1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:04,440 Speaker 1: It is Thursday, January twenty ninth, twenty twenty six. And 2 00:00:04,639 --> 00:00:07,879 if you're in the Twin Cities right now, you you 3 00:00:08,039 --> 00:00:09,240 know this feeling in the air. 4 00:00:09,439 --> 00:00:11,359 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, it's unmistakable. 5 00:00:11,480 --> 00:00:17,039 Speaker 1: It's that deep, bone cracking Minnesota cold, the kind that 6 00:00:17,120 --> 00:00:18,800 usually forces everyone indoors. 7 00:00:18,920 --> 00:00:21,280 Speaker 2: Right, you huddle up, you complain about the heating bill, 8 00:00:21,320 --> 00:00:22,760 and you eat for spring exactly. 9 00:00:22,800 --> 00:00:25,879 Speaker 1: But if you were to walk down say Lake Street 10 00:00:26,679 --> 00:00:29,839 or Portland Avenue in Minneapolis right now, the silence you'd 11 00:00:29,879 --> 00:00:33,000 find isn't it's not just about the winter. It's heavier. 12 00:00:33,119 --> 00:00:35,759 Speaker 2: It's so much heavier than that is the sound of 13 00:00:35,759 --> 00:00:37,479 a city holding its breath. 14 00:00:37,320 --> 00:00:38,960 Speaker 1: Holding its breath, That's a good way to put it, 15 00:00:39,079 --> 00:00:40,799 or maybe like a city under siege. 16 00:00:41,000 --> 00:00:43,000 Speaker 2: I was going to use that exact word, siege. 17 00:00:43,240 --> 00:00:46,079 Speaker 1: Okay, siege is a pretty loaded word, though. I mean, 18 00:00:46,159 --> 00:00:50,079 we're talking about a major American metropolitan area, not a 19 00:00:50,119 --> 00:00:53,920 medieval fortress. Is that hyperbole or are we actually seeing 20 00:00:53,960 --> 00:00:56,119 something that justifies that kind of language. 21 00:00:56,159 --> 00:00:58,719 Speaker 2: I wish I were being hydrobolic, I really do, But 22 00:00:58,759 --> 00:01:00,640 we're not using that term lightly. We've been looking at 23 00:01:00,640 --> 00:01:03,119 the reports coming out of Minnesota for weeks. But yeah, 24 00:01:03,240 --> 00:01:06,120 especially focusing on the escalation. Just in the last few days, 25 00:01:06,280 --> 00:01:10,480 and the entire visual landscape of the city has fundamentally changed. 26 00:01:11,040 --> 00:01:13,280 The streets are lined not just with snowbanks, you know, 27 00:01:13,400 --> 00:01:18,000 but with these unmarked SUVs everywhere. Everywhere. You have men 28 00:01:18,079 --> 00:01:22,400 in heavy tactical gear, full face masks, carrying military great rifles, 29 00:01:22,719 --> 00:01:25,719 just standing on corners where people usually wait for the 30 00:01:25,719 --> 00:01:26,719 Metro transit bus. 31 00:01:26,760 --> 00:01:28,920 Speaker 1: And right in the middle of all that hardware, all 32 00:01:28,959 --> 00:01:31,920 that gray and black tactical gear against the white snow, 33 00:01:32,359 --> 00:01:36,200 there's a vigial growing. Right now as we speak, there 34 00:01:36,239 --> 00:01:39,280 is a gathering for Alex Prey. He was killed just 35 00:01:39,400 --> 00:01:42,840 days ago on Saturday, January twenty fourth, And looking at 36 00:01:42,840 --> 00:01:46,719 the footage from the ground, the contrast is it's just jarring. 37 00:01:46,879 --> 00:01:49,040 Speaker 2: It's a collision of two completely different realities. 38 00:01:49,120 --> 00:01:52,959 Speaker 1: Really is. You have this raw human outpouring of grief, 39 00:01:53,040 --> 00:01:56,840 candles flickering in the wind, laminated photos, families crying, and 40 00:01:56,879 --> 00:02:00,760 it is literally surrounded by this rigid, faceless federal presence. 41 00:02:00,799 --> 00:02:02,959 Speaker 2: On one side, you have the Department of Homeland Security 42 00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:06,200 calling this Operation Metro Surge. They frame it as this 43 00:02:06,280 --> 00:02:08,120 critical mission to restore safety in. 44 00:02:08,120 --> 00:02:09,319 Speaker 1: Order and on the other side. 45 00:02:09,439 --> 00:02:13,199 Speaker 2: On the other you have local residents, business owners, city 46 00:02:13,240 --> 00:02:18,280 officials all saying this isn't safety, this is terror. 47 00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:22,000 Speaker 1: So welcome to thrilling Threads. This is the show where 48 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:24,000 we don't just read the headlines. We pull out those 49 00:02:24,039 --> 00:02:27,120 loose ends until the whole story starts to unravel. We 50 00:02:27,159 --> 00:02:28,919 are going to try to make sense of the chaos 51 00:02:28,919 --> 00:02:31,960 in the North Star State. I'm your host, and with me, 52 00:02:32,159 --> 00:02:34,919 as always, is our resident expert to help us map 53 00:02:34,960 --> 00:02:35,560 this all out. 54 00:02:35,840 --> 00:02:39,479 Speaker 2: Glad to be here, and map is exactly the right word, 55 00:02:39,599 --> 00:02:43,680 because the geography of Minneapolis has effectively been rewritten in 56 00:02:43,719 --> 00:02:46,639 the last month. We need to navigate a very messy, 57 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:48,719 very bloody timeline today we do. 58 00:02:48,840 --> 00:02:50,919 Speaker 1: Our mission today is to look at this breakdown. We're 59 00:02:50,919 --> 00:02:53,560 not just looking at what the shootings, the arrests, the 60 00:02:53,560 --> 00:02:56,439 press conferences. We are looking at the why. We're looking 61 00:02:56,479 --> 00:02:59,639 at the massive constitutional clash that's happening between the White 62 00:02:59,680 --> 00:03:02,599 House and local leaders and the human cost of all 63 00:03:02,639 --> 00:03:03,120 that friction. 64 00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:04,319 Speaker 2: We had a lot to get through. We're going to 65 00:03:04,360 --> 00:03:06,800 break down the launch of Operation Metro Search, what it 66 00:03:06,840 --> 00:03:09,360 actually is versus how it was sold to the public. 67 00:03:09,680 --> 00:03:12,120 Speaker 1: Then we'll look at the tragic deaths of Renee Good 68 00:03:12,159 --> 00:03:15,919 and Alex Pray and the wildly conflicting narratives surrounding them. 69 00:03:16,039 --> 00:03:18,879 Speaker 2: We'll also have to discuss the massive Day of Truth 70 00:03:18,919 --> 00:03:21,280 and Freedom strike that happened on the twenty third. 71 00:03:21,159 --> 00:03:24,960 Speaker 1: And finally, the legal battle, the fight over who actually 72 00:03:24,960 --> 00:03:27,199 controls the streets of an American city. 73 00:03:27,439 --> 00:03:29,080 Speaker 2: It's a huge question, it is. 74 00:03:29,520 --> 00:03:31,319 Speaker 1: So let's start at the beginning, or at least the 75 00:03:31,319 --> 00:03:35,439 beginning of this specific chapter. What exactly is Operation Metro. 76 00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:39,199 Speaker 2: Sarch Well, technically, the operation began rolling out in December 77 00:03:39,240 --> 00:03:42,599 of twenty twenty five. It's a massive initiative and it's 78 00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:44,400 led by the Department of Homeland Security. 79 00:03:44,560 --> 00:03:47,159 Speaker 1: And it's crucial to understand who is at the helm here. 80 00:03:47,319 --> 00:03:49,879 Speaker 2: Yes, Secretary Christi nom Right. 