with the truth under the most charitable interpretation.

💭 If they’re lying this egregiously about things we can disprove with readily available video evidence, what else are they lying to us about that’s harder to prove?

Here is the screenshot when the CBP agent fired the first shot. Does any agent look like he is “fearing for his life” to you? There’s a cell phone in Pretti’s right hand, and his left hand is on the ground.

The agent continued to shoot 9 more times. 9 more shots, including several in a “Call of Duty” style stance, while the man lay motionless on the ground. Meanwhile, one agent clapped (it’s on video) while the Associated Press reported that another agent told a witness ‘Boo Hoo.’ Who does that?! 😱

☠️ If this is what they do in public, can you imagine what they’re doing in private?

Can you imagine feeling such cold-blooded callousness that clapping and “boo hoo” are your immediate responses to the brutal death of another human? There’s a larger story in this whole incident about the pervasive loss of respect for human dignity in our culture. Let’s put a pin in that for now, but I think it’s incumbent upon us to arduously rebuild our social and spiritual framework.

In case you haven’t seen the video of the Pretti murder, judge for yourself. Use your own eyes and ears to fact-check the government’s statements.

Here’s a very good summary stitched together for Instagram, also embedded below. Note that the federal administration has even lost Fox News. Even Fox News can’t explain away the lies.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by SHARON McMAHON (@sharonsaysso)

The video below also provides information.

If you haven’t read 1984, now might be the time. Here’s a chilling video, embedded below, of the murder stitched with words from the Department of Homeland Security and quotes from 1984 by George Orwell. (It’s on Instagram here.) There’s that first shot again. 👇🏻

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Joshua Doss (@doss.discourse)

If you’re a “do your own research” type of guy or gal that questions what our government tells us, now would be a really great time to put those skills to use. (Here’s an article with several video angles to help you draw your own conclusion. And another one.)

If you voted for this but have remorse or are discovering this isn’t what you anticipated, it’s never too late to say, “I’m not ok with this. I don’t want this,” and ask our representatives to act accordingly.

Even if you agree that people shouldn’t bring weapons to peaceful protests, is execution in the street without due process the cost for legally carrying a weapon that you never reached for? If you believe that, I hope you agree that it applies to Kyle Rittenhouse (who actually killed people) and everyone else who shows up to protests with dangerous weapons. But really, I hope you don’t believe that.

Gun rights advocates and lobby groups are criticizing the idea that merely showing up to a protest with a legally-owned gun is grounds for being murdered. While I’m not a 2A fanatic, I agree with them on this one. After all, isn’t the whole point of the Second Amendment to be able to protect yourself from the government?

Even if you believe that ICE and CBP have dangerous jobs and will make mistakes, do you think three shootings (two of which were point-blank murders) in three weeks is reasonable? Might that be an indication that agents are not properly trained and/or don’t benefit from a cruel tone at the top that offers “absolute immunity” for their actions? Maybe they need some more guardrails around their work.

Even if you think we need immigration reform, are these tactics acceptable? Are ICE and CBP authorized to use excessive force, including murder, against anyone who legally observes and films them or tries to obstruct their actions? Comply or die?!

As a reminder, people in Minnesota are not protesting the deportation of violent criminals. People are protesting:

• Neighbors disappearing (when criminals typically go to jail, their families know where to find them)
• Citizens being asked for papers and detained for how they look
• Children too afraid to go school
• Teenagers being tackled in the snow saying, “I’m legal”
• Elderly grandparents dragged outside in their underwear in freezing temperatures
• Threats from immigration agents to legal observers to comply and “remember what happened last week, so you have a good day.” (referring to the murder of Renee Good) – here’s an example on video
• Intrusion into people’s homes without warrants
• ICE agents running stop signs, speeding through neighborhood streets, and driving in ways that put everyone in danger (before they even round up their targets)
• Masked, armed men in plain clothes, aggressively ripping people from their cars
• Protestors tear-gassed and murdered for simply bearing witness

People are protesting HOW this immigration enforcement is being executed, because the ends do not justify the means. As I mentioned last week, there are a million ways to enforce immigration without all of the cruelty and violence we’re seeing initiated by the federal government. Standing up and speaking out in support of human dignity are not the sources of “violent rhetoric” our government claims them to be (and if they were, wouldn’t that be a problem)?

Moreover, is there a single person in this country who believes that compliance with law enforcement in every circumstance is the appropriate answer, and that death is the natural consequence for lack of compliance? “Comply or die”?! Comply or die on January 6th, 2021? Comply or die on January 7, 2026?

Is there ever an instance where the government might demand compliance inappropriately? Is the answer really “just comply,” even in the face of violations of the Bill of Rights? Is there never a time or place for civil disobedience? Do we have any recollection of the premise on which this country was founded and why we have a Declaration of Independence, a Constitution, and a Bill of Rights that have endured for 250 years?

