Pray for Minneapolis

ICE is shooting people in the streets

This has become personal for my family and me. I have mentioned before that I have a 23-year-old granddaughter who lives in St. Paul, MN. ICE targeted the house that she was living in, and after a very frightening experience, our family is helping her relocate. She is, for now, safe. I can’t say that for the remaining roommates who either don’t have family with the resources or refuse to move. My granddaughter has asked for prayers for her friends, neighbors, and all who stand in protest.

I do not intend to be overly dramatic. This has become a dire situation. The house where my granddaughter lived has become a target for many reasons. The residents of this property, owned by a Somali landlord, include musicians, artists, activists, and songwriters. It is a well-known musical venue in the Twin Cities, and young people from all over the Minneapolis and St. Paul area attend concerts and raise money for progressive causes. And, they are very vocal and critical of the Trump regime, especially ICE.

So, when ICE came knocking at the door, the house fell silent until they left. Observers noted ICE agents talking to neighbors, asking questions, and getting information about who lived there. Olivia’s roommates called her at work and warned her not to come home. She called her mother, and her mother called me. I panicked, and my heart sank deep into my chest. I reached out to my Substack community, and they responded. I love this community. We were able to get her to safety. And, because of Olivia’s good, caring character, her first thought was for her friends who did not have that option.

And, there has been a second ICE shooting. A Venezuelan man was shot in the leg by an ICE agent on Wednesday night in North Minneapolis. DHS says the agent was attacked with a shovel or a broom during an attempted arrest. I know the difference between a shovel and a broom. A video shared by Minnesota lawmakers shows the man and his family calling for help inside a home after the shooting.

President Trump is threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act to “put an end” to Minneapolis protests if state leaders don’t stop “agitators.” Ironically, insiders at the White House say there is growing support to invoke the 25th Amendment because they fear President Trump is not mentally capable of carrying out the duties of his office.

Minneapolis faith leaders are responding with unusually unified, public, and pastoral voices, condemning the ICE shootings, calling for repentance and restraint, and offering spiritual care on the streets. I know there is a similar movement happening here in Colorado Springs and across the country. Christians of good faith cannot remain silent, and coalitions are forming across faiths.

Minister JaNae Bates Imari said clergy across Minnesota are united in saying “not again” and demanding that ICE repent for the harm it has done.

Lutheran congregations are holding prayer vigils and marking sites of ICE arrests. At Our Saviors Lutheran Church, clergy and families planted a sign in the snow marking where ICE detained a person days earlier.

Pastor Martha Bardwell led prayers for healing “amid the pain and the violence and terror in our streets. Congregants lit candles and prayed for those living in fear.

“Movement” chaplains are back on the streets, and faith networks built during the George Floyd uprising have reactivated. At the massive Powderhorn Park protest, crowds were greeted by movement chaplains in bright-orange hats and vests. Led by Sheri Seifert of Calvary Lutheran, they offered grounding, prayer, and de-escalation support.

Catholic clergy are joining in the interfaith movement. They have raised concerns about the fear gripping immigrant parishes and the destabilizing effect of ICE activity on families. A rosary was placed at the makeshift memorial for Renee Good, a devout Christian. The Catholic Church is asserting its duty to protect the vulnerable.

And so I find myself returning, again and again, to the quiet courage of my granddaughter’s friends and roommates, these young people who rise each morning and choose justice over comfort, truth over silence. Their witness reminds me of the long Presbyterian lineage of conscience and resistance, stretching back to the Rev. John Witherspoon, the minister who signed the Declaration of Independence, believing that faith demands moral courage in the face of tyranny.

I see that same courage now in the religious leaders and elected officials who refuse to look away, who stand in the cold and the chaos and say, without wavering, that every human being bears the image of God. They know, as we know, that this is no longer a policy debate. It has become a struggle between what is good and what corrodes the soul, between the teachings of Jesus and the forces that would distort them for power.

And yet, even here, the light of goodness persists. It persists in the young, in the faithful, in those who still believe that justice is not an abstraction but a calling. Their steadfastness tells me that goodness is not fragile. It is resilient, stubborn, and alive. It is ours to defend, and ours to follow, wherever it leads.

May God bless you and keep you safe during these trying times.

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