81 00:03:49,800 --> 00:03:52,719 Speaker 1: The former governor of South Dakota exactly, And. 82 00:03:52,639 --> 00:03:55,039 Speaker 2: If you followed her political career as governor, you know 83 00:03:55,120 --> 00:03:59,039 she isn't exactly known for a subtle, soft touch approach 84 00:03:59,080 --> 00:04:03,280 to policy. She built her brand on being aggressively tough 85 00:04:03,319 --> 00:04:06,759 on crime and prioritizing border security above all else. 86 00:04:06,919 --> 00:04:10,759 Speaker 1: And she's bringing that specific, very aggressive brand of enforcement 87 00:04:10,840 --> 00:04:11,599 to the DHS. 88 00:04:11,680 --> 00:04:13,199 Speaker 2: She is, it's her signature. 89 00:04:13,560 --> 00:04:16,040 Speaker 1: So what's the official line. If I'm sitting in Washington, 90 00:04:16,120 --> 00:04:18,959 DC and I read the press release, what is the 91 00:04:19,240 --> 00:04:21,439 elevator pitch for this operation? 92 00:04:22,079 --> 00:04:27,199 Speaker 2: Success? Unmitigated resounding success, that's the pitch. Okay, if you 93 00:04:27,199 --> 00:04:30,160 look at the statements coming from Secretary Nomes office, they 94 00:04:30,199 --> 00:04:32,720 frame this as a major victory for the rule of law. 95 00:04:32,959 --> 00:04:36,319 They cite thousands of arrests connected to immigration activity. 96 00:04:36,439 --> 00:04:39,360 Speaker 1: So the narrative their building is that the Twin Cities 97 00:04:39,399 --> 00:04:43,160 had become this what lawless hub of criminality. 98 00:04:42,639 --> 00:04:46,199 Speaker 2: Ecisely, and that Metro Surge is the vacuum cleaner that's 99 00:04:46,199 --> 00:04:47,439 finally sucking up the mess. 100 00:04:47,920 --> 00:04:50,079 Speaker 1: I want to zoom in on how they presented this 101 00:04:50,240 --> 00:04:53,720 success because the presentation itself, it tells us a lot 102 00:04:53,720 --> 00:04:57,000 about the mindset. We have reports describing a press conference 103 00:04:57,040 --> 00:04:59,480 at the Whipple Building. Now, for those who don't know, 104 00:04:59,480 --> 00:05:01,879 the Whipple Buil isn't just some office park. It's this 105 00:05:02,040 --> 00:05:06,079 massive federal facility at Fort Snelling. It's imposing, it's. 106 00:05:05,920 --> 00:05:09,199 Speaker 2: Designed to project power, and the visual rhetoric at that 107 00:05:09,199 --> 00:05:14,199 press conference was fascinating and frankly disturbing to a lot 108 00:05:14,240 --> 00:05:17,120 of legal experts. What do you mean you have top 109 00:05:17,240 --> 00:05:21,079 us immigration officers standing there looking very serious, flanking these 110 00:05:21,160 --> 00:05:24,199 large projection screens, and they're just clicking through a slide 111 00:05:24,279 --> 00:05:24,920 deck like a. 112 00:05:24,879 --> 00:05:27,839 Speaker 1: Corporate quarterly review, but for arresting people. 113 00:05:28,199 --> 00:05:30,439 Speaker 2: That's exactly what it felt like. And one of the 114 00:05:30,480 --> 00:05:33,040 slides was titled, or at least the presenters described it 115 00:05:33,079 --> 00:05:36,560 as the worst of the worst. These were supposed to 116 00:05:36,600 --> 00:05:38,879 be the most dangerous criminals they were rounding up. 117 00:05:39,079 --> 00:05:43,839 Speaker 1: Okay, so they're showing photos of known terrorists, convicted murderers. 118 00:05:44,600 --> 00:05:46,040 What are we seeing on the screen? 119 00:05:46,399 --> 00:05:49,040 Speaker 2: That's the implication, right that these are the people you 120 00:05:49,079 --> 00:05:51,720 should be terrified of. But here's the thing about the 121 00:05:51,720 --> 00:05:55,639 photos they showed. What's that They showed faces mugshots. Effectively, 122 00:05:56,000 --> 00:05:58,199 they listed the country of our origin next to each 123 00:05:58,240 --> 00:06:01,639 face they listed in the late defense, but there was 124 00:06:01,680 --> 00:06:02,920 one glaring omission. 125 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:03,959 Speaker 1: Let me guess, go ahead. 126 00:06:04,319 --> 00:06:07,120 Speaker 2: Names There were no names, dingo, no name, no names, 127 00:06:07,399 --> 00:06:11,199 just face from cutry x accused of Why correct. 128 00:06:11,079 --> 00:06:14,079 Speaker 1: Just a face, a nationality, and a crime. Okay, let's 129 00:06:14,160 --> 00:06:17,839 uttack that. Why does that specific detail stick out to us? 130 00:06:18,279 --> 00:06:21,720 I mean, on the surface, maybe they're protecting privacy or 131 00:06:21,759 --> 00:06:23,079 is it something more calculated. 132 00:06:23,160 --> 00:06:27,040 Speaker 2: I think it's something more. In a democratic legal system, 133 00:06:27,720 --> 00:06:31,319 justice is inherently individual. You arrest John Doe for a 134 00:06:31,360 --> 00:06:33,839 specific crime he is alleged to have committed. You don't 135 00:06:33,920 --> 00:06:35,079 arrest an archetype. 136 00:06:35,279 --> 00:06:35,560 Speaker 1: Right. 137 00:06:35,720 --> 00:06:38,879 Speaker 2: When you present a rogues gallery of anonymous faces, you 138 00:06:38,920 --> 00:06:42,759 aren't accusing a specific person. You are creating a generalized 139 00:06:42,800 --> 00:06:46,519 image of the threat. It strips the humanity and the 140 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:48,680 legal identity from the people on the screen. 141 00:06:48,879 --> 00:06:51,680 Speaker 1: It feels like it's designed to create suspicion of a 142 00:06:51,720 --> 00:06:54,800 type of person rather than a specific criminal. 143 00:06:54,959 --> 00:06:57,319 Speaker 2: It absolutely is. It tells the public don't worry about 144 00:06:57,319 --> 00:06:59,519 who they are, don't worry about their stories or their families. 145 00:06:59,560 --> 00:07:01,319 Just know they look like this, They come from there, 146 00:07:01,519 --> 00:07:05,560 and they are bad. It creates a narrative of faceless criminals. 147 00:07:05,120 --> 00:07:07,240 Speaker 1: And from a community trust perspective, that has to be 148 00:07:07,279 --> 00:07:08,240 a disaster. 149 00:07:07,959 --> 00:07:11,160 Speaker 2: A complete disaster. How do you say to a skeptical community, 150 00:07:11,319 --> 00:07:14,360 many of whom are immigrants or refugees themselves, trust us, 151 00:07:14,600 --> 00:07:17,160 we are only getting the bad guys. When you won't 152 00:07:17,160 --> 00:07:18,079 even say who the bad. 153 00:07:17,959 --> 00:07:20,480 Speaker 1: Guys are, You're just showing pictures of people who might 154 00:07:20,480 --> 00:07:23,959 look like their neighbors, their cousins, or even themselves. Exactly, 155 00:07:24,079 --> 00:07:27,519 and that leads us directly to the reality on the ground, 156 00:07:28,399 --> 00:07:31,319 because the success on the power point slides inside the 157 00:07:31,360 --> 00:07:34,240 Whipple Building does not match the feeling on Lake. 158 00:07:34,079 --> 00:07:35,360 Speaker 2: Street, not even close. 159 00:07:35,480 --> 00:07:37,680 Speaker 1: We need to talk about the sheer scale of this. Yeah, 160 00:07:37,720 --> 00:07:40,519 you mentioned a number earlier that just blew my mind. 161 00:07:40,360 --> 00:07:43,120 Speaker 2: The ratio. This is the one statistic that really defines 162 00:07:43,160 --> 00:07:46,319 the current moment in Minneapolis. We are looking at a 163 00:07:46,360 --> 00:07:50,000 deployment of roughly three thousand federal agents. 