Even if you believe all of the things above, aren’t you mad that the government is lying to you about it? We can see with our own eyes that their version of the story is not even close to the truth. Doesn’t that make you suspicious? Doesn’t it make you question their motives and processes when they’re blatantly lying to our faces about things we can easily prove with multiple videos? And what does that tell us about the lack of accountability?

The Government is Lying To Us. And Using Our Tax Dollars to Kill Americans.

The Atlantic summarizes this in its newsletter from January 26, 2026:

Perhaps the most disturbing part of the Trump administration’s immigration operation in Minnesota is not just that agents of the state are killing peacefully protesting citizens on the streets. It’s that they’re doing it with the expectation of impunity, backed by top government officials who are brazenly lying about what happened.

The response from President Trump, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and other officials has sent a clear message: When immigration agents kill peaceful protesters, the government will defend them unconditionally, no matter if clear video evidence contradicts its version of events. It will resist investigating shootings, and it will do everything it can to block probes by other authorities. Vice President Vance has even claimed that federal agents have “absolute immunity” for their actions. This approach all but guarantees more killings.

I noted last week that Tangle argued this escalation in enforcement behavior made deaths predictable. The Atlantic reiterates that this response to violence from their officers “all but guarantees more killings.”

Economist and policy consultant Kathryn Edwards explains how the funding for ICE made all of this violence predictable as well. ICE received funding (to enforce just one set of immigration laws) equal to half of all funding for all other law enforcement in the country combined (to enforce all laws everywhere). They have far more money than they need to “fix” the problem, and overpolicing and an abundance of overpaid agents without enough real work to do are natural consequences of the funding circumstances.

💛 Friends and neighbors, I don’t care how you’re registered, who you voted for, or how you expected immigration to be solved in our country. I don’t care if you’ve been a loudmouth or been silent until now. I don’t care what sports teams you root for, or if you don’t know the mascots of the teams in Philadelphia. I don’t care about your skin color, what you do for work, or how you spend your Sunday mornings.

But…

Is this the world we want to live in? One in which our government blatantly lies to us, kills our neighbors (accidentally or otherwise), and offers no remorse for murders, even if they were mistakes? Do you want ICE and CBP in our streets doing what they’re doing in Minnesota?

🚨 If not, there’s no better time than now to do something about it. Let’s step up together. 🫱🏻‍🫲🏻 Because no matter how you feel about all those other policy issues, none of it matters if our government is killing us in the streets and making up lies to excuse it. 🚨

So what can you do about it?

Here are some ways to help, depending on your preferences and style. May I suggest that we all do the first one, even if it’s just an email? We can all write emails to our representatives, and that’s better than doing nothing. When we all show up for this one, it’s a significant step toward long-term change. After that, choose your own adventure.

📞 Call (or email) our federal representatives

There is a funding battle happening in Washington right now, and constituent pressure is moving the needle. Emily Amick, an attorney and former staffer for Chuck Schumer, offers a detailed explanation of the ICE funding battle and how you can take action to ensure our federal representatives know how you want them to act. Even if you don’t love Chuck Schumer (and most of us don’t), Amick’s experience means she understands how Washington works and what actions inform how our representatives vote.

The vote on DHS funding is coming up this week (likely today!), so you need to act soon.

Call or email Senators Fetterman (contact page) and McCormick (contact page) to let them know how you want them to respond.

Fetterman doesn’t seem to care about much these days. 🫠 Fetterman has, however, expressed some interest in separating DHS funding from other funding bills and voting on it separately, which is the most likely path to progress. This allows the rest of the government to be funded while Congress negotiates about the path forward for DHS funding on its own. He’s a wild card, but it can’t hurt to let him know where you stand.

Sidenote: Separating funding bills is probably how Washington should operate. One issue, one bill, one vote. Repeat. Less of an “all or nothing” mentality. Common sense in the halls of Congress. Wouldn’t that be something… 🫶🏻

McCormick has shown a hint of awareness that his strong base of moderate Republicans wants him to do something to improve this, but I don’t know to what extent he’s willing to challenge the party line. Constituent pressure will definitely inform his position. I get the vibe he “gets” politics and is in Washington to play the game full tilt.

If you’re a registered Republican or Independent, your call or email to McCormick especially matters. As a registered Democrat, he probably cares less what I think (though I still emailed him). But he will certainly care about the opinions of the people who he expects will most likely vote for him in the future.

You can also call or email Representative Mary Gay Scanlon (contact page). The House already voted on the funding bill. But if it doesn’t pass the Senate exactly as it passed in the House, it will have to go back to the House. If you believe we need changes to DHS, impacting their funding sends a strong message and could come with some guardrails around their policies, practices, and authority. Keep making noise here.

Amick includes simple scripts to let you know what to tell them, but feel free to personalize them to reflect your values and perspectives. Messages don’t need to be long, but they should include specific actions you’re asking our representatives to take. Communications get tallied accordingly.

💰 Donate to local organizations on the ground

Money matters. Here are some ways you can help fund the helpers on the ground in Minnesota.

