rach

27 | blm | she/her

[rach @racheIdiaz]

universe, please take good care of him

[♱ jane ♱ @janec0hen]

ima comment “cracked dat” on all his IG pics

[🤠 @heavensbvnny]

what a privilege it is to come home and have a cat waiting for you, with their triangle ears and their little meows

[Vic Mensa @VicMensa]

are you participating in the strike against ice friday?

nationwide. no work. no school. no shopping.

shut it down

[Stephanie "LB" 🟧 @LincolnsBible]

posted on substack by a person named Teri Leigh

I’m writing this from Minnesota.

These are just a few things that may not be making the national or international news.

a beloved local donut shop Glam Doll Donuts across the street from where Alex Pretti died turned into a warming house and medic center for protestors building and maintaining the memorial site.

a 70yo independent bookstore owner DreamHaven Books down the street expressed his pain on camera, walked through a tear gas cloud, and his website crashed less than 24 hours later from too much business and donations.

the day after tear gas bombs destroyed a N-Mpls neighborhood sending a 6mo old baby to the hospital, at daybreak, a small church community cleaned up the mess of pepper balls, tear gas containers and trash so the neighbors didn’t have to wake up to the memories.

a local independent journalist Mercado Media pounding the streets everyday reporting things from the ground had a testicle removed and showed up two days later to walk with 75,000+ community members to walk the streets in -20 degree weather.

a local sex-positive adult-store The Smitten Kitten has completely transformed into a donation and distribution center.

a local pizza place Wrecktangle Pizza raised over $83K in less than a few days to support families that are sheltering in place.

tow-truck companies are donating their services to clean up the accidents and abandoned vehicles left by ICE and the city is waiving impound fees.

local multi-faith spiritual leaders are spearheading sit-ins at corporate headquarters such as Target and USBank to have deeper conversations with CEOs and boards of directors about community relief.

social workers are taking in children who came home from school with both their parents “disappeared.”

animal shelters and pet-fostering agencies are rescuing pets left alone for days or weeks after their humans were detained.

every restaurant, church, karate dojo, dance studio, school, barber shop, and other small business has created their own underground grassroots supportive network to protect their neighbors, get people to and from work, and raise funds to pay everyday bills.

women who are moms and work full-time jobs are donning reflective vests in shifts to stand watch at bus stops, city parks, and grocery store parking lots ini sub-zero temps to bear witness before going home to tuck their babies in at night.

the MN National Guard offered donuts, coffee, and hot cocoa to peaceful protesters the day after Alex Pretti died, reminding community that we are all in this together and they are here to keep the peace.

These are just a few examples. Stories like this are happening in the hundreds here, every single day!

Community is EVERYTHING!

This Substack community and the MN-Strong resistance has saved my mental health these last weeks.

Thank you for reading.

Thank you for giving a shit.

I love you.

[Niko @NikoLeMieux]

Yesterday as I was walking through Minneapolis with a friend I saw this Lexus parked terribly and commented to him: “get a load of this asshole’s terrible parking.” By complete serendipity, as if the universe itself was saying "be kinder with your spoken thoughts," right at that moment I heard a voice say “hey that’s my car, ICE grabbed me, I’m so sorry!” come from the passenger of a Jeep slowly passing by; the Jeep driver said she was the sister of the Lexus’ owner and that the two of them had just come back from picking her up from Federal detention. I went to go talk to the Lexus’ driver, but first I read the note on the windshield:

“THIS WOMAN WAS TAKEN BY ICE. Please don’t hit or tow.” Neighbors put that there, and put a tarp over the window that ICE broke open so snow wouldn’t get in.

The Lexus driver, a short, brown haired white woman told me she lived in the area and was driving through looking for parking, when armed ICE agents speedily blocked off the street in front of her, and swarmed the white pickup truck in front of her grabbing its driver. She said people came from throughout the neighborhood with whistles to record them grabbing that driver, and as she was trying to leave, ICE agents swarmed her vehicle as well and proceeded to open her window and door and remove her from her car, slamming her facedown in the street. She said a Federal agent entered her vehicle and parked it like this, before taking her away. I don’t know the story of the pickup driver.

I'll be honest, I didn't really believe what I was hearing at first until she showed me the video that a neighbor filmed, confirming the whole story. I asked her to airdrop it to me so I could make this post.

This woman was just driving and minding her business one moment, and the next she was snatched, she told me that they said she was "obstructing an investigation." After 24 hours in Federal custody, they released her with only the white shirt she was wearing when I met her, into the -8F cold where her sister was waiting, and they didn't give her back her car keys. She came to make sure her vehicle was still there.

There's a lot of people on this platform making all sorts of excuses for the Federal government's despicable behavior in Minneapolis, but what it comes down to is this: they are out of control. They are Out. Of. Control.

This woman's story that I saw firsthand is emblematic of the institutional rot at the core of DHS, CBP, and ICE. The agents involved in both shootings this month were 8- and 10-year veterans, not untrained amateurs. There have been three homicides in Minneapolis thus far in 2026- 66% of them have been US citizens murdered by the Federal government. My city is being subjected to a full-fledged occupation by lawless, unprofessional, un-American thugs. They have gone far beyond their stated mission of removing violent criminals and illegal aliens. They have all of us looking at every SUV, every vehicle with out-of-state plates, every vehicle with more than 2 men in it with caution, scrutiny, and concern. Many of my friends have bought guns or have gone to get their conceal carry permits, to stay safe from their own government because it's better to be judged by twelve than to be carried by six.

Minneapolis will survive this and will come out stronger for it, because we learned in 2020 that there's no one coming to save us, it's up to us to show up for our friends and neighbors. But people need to know that if the Federal government are doing this to us: You're not safe. You're next.

[Anung Un Drama @spaceghost]

girl drop the crystals and pick up a glock, it’s time to save the country from fascism

[ally @missmayn]

if you’re going to commit suicide anyway there’s a super easy way to die a hero.

[Brian Allen @allenanalysis]

🚨🇺🇸 BREAKING: Protesters in Los Angeles just projected an anti-ICE video onto a building.

And it wasn’t just any building.

It was Twin Towers, an ICE-linked detention facility where LASD actively collaborates with ICE for deportation screening.

This is what resistance looks like when people stop pretending everything is normal.

[mo •᷄⌓•᷅꧞ @fruitpibble]

and for the lady, perhaps a gun?

[chad @chasedbywasps]

I rebuke you lowkey

[𝐵𝑎𝑏𝑦 𝐾 @misskerrington]

just got revenge on someone who wronged me 6 years ago. never be relaxed ever! im coming

[M. @oye_sycoho]

Congratulations to every woman who left a loser this year

[️sof @sodazerosugar]

do u guys love me because im beautiful or because im funny

[via @atrophicbtrfly]

in your 20s there will be a cat and it is very important to get that cat and spend so much money on it

[Dash ⚡️🦋 @breannadache]

Well... that's an interesting take actually lol

[໊ @meishato]

i don’t have a five year plan because every two years i realize i need a different life

[tana @bodeinebrazy888]

Before you beef with me know i am deeply malicious to my core once upset