164 00:07:50,160 --> 00:07:53,800 Speaker 1: Three thousand in one mid sized American city. 165 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:56,120 Speaker 2: Let me put that in perspective for you. Please, That 166 00:07:56,199 --> 00:07:59,639 outnumbers the actual sworn officers of the Minneapolis Police Department 167 00:07:59,680 --> 00:08:00,480 by five to one. 168 00:08:00,639 --> 00:08:02,680 Speaker 1: Five to one. Wait, hold on, let's just process that. 169 00:08:02,959 --> 00:08:06,480 For every one local cop, the beat cop, who might 170 00:08:06,519 --> 00:08:09,560 know the neighborhood, who knows which bakery has the best coffee, 171 00:08:09,680 --> 00:08:12,560 who might know the shop owners by name, for every 172 00:08:12,560 --> 00:08:15,240 one of them, there are five federal agents, correct. 173 00:08:15,519 --> 00:08:15,839 Speaker 2: Five. 174 00:08:16,040 --> 00:08:18,879 Speaker 1: And these are not guys in standard blue uniforms walking 175 00:08:18,879 --> 00:08:21,040 the beat, twirling of baton right. 176 00:08:21,040 --> 00:08:24,399 Speaker 2: No, not at all. These are agents equipped for what's 177 00:08:24,399 --> 00:08:27,079 known in the field as high risk interdiction. 178 00:08:27,399 --> 00:08:30,319 Speaker 1: High risk interdiction. Translate that from me, what does that 179 00:08:30,360 --> 00:08:30,720 look like. 180 00:08:30,879 --> 00:08:33,360 Speaker 2: It means they are dressed and equipped for a raid 181 00:08:33,799 --> 00:08:39,559 twenty four to seven. We're talking unmarked SUVs with tinted windows, 182 00:08:40,039 --> 00:08:45,440 heavy body armor, ballistic helmets, long guns, military style rifles 183 00:08:45,639 --> 00:08:47,080 slung across their chests. 184 00:08:47,279 --> 00:08:51,279 Speaker 1: So the whole posture isn't community policing or keeping the peace. 185 00:08:51,559 --> 00:08:55,519 Speaker 2: The posture is crowd control and suppression. It is dominance. 186 00:08:55,879 --> 00:08:58,320 Residents we've seen quoted in reports have described it as 187 00:08:58,320 --> 00:08:59,519 a violent occupation. 188 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:01,879 Speaker 1: Trying to imagine the physics of that. Think about it. 189 00:09:01,919 --> 00:09:04,960 If you have six hundred local cops who are part 190 00:09:05,000 --> 00:09:08,279 of the community's civic structure, and then you flood the 191 00:09:08,360 --> 00:09:10,759 zone three thousand guys who don't answer to the mayor, 192 00:09:10,759 --> 00:09:12,759 who don't answer to the chief of police, and probably 193 00:09:12,799 --> 00:09:13,960 don't even know the street names. 194 00:09:14,039 --> 00:09:15,799 Speaker 2: The local police stop being the authority. 195 00:09:15,840 --> 00:09:16,840 Speaker 1: They become irrelevant. 196 00:09:17,159 --> 00:09:21,080 Speaker 2: At best, they become a liaison office, a point of contact. 197 00:09:21,440 --> 00:09:24,759 At worst, they become bystanders in their own precinct. It's 198 00:09:24,840 --> 00:09:28,240 not just that they're outnumbered, it's that the entire jurisdictional 199 00:09:28,279 --> 00:09:31,480 weight of the city has physically shifted. The people with 200 00:09:31,519 --> 00:09:33,759 the most guns and the most numbers on the street 201 00:09:33,960 --> 00:09:35,799 are not accountable to the local voters. 202 00:09:36,080 --> 00:09:39,879 Speaker 1: And that brings us to the human impact the economy 203 00:09:39,919 --> 00:09:43,240 of fear. Because you can't drop three thousand federal agents 204 00:09:43,240 --> 00:09:47,120 into a city and not break something. The whole atmosphere changes, 205 00:09:47,240 --> 00:09:49,600 it has to. We have this story from a man 206 00:09:49,679 --> 00:09:53,919 named Daniel Hernandez. He owns the Colonial Market and Restaurant right. 207 00:09:53,919 --> 00:09:56,600 Speaker 2: And Colonial Market isn't just a shop, it's a staple. 208 00:09:57,039 --> 00:09:58,879 It's a community hub on Lake Street. 209 00:09:59,039 --> 00:10:01,799 Speaker 1: But Hernandez says his business hasn't been this empty since 210 00:10:01,840 --> 00:10:03,559 the height of the pandemic lockdowns. 211 00:10:03,600 --> 00:10:06,440 Speaker 2: Think about that. Not since a global pandemic has he 212 00:10:06,480 --> 00:10:08,440 seen his business this deserted. 213 00:10:08,799 --> 00:10:10,960 Speaker 1: Now. The easy assumption, and I think this is the 214 00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:13,519 assumption the DHS would want you to make, is well, 215 00:10:13,559 --> 00:10:16,080 if people are hiding, they must be here illegally, they 216 00:10:16,159 --> 00:10:17,399 must be afraid of getting caught. 217 00:10:17,679 --> 00:10:22,559 Speaker 2: But Hernandez corrects that immediately. He says, and I'm quoting 218 00:10:22,600 --> 00:10:25,080 from a report here, No, that is not correct. 219 00:10:25,159 --> 00:10:26,039 Speaker 1: What's his reasoning? 220 00:10:26,080 --> 00:10:29,159 Speaker 2: Then he points out that the fear isn't just among 221 00:10:29,200 --> 00:10:34,399 the undocumented, it's pervasive. He says people are fearful because 222 00:10:34,799 --> 00:10:38,679 they are Latinos, being targeted by IC regardless of their 223 00:10:38,720 --> 00:10:39,600 legal status. 224 00:10:39,759 --> 00:10:43,120 Speaker 1: He mentioned, people are afraid of being snatched from the streets. 225 00:10:43,240 --> 00:10:45,720 Speaker 2: That's the exact phrasing that keeps coming up in witness statements. 226 00:10:45,799 --> 00:10:50,519 Snatched when you have unmarked cars and these aggressive tactics 227 00:10:50,559 --> 00:10:53,840 agents just jumping out of SUV's Legal residents and US 228 00:10:53,919 --> 00:10:57,559 citizens become terrified too. Of course, imagine you're a third 229 00:10:57,600 --> 00:11:00,600 generation American citizen of Latino descent. Do you want to 230 00:11:00,600 --> 00:11:02,879 be the person who has to prove your citizenship while 231 00:11:02,919 --> 00:11:05,120 staring down the barrel of a rifle held by a 232 00:11:05,159 --> 00:11:06,720 masked agent on the sidewalk. 233 00:11:06,759 --> 00:11:09,639 Speaker 1: Absolutely not. You stay home, you don't go to the market, 234 00:11:09,679 --> 00:11:10,600 you don't go out to eat. 235 00:11:10,600 --> 00:11:13,879 Speaker 2: You hunker down, and so the economy, the neighborhood freezes. 236 00:11:14,360 --> 00:11:15,759 It's an economy built on fear. 237 00:11:16,120 --> 00:11:18,519 Speaker 1: And it's not just the Latino community feeling this. We 238 00:11:18,559 --> 00:11:21,600 have specific reports about the Smali community in Minnesota, which 239 00:11:21,600 --> 00:11:23,320 is one of the largest in the country. 240 00:11:23,120 --> 00:11:24,840 Speaker 2: A very vibrant, established community. 241 00:11:24,879 --> 00:11:26,720 Speaker 1: And this has a political layer to it as well, 242 00:11:26,759 --> 00:11:27,159 doesn't it. 243 00:11:27,200 --> 00:11:30,480 Speaker 2: Oh, it certainly does. President Trump has been very vocal 244 00:11:30,759 --> 00:11:36,759 recently specifically targeting the Minnesota Somali community with rhetoric that 245 00:11:36,879 --> 00:11:40,799 many are calling xenophobic, explicitly calling for removal. 