by Jodie Evans, Marie Goodwin, and Danaka Katovich
Over the weekend, federal agents deployed by the Trump administration shot and killed Alex Pretti. An ICE officer unloaded ten shots into Alex’s back in the middle of the street while at least four others pinned him down. All of this happened in broad daylight, in front of the whole neighborhood. The video quickly circulated online, and Trump’s goons, Kristi Noem and Greg Bovino, quickly began lying to everyone about what we saw with our own eyes.
Alex’s crime was trying to help a woman who was pushed to the ground by federal agents. This wasn’t an issue of “safety,” as Bovino and Noem claimed — it was a public execution. With the murders of Alex Pretti, Renee Nicole Good, Keith Porter, Silvero Villegas-Gonzalez, Jaime Alanís Garcia, and many more, ICE is carrying out its mission exactly as planned: separate families and intimidate people into staying silent about ICE’s brutality.
In solidarity with the general strike called in Minneapolis last week, those of us who live outside of Minneapolis have been called to join in this Friday, January 30th. The “economic blackout” encourages people to avoid work, school, and shopping for the day to demonstrate opposition to violent, dehumanizing, and deadly federal immigration enforcement tactics.
If we don’t answer their call and act as a united front in response to this cold-blooded murder, ICE will learn very quickly that they can kill whoever they want. Not only will they keep killing people, but they will also keep lying about who they kill. They will continue to shape reality. Isn’t this precisely what we have witnessed happen in Gaza? The architects of the genocide realized that they could get away with lying and committing atrocities without consequences. They called Palestinian healthcare workers terrorists. Is that not exactly how ICE officials are referring to the VA ICU nurse Alex Pretti?
We’ve learned from the genocide in Gaza that Israel has been able to get away with all of its crimes because we have not effectively shut down the flow of money, arms, and diplomatic support that the U.S. provides Israel.
This means if we want change now, we must reject the war economy and instead embrace the peace economy. Make the act visible. In some cities, there will be rallies, but in others, you will need to create your own response. This national shutdown is essential in building a movement of love and care for people in response to 250 years of genocide, slavery, exploitation, and dehumanization.
The peace economy is how we care for each other in community with creativity, generosity, and kindness as we build trust and connection. It is what we are cultivating as the war economy fails. We understand that no one is coming to save us and that we must look out for one another. That means sharing resources, using our skills to meet the needs of others, and making collective decisions about shared outcomes that affect our communities. People are already doing this work across the country. You don’t have to start from scratch. Reach out to those doing this work near you and be in service of something larger than yourself.
Use the Local Peace Economy website to search for organizations in your local community, go to the ecosystem, and find what is local. Here are other ways you can contribute:
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Join a local mutual aid group. This can be as simple as a local church soup kitchen, organizations like Food Not Bombs, or neighborhood-based food pantries. These are available in most neighborhoods and distribute food and other essential supplies to those in need. They always need help and donations. Consider spending your day helping others.
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Seek out other alternatives to the grocery store, such as community gardens, urban farms, and CSAs. Volunteer your time with these organizations. Even in the winter, food is being produced by some farms in greenhouses and indoors, and help is needed year-round to grow it and distribute it to the most vulnerable in our neighborhoods. Reach out to your local farms and ask if you can be of service to them.
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Mutual aid is not just about food — it can be almost anything: bike shares, tool lending libraries, energy collectives, babysitting networks, artist support, etc. All mutual aid groups need volunteers, and by volunteering and supporting their mission, you might just make friends and grow your community in the process.
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If you are worried about your debts during a national shutdown, join The Debt Collective.
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Invite your friends and neighbors to gather to meet the moment. Being together is how we take care of the community now. The chaos and violence are meant to affect us deeply. They are traumatizing, except if we engage together, which reveals the lies at the core of the violence and the beauty of our neighbor and the connection and care of life. Stay related to those around you, listen to needs, and discover together what can be created from right where you are. Start small and then reach out and expand your circle.
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Connect with your community and hold a gifts & needs circle to make visible what people can offer and what people need. This allows us all to find new ways to learn about ourselves and others; sharing is a nourishing experience for everyone. When we tap into our community resources, there is no need to shop!
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Bring your imagination and creativity. Meeting violence with beauty disarms it and those who are abused by it. A choir, puppets, theatrical costumes, street art, and surprises on telephone poles. Communicate with the forms of creativity you bring to life with others. At CODEPINK, our motto is to be disarming. Find ways to bring humor, creativity, and joy to resistance.
We have a historic opportunity. Shutdowns and strikes are the ruling class’ achilles heel, because whether they like it or not, they still rely on us, everyday people, to keep the economy moving. Without the workers and consumers that they exploit to line their own pockets, they have nothing left. It’s exactly why they have ICE trying to intimidate and control us. And it’s exactly why we must use the tactics available to us to resist. We have power in numbers, so let’s put that power to use.
