[EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is a Letter to the Editor, written and submitted by a verified resident. It represents the opinion of the author, and does not necessarily reflect the views of South King Media or its staff.]
ICE and the Shaming of America
Imagine yourself walking down the street when suddenly you are approached by a beefy-dude who gets into your face and begins to aggressively force himself upon you. As you attempt to break away you find yourself surrounded by four other men, some who have completely covered their face behind a mask, and each of them yelling at you, taunting you, and wrestling you onto the ground to place you in handcuffs. This violent assault leaves you disoriented, traumatized and bewildered. You are aggressively thrown into a van, and taken away to a location which only upon arrival do you realize you are being detained and judged as an enemy of the State. Having lived peacefully and lawfully, having held a job, having begun the process that leads toward citizenship, you are now, with no due process of law cast into a hole, not allowed to call your family, your lawyer, or a friend. You are disappeared and have become subject to the lawless immorality that is readily, purposely and cruelly eradicating the customs, traditions and way of life that once made our nation a beacon of hope and light to all the nations.
What can we the people do about this immoral and egregious practice that is bringing shame to our beloved country? The Des Moines Indivisible Citizens Movement, those who organize democracy rallies at Big Catch Plaza, are joining up with a larger King County grass roots movement called The Whistle Warriors to develop and distribute whistles throughout our community. Our mission is to empower immigrant families and community residents with a simple, effective, community-supported tool for rapid alert, ensuring community safety and promoting neighbor to neighbor solidarity during times of ICE raids.
We encourage all citizens who witness these types of assaults to film the event, and to blow the whistle attempting to draw a crowd who can collectively document as many details as possible, texting the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network (WAISN) hotline at 844-724-3737. Our goal is to hold ICE accountable to the rule of law, and to protect as best we can those who have lived amongst us as friends and neighbors. Such nonviolent actions on our part carry the promise that “we the people” are present and observing as we insist on upholding our higher community standards of justice and decency, particularly from those who act in our name.
The whistles can be picked up at the Big Catch Plaza whenever we rally for a return to democracy with its promise of liberty and justice for all.
– Rich Lang
Des Moines Indivisible
Do you have an opinion you’d like to share with our highly engaged local Readers? If so, please email your Letter to the Editor to scott@southkingmedia.com and, pending review and verification that you’re a real human being, we may publish it. Letter writers must use their full name, as well as provide an address and phone number (NOT for publication but for verification purposes). Read our full Letter to the Editor policy here.