246 00:11:40,399 --> 00:11:42,440 Speaker 1: And that rhetoric it's not just happening on TV or 247 00:11:42,519 --> 00:11:45,440 at a rally. It translates directly into action on the ground. 248 00:11:45,679 --> 00:11:48,559 Speaker 2: It does. We're seeing reports from South Minneapolis and the 249 00:11:48,559 --> 00:11:53,320 Cedar Riverside neighborhood areas with vibrant Somali populations of federal 250 00:11:53,320 --> 00:11:58,559 agents in unmarked cars just circling properties. There have been 251 00:11:58,559 --> 00:12:02,399 at least five specific arrays of Somali immigrants recently that 252 00:12:02,480 --> 00:12:04,039 have really heightened tensions. 253 00:12:04,320 --> 00:12:05,440 Speaker 1: It feels targeted. 254 00:12:05,559 --> 00:12:07,399 Speaker 2: It's described as feeling very targeted. 255 00:12:07,519 --> 00:12:09,679 Speaker 1: There's a voice from that community. I want to highlight 256 00:12:10,039 --> 00:12:12,919 a resident who's been here since nineteen ninety four. They 257 00:12:13,000 --> 00:12:14,559 arrived when they were just three. 258 00:12:14,360 --> 00:12:16,600 Speaker 2: Years old, so they've known no other home. 259 00:12:16,519 --> 00:12:18,879 Speaker 1: None, and they said, this is my home and this 260 00:12:18,960 --> 00:12:20,039 has got to stop. 261 00:12:20,480 --> 00:12:23,639 Speaker 2: That's the sentiment of someone who is, for all intents 262 00:12:23,639 --> 00:12:25,879 and purposes, American. They grew up here, they went to 263 00:12:25,919 --> 00:12:29,279 school here, They probably cheer for the vikings, but suddenly 264 00:12:29,720 --> 00:12:32,919 they're being made to feel like a foreigner and invader 265 00:12:32,919 --> 00:12:33,679 in their own city. 266 00:12:33,840 --> 00:12:37,840 Speaker 1: And then there's the story of whereas Mohammed This one 267 00:12:37,879 --> 00:12:41,240 really struck me because it complicates the easy narrative, really does. 268 00:12:41,480 --> 00:12:46,720 He's a business owner, Somali American and he voted for Trump. 269 00:12:46,879 --> 00:12:49,879 Speaker 2: This is such a crucial perspective because it disrupts the 270 00:12:49,960 --> 00:12:53,320 simple binary idea that this is just left versus right, 271 00:12:53,480 --> 00:12:57,000 or Democrats versus Republicans. Right. Mohammed supported the President. He 272 00:12:57,000 --> 00:13:01,200 says he wants to make America great, but he feels 273 00:13:01,240 --> 00:13:04,799 completely betrayed and insulted by what is happening to his community. 274 00:13:04,879 --> 00:13:07,000 Speaker 1: He said, I want him to change his tongue because 275 00:13:07,000 --> 00:13:09,759 he doesn't know us. And then he makes this offer. 276 00:13:09,799 --> 00:13:12,559 He invites the president come over here, have a tea, 277 00:13:12,720 --> 00:13:13,960 and you will learn who we are. 278 00:13:14,440 --> 00:13:17,360 Speaker 2: It's a pre for humanity, isn't it. He's saying, you're 279 00:13:17,559 --> 00:13:20,600 emonizing us from a podium hundreds of miles away, But 280 00:13:20,679 --> 00:13:22,440 if you actually sat down and had tea with us, 281 00:13:22,679 --> 00:13:26,559 you'd see we're the ones building businesses, employing people, raising families. 282 00:13:26,799 --> 00:13:29,919 Speaker 1: But instead of tea, they're getting federal agents and tactical gear. 283 00:13:30,039 --> 00:13:33,159 That's the reality and the irony, and this is a 284 00:13:33,200 --> 00:13:36,039 really dark irony, is that this whole operation is supposed 285 00:13:36,039 --> 00:13:38,919 to be about public safety, that's the banner it's flying under. 286 00:13:39,120 --> 00:13:40,960 But is the city actually safer? 287 00:13:41,320 --> 00:13:44,360 Speaker 2: All the data and the anecdotal evidence we're seeing suggest 288 00:13:44,480 --> 00:13:48,360 the exact opposite. How so it's creating a catastrophic breakdown 289 00:13:48,360 --> 00:13:51,639 in public safety. We are seeing a phenomenon where residents 290 00:13:51,679 --> 00:13:53,039 are now hesitant to. 291 00:13:53,039 --> 00:13:56,559 Speaker 1: Call nine one one wait really, not just for reporting crimes, 292 00:13:56,559 --> 00:13:58,120 but for everything. 293 00:13:57,720 --> 00:14:03,279 Speaker 2: For everything, for medical emergencies or house fires, for domestic disputes. Yeah, 294 00:14:03,279 --> 00:14:05,960 because there is a deep seated fear that any interaction 295 00:14:06,039 --> 00:14:09,559 with the system, any official call for help, brings the 296 00:14:09,600 --> 00:14:10,480 Feds to your door. 297 00:14:10,759 --> 00:14:13,200 Speaker 1: That is terrifying. I mean, if my father is having 298 00:14:13,240 --> 00:14:15,720 a heart attack or my kitchen catches fire, I shouldn't 299 00:14:15,759 --> 00:14:17,759 have to weigh the risk of a family member getting 300 00:14:17,759 --> 00:14:19,559 deported before I dial nine to one one. 301 00:14:19,679 --> 00:14:21,840 Speaker 2: But that is the calculus people are being forced to 302 00:14:21,879 --> 00:14:24,559 make right now in the Twin Cities and when that happens. 303 00:14:24,799 --> 00:14:27,639 As any expert in policing will tell you, the currency 304 00:14:27,639 --> 00:14:29,720 of law enforcement is trust. 305 00:14:29,559 --> 00:14:31,200 Speaker 1: And that currency is bankrupt. 306 00:14:31,519 --> 00:14:35,399 Speaker 2: It's completely bankrupt. If the community won't talk to you, 307 00:14:35,519 --> 00:14:38,120 won't call you, and won't be a witness for you, you 308 00:14:38,000 --> 00:14:43,000 cannot solve crimes. Real emergencies go on reported the city 309 00:14:43,039 --> 00:14:47,399 becomes exponentially more dangerous for everyone, not just the immigrant communities. 310 00:14:47,480 --> 00:14:50,799 Speaker 1: So we have a frozen economy, a terrified population, and 311 00:14:50,840 --> 00:14:54,200 a breakdown of basic emergency services. You have this eerie 312 00:14:54,240 --> 00:14:57,559 silence in the shops right, people are hiding. But physics 313 00:14:57,559 --> 00:14:59,960 tells us that when you compress a population like that, 314 00:15:00,200 --> 00:15:04,000 when you trap them, pressure builds, and eventually that pressure 315 00:15:04,039 --> 00:15:05,120 finds a release valve. 316 00:15:05,240 --> 00:15:06,039 Speaker 2: It always does. 317 00:15:06,200 --> 00:15:08,879 Speaker 1: And in January, that release wasn't just a protest, it 318 00:15:08,919 --> 00:15:12,399 was gunfire. We need to look at the moment the silence. 319 00:15:12,039 --> 00:15:14,639 Speaker 2: Broke, Yes, we do. We need to place these shootings 320 00:15:14,639 --> 00:15:18,320 in the timeline because the escalation is incredibly rapid. We're 321 00:15:18,360 --> 00:15:21,519 looking at three shootings involving federal agents in just three weeks. 322 00:15:21,679 --> 00:15:24,120 Speaker 1: And just for context, because context is everything here, what 323 00:15:24,240 --> 00:15:26,600 does a normal year look like for the Minneapolis PD 324 00:15:26,679 --> 00:15:28,519 in terms of officer involved shootings. 325 00:15:28,639 --> 00:15:32,440 Speaker 2: It's a stark contrast. Last year, the Minneapolis Police Department 326 00:15:32,480 --> 00:15:36,320 recovered nine hundred illegal guns from the street, They arrested 327 00:15:36,440 --> 00:15:40,960 hundreds of violent offenders, and in that entire time, they 328 00:15:40,960 --> 00:15:42,519 did not shoot a single person. 