Organizing, Observing, and Helping

Steps to take on a protesting journey

The recent unjustified ICE/CBP aggression and killing in Minnesota got me wondering how I’m going to respond on my protesting journey. You may recall that my wife, Mary, and I are two of the co-founders of a county-wide Indivisible chapter. Two weeks ago, we held a pop-up protest with hundreds in attendance after Nicole Good was killed. Now, with the killing of Alex Pretti just blocks from where Good was shot, Mary and I have been deep into discussion about what to do next.

We live in a small Montana town (about 8,000 folks) in a lightly populated, but vast, county (about 17,000 folks across 2,800 square miles). To date, we have heard of no confirmed ICE activity in either. But as we watch what’s happening in Montana, Minnesota, and Maine, we feel that ICE could appear right here at any time; we’re not exempt. And if they do, we want to be ready. So the best action we can take is to organize ICE observers in our county.

But first, we needed to understand what, if any, relationship our city and county have with ICE. We researched the types of agreements that ICE can enter into with local governments and law enforcement agencies. Based on the research, we prepared a list of questions.

Next, we contacted our city police department and requested a meeting to discuss our questions. When we met, we made it clear to the Police Chief and Assistant Police Chief that we were not there to debate or criticize. We were there to simply understand the situation. Both officers said they appreciated that, answered our questions, and told us that to date, the department has had no contact from ICE and no intention of entering into any agreements or contracts with them.

We next met with our town’s City Manager and a City Commission member. We repeated to them that we were not there to criticize; we wanted to learn. They answered our questions and agreed that to date, city officials have had no contact with ICE. Finally, we met with the county Undersheriff, the second-in-command in our county. Again, we learned that to date, there had been no contact by ICE. We plan to meet with an official from the State Highway Patrol and ask the same questions. We don’t expect the same answers… we know they have a 287g agreement with ICE. But being informed first-person is the best way to learn.

A couple of weeks after those meetings, we attended a potluck that was organized for progressive thinkers in our community. After a tasty meal and robust, friendly conversations, we gathered our chairs into a circle of about 35 people. When the organizer asked what was on our minds, the discussion quickly went to the horrors in Minnesota, and flowed into what might happen where we live. Mary and I shared brief impressions from our meetings with local police and officials. Others shared what they had learned from friends and neighbors.

When someone asked how they could be trained to observe ICE safely, Mary and I realized this was an opportunity to expand on the efforts we had undertaken over the last few months. We have attended three ICE observer trainings, two in-person and one virtual. This week, we’ll again attend a virtual training session we found very informative.

In November, we organized an in-person training for members of our community. Since that time, we have formed a group of trained ICE observers who can respond quickly and efficiently to any ICE presence throughout our county. After that discussion at the potluck, we realized the time is right to bring other concerned residents into the training and the group.

We believe that training is essential so that our observers can better understand ICE tactics, support targeted community members, and record events safely. In addition to the training, we have established a Signal channel for use only by trained observers. The purpose of the channel is to let observers know the time, place, and any details of an ICE activity. Then our trained observers can respond quickly and record.

Community preparedness is what Mary and I are focussing along this protesting journey in our county. Maybe you can do something similar where you live.

In addition to sharing local efforts, I would also like to share some resources you can use to help the folks in Minnesota who are under siege and bravely resisting.

1. Stand With Minnesota offers a complete vetted listing of organizations you can donate to.

2. The Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota (ILCM) is a nonprofit organization that provides free immigration legal representation to low-income immigrants and refugees in Minnesota and North Dakota.

3. The Immigrant Rapid Response Fund (IRRF) is a coalition of philanthropic leaders rooted in communities most impacted by immigration-related harm.

This is a time of high emotions, sadness, anger, and fear. It’s easy to get depressed and wonder, “Why bother?” But as so many activists have said, that is exactly what the Trump regime wants us to feel. They want us to cower and fall silent. But we can—we must—do the opposite. And you can benefit emotionally by doing so.

Now is the time to stand up and resist. Find a local organization that’s resisting and add your time and energy. Organize your friends and neighbors for a march, vigil, or protest. Create a group of trained ICE observers who are ready to observe immediately and safely. Donate to vetted organizations that support Minnesota residents under siege.

For many more ideas of what you can do, check out this recent post from Robert Reich.

Until Next Time,

Rick

P.S. If you’re looking to start or find a group to protest with, start here and here.

Who is Rick Lamplugh?

I’m a writer of award-winning nonfiction books. I combine research with storytelling. Two of my last three books covered wolves and Yellowstone National Park. I actively advocated for wildlife and wild lands for a decade. I’m now advocating—with Mary and so many others—for our democracy.

While on my protesting journey, I’ve also been researching and writing on a new topic—my battle with aggressive prostate cancer. My sixth book, The Wilds of Cancer, the story of that journey, has just been published.

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