We are here: A National Police Force is in place

 

Lest we forget

We are here. Living in the US in 2026 means being subjected to a national police force that has no accountability. This police force is not new. It’s been around a while. It is the sinister expansion of the limited power entrusted upon existing agencies – and their total disregard for any guardrails on their behavior and actions.  

ICE + USBP = NPF

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) together with the United States Border Patrol (USPS) now becomes the National Police Force (NPF); maybe not officially, but certainly in practicality. They are part of the Department of Homeland Security, created barely 20 years ago after two airplanes hijacked by members of the terrorist group al-Qaeda – and nationals of Saudi Arabia – crashed the planes into the two World Trade Center towers in New York City September 11, 2001. The intent of DHS was certainly noble: Share information across the Federal, State and local governments to help keep us safer.

That noble intent to keep us safe has now been morphed into a para-military unit deployed throughout the nation under the pretext of seeking criminal undocumented immigrants. Be you a citizen, legal resident or undocumented; be you white, brown or black, you are now subjected to the brute force of this new national police. They stop you, harass you and abuse you and you have no recourse. They raid businesses and schools without impunity. You’d better do what they tell you. Or else. Or else they may literally disappear you. Or execute you. Even if you are a white woman, mother of three, a poet, a wife. Nope, this is no longer an exaggeration.

In Memory of Renee Good

African-Americans know best of the evil of this experience – they have been subjected to it forever. Latinos are quickly finding out the severity of the possibilities. And now even White people are being assaulted. 

    • Renee Good. 
    • A victim of the Federal Government’s new National Police force.
    • A mother. 
    • A wife.
    • A poet.
    • An activist.
    • Murdered by an overzealous ICE agent.
    • Murdered by a wrapped, corrupt Trump Administration.
    • Executed by an ethos that has vilified immigrants.

In solidarity with the people of Minneapolis we are responding with empathy. The DHS is so crass they call our empathy “toxic empathy”. We call it simple, humane empathy. 

To many of us, it IS about thoughts and prayers. And pray we do. And. And actions. Non-violent action. Thoughts and prayers without action are empty platitudes. Action – non-violent action – works.

There is no better way to honor the life of Renee Good than to take nonviolent action. I am blessed to live in a community – Silver Spring, MD – that did just this recently. Earlier this week we held a memorial and vigil for Renee Good in downtown Silver Spring. What a wonderful, uplifting event! 

And now it’s time to take action. Opportunities for action and resources are plentiful: https://docs.google.com/document/d/18uev3EE6LyZpJ2_gTmdcd2yFjp_eSqBIN9sLdUDA5Eo/edit?usp=sharing

An event like that doesn’t just happen. It takes committed individuals, organizations, institutions, and local government. A big – BIG – gracias to all who made this memorial and vigil possible:

Pictures and short video clips from the event can be found in this album:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/CKVwNKhN3xFU9ape8

Last year I was in Minneapolis and made a point of visiting George Floyd Square: https://photos.app.goo.gl/1N4JnQUuqx9czszn7

I remember when Silver Spring said “presente” – present – in solidarity with Minneapolis then. https://photos.app.goo.gl/MsXQ1oAUfWbw2St4A

And now we did it again in Silver Spring.

Recently I communicated with a friend in Minneapolis. She expressed how the community is exhausted. Exhausted but emboldened. Embolden to take non-violent action by peacefully protesting – and yes with thoughts and prayers too. I assured her that once again Silver Spring is there with them, doing what we can, when we can, how we can, with whom we can. 

So what? And now what?

What is going on today in the US is indeed riveting. Of course we’ve been here before. The genocide of the indigenous people and the stealing of their land. The ravage of slavery. The meanness of Jim Crow. The rounding up and detaining of Japanese-Americans. The economic abuse of Latino farmworkers. The disproportional incarceration of Blacks. And so much more.

But today’s fight is our fight. It’s our turn. It’s our responsibility to respond. 

And today’s government is different. This time the Federal Government is hell-bent on maximum force, gaslighting propaganda, and blatantly disregarding laws. The extent of this Federal assault in selected communities is fierce – and it is only the beginning. ICE has the funding to triple its force. They are bypassing established training and deploying inexperienced agents who are much more prone to abuse their power. (News Flash: And ICE may very well be employing convicted criminals that stormed the US Capitol and have been subsequently pardoned by President Trump).

Make no mistake about it: The Trump Administration knows exactly what they are doing. They are creating a national police force that is responsive only to the Executive Branch and can not be held accountable by Congress or anyone else. Their intent is clear: Bring the people into submission and silence protesters by instilling fear of personal danger – including being killed. Does anyone doubt that there will be other – maybe many more – Renee Good? That is exactly what they want. That is why it is so critical that protests and actions be totally non-violent. 

But, it is simply inevitable that some overzealous protesters and/or instigators will commit serious crimes, thus giving the rationale to the Feds to increase the force of its National Police, and spiral the situation to the point of requiring the declaration of Martial Law, cancelling the 2026 elections; all the while saying it is being done in the name of peace and national security. They say 2+2=5 with a straight, robotic face; and you damn well better believe them – and repeat their message. Or else.

“I am being hyperbolic”, I hear you say. “No way! Not in the USA. We have guardrails. We are better than that!” 

To many of the White, comfortable folks in the US what is going on is causing a first-time trauma that is jarring, even leading to some folks looking to move to another country. 

However, to many non-whites or recent immigrants this is not our first trauma. To some of us what is going on is the re-awakening of the trauma we have experienced before. I was yanked from my country of birth (Cuba) at the tender age of 9 ½. From the family stories and the reality I’ve experienced myself, our trauma is real. And so is the trauma of most immigrants – and certainly the recurring trauma of most Blacks, Jewish and Indigenous people. Our trust in government is suspect. We’ve lived through violent governments and the trauma of exile. We know it’s coming when we see it. We can smell it. 

And today’s Trump Administration smells rotten. 

The temptation may be to simply cocoon ourselves in the busyness of life – particularly those of us that have realized the so-called American Dream. (Or, as some of us call it, “The American Illusion”). And that’s ok. After all, most people throughout the world have to live lives under violent governments. And life goes on. Art, culture, sports, and entertainment are alive and well in many of these violent governments. And people live on. What choice do they have? (Sure, sometimes it gets to the point of revolution; i.e.: today’s Iran. But that is certainly the exception). 

In today’s US it does feel different. The stench is growing. The pains are increasing. The physical and psychological assault is very real. The trauma is undeniable. And they are killing people.

We certainly have the option to cocoon into our drudgery. Or we can take non-violent action for the common good. Some are already doing it. It’s just starting. It ain’t gonna be easy. We may not see the results in our lifetime. Yet, do something we must. Staying silent is not an option. Staying silent will wither you away.

Yet, let’s commit to not turn trauma and rage into hate. Let’s turn trauma and rage into non-violent action. Your grandkids will thank you.

  • Think deliberatively. 
  • Pray constantly. 
  • Protest collectively.
  • Act non-violently