329 00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:46,039 Speaker 1: Zero officer involves shootings. For the entire. 330 00:15:45,799 --> 00:15:49,519 Speaker 2: Department in that particular context. Yes, now, in under a 331 00:15:49,559 --> 00:15:52,799 month of this federal surge, federal agents have killed two 332 00:15:52,960 --> 00:15:55,000 citizens on the streets of Minneapolis. 333 00:15:55,120 --> 00:15:58,639 Speaker 1: Okay, that statistic alone tells a story. It speaks to 334 00:15:58,679 --> 00:16:01,320 a profound difference in the rules of engagement, or maybe 335 00:16:01,320 --> 00:16:02,399 in the mindset, a. 336 00:16:02,320 --> 00:16:04,159 Speaker 2: Different philosophy of policing entirely. 337 00:16:04,320 --> 00:16:06,960 Speaker 1: Let's talk about the first incident, Renee Good. This was 338 00:16:06,960 --> 00:16:08,000 on January seventh. 339 00:16:08,039 --> 00:16:10,840 Speaker 2: Renee Good was thirty seven years old. She was killed 340 00:16:10,879 --> 00:16:13,879 on Portland Avenue South during what was described as an 341 00:16:13,879 --> 00:16:15,519 immigration enforcement operation. 342 00:16:15,879 --> 00:16:18,799 Speaker 1: And immediately after she was killed, we saw two completely 343 00:16:18,840 --> 00:16:21,559 different movies playing out regarding what happened. What was the 344 00:16:21,600 --> 00:16:23,159 official story from the fence. 345 00:16:23,519 --> 00:16:26,120 Speaker 2: The official line from IC and the DHS was that 346 00:16:26,159 --> 00:16:30,399 the officer feared for his life, that classic phrasing. They 347 00:16:30,399 --> 00:16:33,600 said he fired defensive shots. Vice President Vance actually stepped 348 00:16:33,600 --> 00:16:34,399 into this personally. 349 00:16:34,600 --> 00:16:35,039 Speaker 1: He did. 350 00:16:35,200 --> 00:16:39,360 Speaker 2: Oh yes, he labeled her a domestic terrorist and fully 351 00:16:39,399 --> 00:16:43,320 defended the officer's actions as heroic domestic terrorist. 352 00:16:44,240 --> 00:16:47,320 Speaker 1: Let's pause on that. That is an incredibly heavy label. 353 00:16:47,639 --> 00:16:49,879 What does it mean when the Vice president of the 354 00:16:49,960 --> 00:16:53,120 United States uses that term for a civilian in a 355 00:16:53,159 --> 00:16:53,840 street encounter. 356 00:16:54,080 --> 00:16:57,679 Speaker 2: It's incredibly significant when the Vice president uses the term 357 00:16:57,799 --> 00:17:01,559 domestic terrorist. That isn't just heated. That is a legal 358 00:17:01,600 --> 00:17:05,440 and political categorization that effectively strips away the expectation of 359 00:17:05,480 --> 00:17:06,160 due process. 360 00:17:06,279 --> 00:17:07,359 Speaker 1: It changes the whole game. 361 00:17:07,480 --> 00:17:10,039 Speaker 2: It moves the conversation from the world of criminal justice, 362 00:17:10,079 --> 00:17:13,000 where you have rights, where there is a presumption of innocence, 363 00:17:13,039 --> 00:17:15,759 to the world of national security, where you can be 364 00:17:15,759 --> 00:17:18,720 treated as an enemy combatant. It's a way of signaling 365 00:17:18,759 --> 00:17:20,480 to the agents on the ground and to the public 366 00:17:20,720 --> 00:17:22,839 the old rules don't apply here. We are at war. 367 00:17:23,200 --> 00:17:25,400 Speaker 1: And did they provide any evidence to back up that 368 00:17:25,480 --> 00:17:27,079 claim that she was a terrorist? 369 00:17:27,680 --> 00:17:29,960 Speaker 2: None that has been released to the public that would 370 00:17:29,960 --> 00:17:34,559 support that specific, very serious classification. And the local rebuttal 371 00:17:34,640 --> 00:17:36,359 was immediate and furious. 372 00:17:36,839 --> 00:17:39,200 Speaker 1: This is where Mayor Jacob Fray comes in, the mayor 373 00:17:39,240 --> 00:17:42,759 of Minneapolis. He saw the video of the incident, he did. 374 00:17:43,119 --> 00:17:45,920 Speaker 2: And he did not mince words. He called the federal 375 00:17:45,960 --> 00:17:48,640 government self defense argument bull, just. 376 00:17:48,680 --> 00:17:49,519 Speaker 1: Flat out bull. 377 00:17:49,640 --> 00:17:50,359 Speaker 2: That was his word. 378 00:17:50,519 --> 00:17:53,400 Speaker 1: When you have the mayor of a major American city 379 00:17:53,440 --> 00:17:57,160 looking at video evidence and calling the vice president's narrative bull, 380 00:17:57,880 --> 00:18:00,720 you know the relationship between local and federal government has 381 00:18:00,799 --> 00:18:02,200 completely fractured. 382 00:18:02,400 --> 00:18:06,160 Speaker 2: It's broken and for the community. Renee Good wasn't a 383 00:18:06,359 --> 00:18:09,480 terrorist or a political talking point. She was a thirty 384 00:18:09,519 --> 00:18:12,000 seven year old woman left dead in the street. Her 385 00:18:12,079 --> 00:18:15,839 death personalized this crisis. It wasn't just about papers or 386 00:18:15,880 --> 00:18:18,720 policies anymore. It was about lethal force being used in 387 00:18:18,720 --> 00:18:19,519 their neighborhoods. 388 00:18:19,559 --> 00:18:21,960 Speaker 1: And that was the catalyst for the first wave of 389 00:18:22,079 --> 00:18:24,079 major protests we saw earlier in the month. 390 00:18:24,279 --> 00:18:26,759 Speaker 2: It was but sadly that wasn't the end of it. 391 00:18:27,079 --> 00:18:28,559 We have to talk about Alex Pray. 392 00:18:28,680 --> 00:18:31,880 Speaker 1: This just happened days ago, Saturday, January twenty fourth. 393 00:18:31,920 --> 00:18:34,720 Speaker 2: This one is it's incredibly volatile and the wounds are 394 00:18:34,720 --> 00:18:37,519 still very, very fresh. Alex Pray was also thirty seven. 395 00:18:37,559 --> 00:18:38,599 He was an icy U nurse. 396 00:18:38,839 --> 00:18:42,759 Speaker 1: An icy U nurse, a person whose entire job, whose 397 00:18:42,799 --> 00:18:44,599 life's work is saving lives. 398 00:18:44,960 --> 00:18:49,319 Speaker 2: Exactly Now, listen to the DHS version of events. Secretary 399 00:18:49,400 --> 00:18:52,559 Christy Nome held a pref conference and stated that Prey 400 00:18:52,599 --> 00:18:56,759 approached border patrol agents with a nine millimeters semi automatic handgun. 401 00:18:57,039 --> 00:18:59,319 Speaker 1: So they're saying he was armed armed, and. 402 00:18:59,279 --> 00:19:02,119 Speaker 2: They claim he reacted violently. They said he was there 403 00:19:02,160 --> 00:19:06,039 to inflict maximum damage. They painted a picture of an 404 00:19:06,079 --> 00:19:11,200 active shooter scenario, someone who's there specifically to kill federal agents. 405 00:19:11,279 --> 00:19:16,039 Speaker 1: Okay, that's the official line, armed, violent, looking to kill. Now, 406 00:19:16,319 --> 00:19:18,680 what are the witnesses on the street saying, Because usually 407 00:19:18,720 --> 00:19:22,319 active shooters don't have people vouching for them as innocent bystanders. 408 00:19:22,359 --> 00:19:24,559 Speaker 2: The witness accounts are a complete one to eighty. They 409 00:19:24,599 --> 00:19:27,400 are totally different. We have accounts from a witness named Javier. 410 00:19:27,880 --> 00:19:29,759 He disputes the official story entirely. 