Two options directly received from people I know in Minnesota:

• Haven Watch (GoFundMe, Venmo) | From my sister’s friend: a group helping detainees when they are released from detention centers. Many are being released into Minnesota winters without a coat, a phone call to request a ride home, or a warm place to wait for a ride. (More about the organization here).
• Local School GoFundMe | From a good friend of mine: This is her local school. Many neighbors are too afraid to leave their homes.

If you want something larger, check out StandwithMinnesota.com. They’ve compiled a bunch of organizations doing the work on the ground to help those in need. This site is what community solidarity and collective action look like. Pick the type of support that most resonates with you and fits your budget.

⚙️ Be sand in the gears

This is a real “choose your own adventure” option, and one especially formulated for the rebels in the crowd.

• Muck up the plans.
• Slow things down.
• Be a “silly goose or a professional nuisance.”
• Gum up the system that’s broken.
• Bonus points if your creative resistance includes a play on words, like the women buying and returning salt (which melts 🧊) in droves at Target in a Minneapolis suburb to let Target know they’re unhappy about its tolerance of ICE. Notice how they all got carts, so there are probably very few carts for other customers trying to shop. Non-violent and loud (and likely coming from some of Target’s best customers). They’re targeting Target’s bottom line (which seems to be the only thing people care about these days.. sigh).

There are many ways to do this, as listed in the links above. But get creative. What makes the work harder for the people you believe shouldn’t be doing that work, or are doing it in a way that’s harmful? If it’s funny or creative, even better.

🔊 Speak up with friends and neighbors (in person and virtual)

Here’s the one we’re going to keep talking about. We need to talk about politics, society, culture, and what we collectively want for the future. In real terms. “I don’t do politics” isn’t a thing, girlfriend (or guyfriend). 💜

Politics influences just about everything in our lives, whether we like it or not. You can choose to have a say or let everyone else decide for you. Do you really just want to let everyone else boss you around? 👎🏻

Friendly reminder: When the “normies” don’t step up to “do” politics, we get a lot more Stephen Millers and far fewer Fred Rogers. 💀 Oof. Let’s fill the void with all the normies.

Speaking up matters. Let me show you why.

Why speaking out really matters

The picture below shows a network of community perspectives. (Pardon the quality of the photos; my photography staffing budget hovers right around $0. This work does not make it rain. 😉)

In each circle, you can see a brain (it’s blurry, but stick with me). The brains represent our internal thoughts, and the circles around them represent what we say publicly. Ideally, we feel safe enough that our internal thoughts match what we say outwardly about politics, culture, the greatest sports mascot (it’s Gritty, but whatever 🧡), the best flavor of Spindrift (I’m a raspberry lime 🍋‍🟩 girl), etc… The circle colors match the brain colors.

This diversity of thoughts creates what the author of this book calls a Thought Pile, as shown in the image below. It’s the summation of all the different opinions in each of our brains.

The Speech Curve shows what we’re willing to say out loud. The more extreme edges of the Thought Pile have fewer people feeling those fringe beliefs (because, duh…). The Speech Curve matches the Thought Pile. This makes sense, right?

But look what happens when we all stop discussing how we really feel and instead feel obligated to agree with a predetermined narrative. The author describes the “orange” ideas as those of an authoritarian leader, whom he calls King Mustache.

It’s unclear to me why he chose 🍊 as the authoritarian color. Maybe just aesthetics. I digress…

When we only feel comfortable expressing orange opinions in public, we lose diversity of thought in the public square. We also start to think that maybe we’re the only ones with blue, green, or red ideas, and everyone else believes in orange. Does everyone else really agree with King Mustache?!

Am I cray-cray or are they cray-cray?! 🤯

When we start censoring our own speech in the service of an authoritarian leader or an authoritarian culture that makes expressing a variety of ideas legally or socially unacceptable, we end up with a big gap between what people believe and what they say out loud. This generates more power for King Mustache and his cronies.

Here’s the real problem: Fringe beliefs begin to be normalized. Authoritarianism sets in. Free speech goes away. Debate wanes. New ideas are lost to time. People die for bearing witness to the truth. Things get really sh*tty. 💩

Living in a world where we all have to express “orange” thoughts out loud even when we don’t internally agree with them sucks. It gives the “orange” team way too much unchecked power, which they will almost inevitably abuse. It leaves many great ideas locked up in people’s minds. We want all the ideas on the table so the best ones rise to the top, and good ideas can build on each other and become great ideas.

We are in control of what we say versus what we believe. We can prevent that thought pile from shifting to an extreme, but only when we’re willing to have hard, uncomfortable (and often interesting!) conversations with the people around us.

Especially when things shift sideways, we need to speak up.

Truth matters. Integrity matters. Let’s vocally demand better and let our friends and neighbors know how we feel.

While we’re at it, f*ck a government that kills peaceful citizens bearing witness to its work. Welcome to my club of Deep Hope meets Fierce Anger. We’ve got this, but no one is coming to save us.

P.S. I’m proud of my hometown stomping grounds. We need to remember the power of these vigils if/when ICE shows up in Philly.