The Trump ghettos are on their way
We just got back from a wonderful vacation at Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park, a well deserved time off from the drudgery of work and the bad news cycles to spend time with family. It was quite a relief to be without television or internet. Yet it was impossible for my mind not to place the experience in the context of the current cultural realities that the Trump Administration is imposing on us all.
The geysers at Yellowstone are a perfect metaphor for today’s America. Some erupt only mildly; others are violent; and yet others are simply bubbling up as if in waiting. There is the story of one geyser in particular – let’s call it the MAGA geyser – that after many years of not erupting, it did so suddenly spewing out all sorts of trash, useless artifacts, and distractions. It was as if the penned up mess had been building up for decades and decided to violently erupt all at once.
Walking around Yellowstone and the Grand Teton it was clearly evident that at least 2/3 of all visitors to these national parks are from other countries; lots of Chinese but also folks from other parts of Asia and from throughout Europe. I could not help but hypothesize that these folks had made their plans before this Administration took hold. It doesn’t leave much to the imagination to think that the number of foreign tourists will plummet in the months and years to come leaving the mostly seasonal workers of the parks to have to find other jobs. Maybe it is these national parks seasonal workers that the current Administration is looking to do the farm work, house cleaning or taking care of the elderly done today by mostly immigrants; the immigrants they are either sending back to their countries or frightening into hiding wherever they live.
Upon our return to the occupied territory of Washington DC we did not see any observable changes neither on the way home from the airport nor on our way to or from church the next day. It all seemed pretty normal. I did catch myself being extra careful to fully stop at stop signs and not go above the speed limit.
And then.
And then our son tells us that our grandkids – who go to school in DC – will be starting school under a totally new protocol whereas parents are having to set up instant responses to the possibility of ICE raids. So he is having to have “the talk” with his incoming 4th grader son, akin to ‘the talk’ African-American have to have with their kids.
Then early this morning while sitting on the porch doing my morning meditation an unmarked van rolls up and parks in front of my house. I live among Salvadoran families. My heart skips a beat; but I was relieved to see that it was only the delivery of our Hello Fresh meals.
But then my friend who takes care of our dog when we are away comes over. He is a naturalized citizen originally from El Salvador. Both of his children were born in the US. Yet he tells me the story of how he has cocooned himself and his family in their house, going out only when it is indispensable to do so. The psychological and real impact of governing by fright is clearly evident everywhere. My professional friends in the first occupied City (Los Angeles) and the next occupied City (Chicago) are sharing similar stories – and much worse.
People are simply retreating to their own enclaves. Families are sending their US born relatives to the grocery store as if they had less to be concerned about. Folks are simply not going to restaurants. Apartment dwellers are finding neighbors to do their car oil changes and minor repairs. Medical appointments are going unfulfilled. People are gathering at their homes and apartments to celebrate birthdays and watch movies, literally afraid of going to public spaces. And folks have even stopped going to church. All of this is the Trump ghettos in the making.
Add to this fright the increasing presence of militarized policing – including National Guards with weapons – and it all becomes a complete and total recipe for disaster. It does not take a genius to predict what will happen sooner rather than later.
There will be an incident where through no fault of no one – or through the fault of many – someone will be shot. It may be a police shooting to stop a fight, it may be a sniper shooting a National Guard or police. It may be both. Things will then spiral out of control.
And of course the administration will blame the immigrants and create a self-fulfilling prophecy. They will wrench up the military presence in certain neighborhoods, and vola! – we have us a police state. With that will come increased fear in certain neighborhoods and the increased hesitation to leave the neighborhood for anything but the most essential needs. A life spiraling downwards. Neighborhoods becoming less safe. Cities existing in terror.
These neighborhoods where people are frightened to leave and frightened to call the police will create the demand for alternative policing and will be the ideal places for the growth of new gangs and alternative economies. These alternative economies will be mostly safe ways of accessing products in the grey or black market to meet most any need. However, this will be a cash economy and will be fueled by rampant illegal activity, including increasing drug dealing and mafia-like coercion of innocent people for things as simple as keeping your car safe or not having your windows broken; i.e.: a ghetto-like environment.
For the last 250 years the USA has been on an aspirational path towards a more just, equitable, and welcoming society. However, all along the vile hate (and insecurity) of a few in power who want to control those unlike them has always been part of America. Many a dark moment in American history have suppressed and abused – enslavement and exploited – minorities, immigrants, and women. All those dark moments have been overcome by enlightened people and leaders that have demonstrated the capacity to rally the vast majority of folks in the US seeking to continue on (an albeit imperfect) path towards the aspirational democracy that found this nation.
And so here we are again under the rule of a power elite controlled by white nationalist men whose rallying cry is a perversion of Christianity. We’ve been here before – most visibly in the backlash to Reconstruction in the late 1800s and through the first half of the 1900s; i.e.: until the emergence of the Civil Rights movement.
In today’s America, the geyser of hate has erupted again, this time with a MAGA banner. But the geyser of people of good will is a stronger, ever more powerful geyser. Our geyser is like Old Faithful, erupting often, sometimes early, sometimes late – but always quietly without making much noise, systematically and gracefully peaceful.
May our journey through these turbulent times lead us to a better place.
Reemberto Rodriguez
August 26, 2025