411 00:19:30,000 --> 00:19:31,079 Speaker 1: What does he say he saw? 412 00:19:31,440 --> 00:19:34,319 Speaker 2: He claims Prey was a bystander. He says Prey wasn't 413 00:19:34,319 --> 00:19:36,240 attacking anyone. He was trying to protect a woman in 414 00:19:36,240 --> 00:19:39,240 the vicinity who was being harassed or accosted by the agents. 415 00:19:39,440 --> 00:19:40,720 Speaker 1: And what about Prai's family. 416 00:19:41,119 --> 00:19:44,240 Speaker 2: His parents are, as you can imagine, devastated and furious. 417 00:19:44,759 --> 00:19:48,640 They called the official story a sickening lie. They described 418 00:19:48,680 --> 00:19:51,319 Alex as a good man who was attacked by what 419 00:19:51,359 --> 00:19:55,119 they called cowardly, icy thugs. They're pleading with the public 420 00:19:55,160 --> 00:19:56,720 to find out the truth about their son. 421 00:19:57,200 --> 00:20:00,519 Speaker 1: There's a detail from Javier's account, the witness that just 422 00:20:00,839 --> 00:20:03,720 it haunts me. He describes what happened after the shooting, 423 00:20:04,359 --> 00:20:05,920 after Alex Prey was on the ground. 424 00:20:06,079 --> 00:20:09,640 Speaker 2: Yes, this part is critical. Javier says that after the 425 00:20:09,680 --> 00:20:12,799 agents shot Prey, they turned their weapons on him, on 426 00:20:12,880 --> 00:20:15,240 the witness. On the witness, he claims they were screening 427 00:20:15,279 --> 00:20:18,119 profanities at him, get the exploitive over here, while he 428 00:20:18,200 --> 00:20:19,799 was pleading with him, trying to tell them he was 429 00:20:19,839 --> 00:20:21,559 just a bystander that he saw what happened. 430 00:20:21,680 --> 00:20:25,519 Speaker 1: Imagine that terror. You just watched a man die. You 431 00:20:25,599 --> 00:20:28,559 are a witness to a potential crime. And instead of 432 00:20:28,559 --> 00:20:31,559 being treated like a witness, someone to be interviewed, someone 433 00:20:31,599 --> 00:20:34,920 whose account is valuable, someone to be maybe comforted, you 434 00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:36,240 are treated like a combatant. 435 00:20:36,559 --> 00:20:40,519 Speaker 2: It speaks directly to the mindset of the operation. If 436 00:20:40,519 --> 00:20:44,079 you view the entire city as a battlefield, then everyone 437 00:20:44,119 --> 00:20:47,279 in it is a potential enemy combatant until proven otherwise, 438 00:20:48,079 --> 00:20:51,279 civilians are civilians anymore. They are just unconfirmed threats. 439 00:20:51,680 --> 00:20:54,240 Speaker 1: And this brings us to the war of words, the 440 00:20:54,400 --> 00:20:57,440 jurisdictional fight, because this isn't just happening on the street 441 00:20:57,440 --> 00:20:59,920 with guns, It's happening in the halls of power with 442 00:21:00,160 --> 00:21:05,200 press releases. There is a massive disconnect between Washington and Minneapolis. 443 00:21:05,319 --> 00:21:09,559 Speaker 2: It's a jurisdictional nightmare. Washington views Operation Metro Surge as 444 00:21:09,720 --> 00:21:14,079 restoring order. From their perspective, they see Minneapolis as a 445 00:21:14,119 --> 00:21:17,039 city that's out of control and needs a heavy federal 446 00:21:17,039 --> 00:21:19,640 hand to fix it. But the locals, the locals view 447 00:21:19,680 --> 00:21:22,319 the operation itself as the chaos generator. They see the 448 00:21:22,359 --> 00:21:24,240 Feds as the source of the disorder. 449 00:21:24,480 --> 00:21:26,640 Speaker 1: And caught right in the middle of this is Minneapolis 450 00:21:26,640 --> 00:21:28,000 Police Chief Brian O'Hara. 451 00:21:28,200 --> 00:21:30,920 Speaker 2: I do not envy his position one bit. Think about 452 00:21:30,920 --> 00:21:33,559 the logistics. He has to manage a city with only 453 00:21:33,640 --> 00:21:37,799 six hundred officers who are already stretched incredibly thin, and 454 00:21:38,119 --> 00:21:42,200 suddenly he has three thousand federal agents operating in his jurisdiction, 455 00:21:42,519 --> 00:21:45,519 often with blurred command structures, in different rules of engagement. 456 00:21:45,720 --> 00:21:49,519 Speaker 1: He's trying to maintain community trusts, telling people we are 457 00:21:49,519 --> 00:21:52,279 here to help, while the FEDS are effectively burning that 458 00:21:52,359 --> 00:21:53,759 trust down a block away. 459 00:21:53,880 --> 00:21:55,240 Speaker 2: It's an impossible situation. 460 00:21:55,359 --> 00:21:58,359 Speaker 1: We talked about the credibility gap earlier, but there is 461 00:21:58,519 --> 00:22:01,640 one specific story that I I think perfectly illustrates the 462 00:22:01,680 --> 00:22:04,759 gulf between what DC says is happening and what is 463 00:22:04,880 --> 00:22:08,119 actually happening. On the ground. The story of the five 464 00:22:08,200 --> 00:22:09,759 year old boy, Liam. 465 00:22:10,079 --> 00:22:12,480 Speaker 2: This is the defining example of that gap. It's just 466 00:22:12,519 --> 00:22:15,119 so stark. Let's look at the two competing claims. 467 00:22:15,200 --> 00:22:15,480 Speaker 1: Okay. 468 00:22:15,720 --> 00:22:19,240 Speaker 2: Vice President Vance, from a podium in Washington, accused the 469 00:22:19,279 --> 00:22:22,599 media of lying about an incident involving the arrest of 470 00:22:22,599 --> 00:22:25,240 a five year old. He claimed that agents went to 471 00:22:25,359 --> 00:22:29,000 arrest the illegal alien father, the father ran away, and 472 00:22:29,039 --> 00:22:31,160 the media fabricated the rest of the story to make 473 00:22:31,200 --> 00:22:31,759 them look bad. 474 00:22:31,799 --> 00:22:35,440 Speaker 1: Okay, So Vance's version is fodder. Ran media is lying. 475 00:22:35,720 --> 00:22:37,839 That's the view from the White House. What did the 476 00:22:37,839 --> 00:22:38,720 eyewitness say? 477 00:22:38,799 --> 00:22:42,400 Speaker 2: The eyewitness was City council member Rachel James. She wasn't 478 00:22:42,440 --> 00:22:45,519 watching on TV. She was physically there. She witnessed the 479 00:22:45,680 --> 00:22:47,240 entire incident with her own eyes. 480 00:22:47,400 --> 00:22:49,519 Speaker 1: And what did she see? Paint the picture for us. 481 00:22:49,839 --> 00:22:53,960 Speaker 2: She saw the child, Liam, She saw him watch masked 482 00:22:53,960 --> 00:22:57,559 agents take his father from the family's driveway. The father 483 00:22:57,599 --> 00:23:00,480 didn't run away, he was taken right there, son. 484 00:23:00,640 --> 00:23:02,240 Speaker 1: And what about Liam's reaction. 485 00:23:02,319 --> 00:23:05,680 Speaker 2: That's the part that's just heartbreaking. She said he wasn't crying, 486 00:23:05,720 --> 00:23:10,079 he wasn't screaming. He was, in her words, frozen and paralyzed. 487 00:23:10,160 --> 00:23:11,920 Speaker 1: Frozen and paralyzed. 488 00:23:11,440 --> 00:23:14,079 Speaker 2: So he looked so scared he couldn't even move, just frozen. 489 00:23:14,359 --> 00:23:17,400 Speaker 1: The credibility gaps sounds like some kind of academic term, 490 00:23:18,039 --> 00:23:20,519 but this is what it looks like in reality. It 491 00:23:20,559 --> 00:23:23,519 looks like a vice president in a suit in Washington 492 00:23:23,640 --> 00:23:26,880 telling you a man ran away, and a city councilwoman 493 00:23:27,039 --> 00:23:29,680 standing in a snowy driveway in Minneapolis looking at a 494 00:23:29,680 --> 00:23:32,640 paralyzed five year old boy, knowing the VP is lying. 495 00:23:32,759 --> 00:23:35,680 Speaker 2: That's it. Exactly that distance between the podium and the driveway, 496 00:23:35,720 --> 00:23:36,359 that's the gas. 497 00:23:36,400 --> 00:23:38,519 Speaker 1: And when the administration tells a story that is so 498 00:23:38,720 --> 00:23:42,559 directly contradicted by the lived experience of local officials and residents, 499 00:23:43,000 --> 00:23:46,640 reality itself fractures. Who do you believe the man at 500 00:23:46,640 --> 00:23:49,160 the podium in DC or the woman standing in the 501 00:23:49,200 --> 00:23:50,440 driveway in your own city. 502 00:23:50,799 --> 00:23:52,680 Speaker 2: It forces people to choose a reality. 503 00:23:52,960 --> 00:23:54,920 Speaker 1: And it seems like the courts are starting to step 504 00:23:54,960 --> 00:23:57,119 in to try and I don't know, put up some 505 00:23:57,160 --> 00:23:57,920 guardrails here. 506 00:23:58,079 --> 00:24:00,920 Speaker 2: They are trying. A federal judge rule just this past 507 00:24:00,920 --> 00:24:05,279 Friday that federal agents cannot arrest, detain, or retaliate against 508 00:24:05,319 --> 00:24:06,279 peaceful protesters. 509 00:24:06,400 --> 00:24:07,519 Speaker 1: It feels huge. 510 00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:10,920 Speaker 2: It is significant legally speaking, it affirms that the First 511 00:24:10,960 --> 00:24:14,960 Amendment still applies even during a searge. It's the judiciary 512 00:24:14,960 --> 00:24:18,599 branch saying you can enforce immigration law, but you cannot 513 00:24:18,680 --> 00:24:22,200 enforce silence. You cannot stop people from protesting your actions. 514 00:24:22,240 --> 00:24:25,680 Speaker 1: But politically, the fight is just ramping up, isn't it. Oh? 515 00:24:25,720 --> 00:24:29,079 Speaker 2: Absolutely, the President is now calling on Congress to ban 516 00:24:29,440 --> 00:24:32,920 sanctuary cities entirely. He wants to pass a federal law 517 00:24:33,039 --> 00:24:35,440 that would override any local ordinances. 518 00:24:35,720 --> 00:24:39,640 Speaker 1: So Minnesota is basically the test case, the proof of concept. 519 00:24:39,680 --> 00:24:43,279 Speaker 2: Precisely, Minnesota is the laboratory. If the federal government can 520 00:24:43,319 --> 00:24:47,079 successfully override local jurisdiction here, if they can normalize this 521 00:24:47,200 --> 00:24:49,799 level of federal presence in an American city year, it 522 00:24:49,839 --> 00:24:53,240 sets the precedent for every other major city in America. 523 00:24:52,720 --> 00:24:55,079 Speaker 1: Which explains why the resistance on the ground has been 524 00:24:55,119 --> 00:24:57,799 so intense. We aren't just talking about a few dozen 525 00:24:57,839 --> 00:24:59,279 people holding signs anymore. 526 00:24:59,440 --> 00:25:02,200 Speaker 2: No, we are talking about a general strike. 527 00:25:02,799 --> 00:25:06,799 Speaker 1: January twenty third, twenty twenty six, the Day of Truth 528 00:25:06,839 --> 00:25:07,359 and Freedom. 529 00:25:07,480 --> 00:25:08,519 Speaker 2: It is a powerful name. 530 00:25:08,640 --> 00:25:11,359 Speaker 1: It sounds momentous, like something you'd read about in a 531 00:25:11,400 --> 00:25:11,920 history book. 532 00:25:12,000 --> 00:25:14,640 Speaker 2: I think it was momentous. The call to action was 533 00:25:14,680 --> 00:25:18,440 for an economic blackout, a city wide refusal to work, 534 00:25:18,720 --> 00:25:21,519 a refusal to shop, a refusal to go to school. 535 00:25:21,559 --> 00:25:23,680 Speaker 1: And did people answer the call? Did they show up 536 00:25:23,920 --> 00:25:25,079 or rather did they stay home? 537 00:25:25,200 --> 00:25:27,920 Speaker 2: Tens of thousands participated by all accounts. It was one 538 00:25:27,960 --> 00:25:31,319 of the largest coordinated actions in recent Minnesota history. And 539 00:25:31,400 --> 00:25:34,079 what's crucial to understand is who participated. 540 00:25:34,160 --> 00:25:35,640 Speaker 1: It wasn't just the usual suspects. 541 00:25:35,720 --> 00:25:38,599 Speaker 2: No, this wasn't just you know, activists or professional protesters. 542 00:25:38,920 --> 00:25:41,920 This was teachers who were deeply concerned for their students 543 00:25:41,920 --> 00:25:44,680 and their families. It was union workers, it was small 544 00:25:44,720 --> 00:25:47,000 business owners, it was entire families. 545 00:25:47,160 --> 00:25:49,319 Speaker 1: There's a quote from a teacher that really stuck with me. 546 00:25:49,720 --> 00:25:52,279 She was talking about how she couldn't, in good conscience 547 00:25:52,319 --> 00:25:55,000 teach civics while her students' parents were being smatched off 548 00:25:55,000 --> 00:25:58,720 the street. For them, it wasn't political, it was protective. 549 00:25:59,279 --> 00:26:03,519 Speaker 2: The message of the strike was very carefully and deliberately calibrated. 550 00:26:04,160 --> 00:26:07,279 They framed it as a choice between love and care 551 00:26:07,559 --> 00:26:11,640 on one side, versus hate and violence on the other. 552 00:26:11,920 --> 00:26:14,839 Speaker 1: That contrast is just so sharp. On one side, you 553 00:26:14,920 --> 00:26:18,839 have the federal narrative of forced tear gas, metal canisters, 554 00:26:19,279 --> 00:26:21,599 massed men, military grade weapons. 555 00:26:21,640 --> 00:26:23,519 Speaker 2: And on the other you have reports of people in 556 00:26:23,640 --> 00:26:27,279 church basements packing care packages for families who are afraid 557 00:26:27,319 --> 00:26:28,200 to leave their homes. 558 00:26:28,359 --> 00:26:30,759 Speaker 1: Right we have reports from a reporter on the ground 559 00:26:30,759 --> 00:26:34,480 Atisha describing the scene at the protests, metal tear gas 560 00:26:34,519 --> 00:26:37,720 canisters littering the ground, protesters chanting get out pigs and 561 00:26:37,839 --> 00:26:40,559 get out ice. But at the same time you have 562 00:26:40,640 --> 00:26:45,319 this deep grassroots community organization happening, neighbors feeding neighbors. 563 00:26:45,359 --> 00:26:47,200 Speaker 2: It creates this powerful juxtaposition. 564 00:26:47,440 --> 00:26:50,519 Speaker 1: It's the power of silence. In a way, the strike 565 00:26:50,640 --> 00:26:55,480 wasn't about shouting. It was about absence, empty shops, empty schools, 566 00:26:55,839 --> 00:26:58,920 empty buses. It's a way of saying, this city doesn't 567 00:26:59,000 --> 00:27:01,559 run without us. You can occupy our streets, but you 568 00:27:01,599 --> 00:27:02,759 can't make our city function. 569 00:27:03,000 --> 00:27:06,440 Speaker 2: Exactly. You can patrol an empty street, but you cannot 570 00:27:06,519 --> 00:27:10,200 force a community to transact, to engage, to participate. It's 571 00:27:10,240 --> 00:27:14,880 a powerful assertion of local power against overwhelming federal force. 572 00:27:15,279 --> 00:27:18,400 It's the citizenry saying we are the city, not the buildings, 573 00:27:18,480 --> 00:27:20,079 not the roads, but us. 574 00:27:20,680 --> 00:27:22,720 Speaker 1: So where does this leave us? We're nearing the end 575 00:27:22,720 --> 00:27:24,880 of our time, and we really need to look at 576 00:27:24,920 --> 00:27:27,519 the so what of all of this? What are the 577 00:27:27,599 --> 00:27:29,200 long term implications here? 578 00:27:29,400 --> 00:27:31,799 Speaker 2: I think the so wet is that we are witnessing 579 00:27:31,799 --> 00:27:33,640 a fundamental crisis of legitimacy. 580 00:27:33,960 --> 00:27:35,480 Speaker 1: Unpack that for me. What does that mean? 581 00:27:35,559 --> 00:27:37,559 Speaker 2: When the mayor of your city says the federal government's 582 00:27:37,599 --> 00:27:41,000 explanation for a killing is bull When the vice president 583 00:27:41,000 --> 00:27:43,880 of your country calls a dead citizen a terrorist without 584 00:27:43,880 --> 00:27:47,279 providing any public evidence, When your local police chief can 585 00:27:47,359 --> 00:27:50,599 actually command the streets because federal agents outnumber his own 586 00:27:50,640 --> 00:27:52,079 officers five to one. 587 00:27:52,160 --> 00:27:53,920 Speaker 1: There's no shared reality anymore. 588 00:27:54,039 --> 00:27:56,000 Speaker 2: There is no shared reality. It's like we're living in 589 00:27:56,039 --> 00:27:58,880 two different countries that are occupying the same map. 590 00:27:59,039 --> 00:28:01,599 Speaker 1: And Tom Hman, who was mentioned in some of the 591 00:28:01,680 --> 00:28:04,640 reports we analyzed, he noted that this isn't just a 592 00:28:04,680 --> 00:28:07,240 local flare up. He called it a national flashpoint. 593 00:28:07,319 --> 00:28:10,079 Speaker 2: He's absolutely right. This is not just about Minneapolis. 594 00:28:10,200 --> 00:28:14,039 Speaker 1: Because if Operation Metro Surge is ultimately deemed a success 595 00:28:14,119 --> 00:28:17,039 by DHS, if they can just point to the arrest 596 00:28:17,119 --> 00:28:20,119 numbers and ignore the dead bodies and the frozen economy 597 00:28:20,160 --> 00:28:21,960 and the terrorized children. 598 00:28:21,680 --> 00:28:25,200 Speaker 2: Then this model gets exported. It moves three thousand agents, 599 00:28:25,880 --> 00:28:30,359 unmarked cars, overruling the local police. This could be coming 600 00:28:30,400 --> 00:28:33,680 to Chicago, to New York, to Los Angeles, to any 601 00:28:33,680 --> 00:28:36,359 city that the administration deems out of order. 602 00:28:36,759 --> 00:28:40,079 Speaker 1: It's a template that is a truly chilling thought. But 603 00:28:40,119 --> 00:28:42,680 I also keep thinking about the psychological toll on the 604 00:28:42,680 --> 00:28:44,759 people who are living through this. Right now. What does 605 00:28:44,799 --> 00:28:46,400 this do to the psyche of a city. 606 00:28:46,519 --> 00:28:48,759 Speaker 2: It's immense. But there was a quote from a young 607 00:28:48,799 --> 00:28:51,599 man's father that I think defines the spirit of the 608 00:28:51,680 --> 00:28:54,599 resistance that's emerging. He told his son something I can't 609 00:28:54,599 --> 00:28:55,400 get out of my head. 610 00:28:55,480 --> 00:28:56,000 Speaker 1: What was it? 611 00:28:56,160 --> 00:28:58,960 Speaker 2: He told his son, never be scared of a person 612 00:28:59,000 --> 00:29:00,119 that bleeds as much as you do. 613 00:29:00,519 --> 00:29:02,920 Speaker 1: Wow, never be scared of a person that bleeds as 614 00:29:03,000 --> 00:29:03,599 much as you do. 615 00:29:03,759 --> 00:29:07,079 Speaker 2: That is the sound of a community hardening. The intention 616 00:29:07,160 --> 00:29:10,000 of these shock and awe tactics is usually to force submission, 617 00:29:10,319 --> 00:29:12,599 to make people keep their heads down and stay quiet, 618 00:29:13,200 --> 00:29:15,960 But in Minnesota it seems to be having the opposite effect. 619 00:29:16,039 --> 00:29:17,440 Speaker 1: It's breeding defiance. 620 00:29:17,640 --> 00:29:20,680 Speaker 2: It is it's creating a general strike mentality where people 621 00:29:20,720 --> 00:29:23,240 are realizing they have to rely on each other, on 622 00:29:23,279 --> 00:29:26,920 their own community because the state, at least the federal 623 00:29:26,920 --> 00:29:29,799 state is no longer their protector. In fact, it's become 624 00:29:29,839 --> 00:29:30,279 the threat. 625 00:29:30,440 --> 00:29:32,559 Speaker 1: It reminds me of that old idea. You can't really 626 00:29:32,599 --> 00:29:36,000 police a community that doesn't want you there, not forever, not. 627 00:29:36,039 --> 00:29:39,400 Speaker 2: Without it becoming a permanent military occupation. And that is 628 00:29:39,519 --> 00:29:41,759 not what an American democracy is supposed to look like. 629 00:29:41,880 --> 00:29:45,720 Speaker 1: So here we are Thursday, January twenty ninth, a city occupied, 630 00:29:46,000 --> 00:29:48,599 two of its citizens dead in a matter of weeks, 631 00:29:48,920 --> 00:29:52,640 a massive general strike, and a complete and total breakdown 632 00:29:52,640 --> 00:29:53,559 of trust. 633 00:29:53,559 --> 00:29:56,279 Speaker 2: And the central conflict. It really just comes down to 634 00:29:56,319 --> 00:30:00,359 two words, safety versus terror. The DHS claim what they 635 00:30:00,359 --> 00:30:03,599 are doing is creating safety. The residence on the ground 636 00:30:03,759 --> 00:30:06,039 claim what they are experiencing is terror. 637 00:30:06,160 --> 00:30:07,960 Speaker 1: And that leads us to the question we want to 638 00:30:08,000 --> 00:30:09,480 leave with all of you today. We've laid out the 639 00:30:09,480 --> 00:30:12,720 two realities coexisting in Minnesota right now. You have the 640 00:30:12,759 --> 00:30:17,240 federal narrative of Metro surge stopping criminals, protecting the homeland, 641 00:30:17,519 --> 00:30:19,880 and then you have the local reality. We've unraveled here 642 00:30:19,920 --> 00:30:23,440 on thrilling threads, a story of fear, of frozen children, 643 00:30:23,720 --> 00:30:27,799 of dead nurses, and a silence that absolutely screams. 644 00:30:27,440 --> 00:30:28,920 Speaker 2: The questions about the price tag? 645 00:30:29,039 --> 00:30:32,480 Speaker 1: What is the cost exactly? If the price of securing 646 00:30:32,519 --> 00:30:35,279 the border or restoring order is turning an American city 647 00:30:35,319 --> 00:30:37,960 into a battlefield. If the price is a place where 648 00:30:38,039 --> 00:30:40,119 nine to one one calls go unmade because people are 649 00:30:40,119 --> 00:30:42,400 too scared to pick up the phone. If the price 650 00:30:42,480 --> 00:30:45,279 is that local police are overruled and outnumbered by federal 651 00:30:45,319 --> 00:30:48,640 agents and unmarked cars. Is that a price you personally 652 00:30:48,720 --> 00:30:50,079 are willing to pay, or is the. 653 00:30:50,119 --> 00:30:53,279 Speaker 2: Very definition of safety being rewritten right before our eyes. 654 00:30:53,960 --> 00:30:56,079 Speaker 1: We want to know where you stand. This isn't just 655 00:30:56,079 --> 00:30:58,839 some rhetorical exercise. This is happening right now a few 656 00:30:58,839 --> 00:31:01,400 hours drive or short flight away from wherever you are. 657 00:31:02,039 --> 00:31:04,720 Leave a comment, let us know what you think, because 658 00:31:04,759 --> 00:31:07,519 the threads we pulled today are fraying, and we all 659 00:31:07,559 --> 00:31:08,960 need to decide if we're going to try to weave 660 00:31:09,000 --> 00:31:11,359 them back together or just let them snap. Well said, 661 00:31:11,519 --> 00:31:15,960 stay curious, stay safe, and keep pulling at the threts. 662 00:31:16,000 --> 00:31:16,759 We'll see you next time.