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I cannot overemphasize how incredibly dangerous this is, and how many people will be hurt or killed as a result. This cannot, cannot happen. https://www.newsweek.com/ice-launching-citizens-academy-course-how-agency-arrests-immigrants-1516656
I'm going to share a story I had absolutely no intention of sharing with anyone except a very small number of friends. A big CW for racism.
Two days ago I was running errands, going for a short walk, picking flowers. It's been weeks since I've been to a store and I'm missing some small odds and ends, so I decided to pick some things up to tide me over to next month.
While I was in the store a white man came in and stood very close to me, unmasked, as I was pulling some things off a shelf. He was close enough that I could smell his breath. I asked him politely if he could move back about six feet.
He began screaming that this isn't my country, it's his country, and people like me should "go back where I came from."
This isn't unique. This has happened to me several times since quarantine started (interestingly, mostly from white women wearing expensive athleisure wear).
This isn't unique. This has happened to me several times since quarantine started (interestingly, mostly from white women wearing expensive athleisure wear).
In the time it took for the store owner to get to me, the man pinned me against the shelf with his hands on either side of my shoulders, his face red and sweaty and inches from mine.
As a result, I'm in strict quarantine for the next several days so I can allow the potential incubation period to pass and get an accurate test.
You have to understand that in the scope of what could have happened this is me getting out of the situation relatively lightly.
You have to understand that in the scope of what could have happened this is me getting out of the situation relatively lightly.
I want you to imagine what someone like that could have done to me if he had the government's blessing to do a citizen's arrest.
To be very clear, I'm a US citizen with every supposed right that affords me. But do you think this man would stop, if he had the authority of ICE to "detain" me (whatever the fuck that looks like here) to hear that I was born in the States and have the same citizenship he does?
And, even if I were an immigrant, do any of you have think that man or anyone else, including government authorities, has any moral right to treat anyone this way?
This is what I mean when I say immigrant rights are human rights. This is what I mean when I saw racism and white supremacy are core values of this country. And this is what I mean when I saw everyone, especially you, need to step up right now.
I want to see you doing everything in your power, and maybe some after that, to make sure this does not come to pass.
I don't want reassurances. I don't want condolences. I don't want to hear "I'm sorry that happened to you." I appreciate it if you've offered them, and if you are feeling pain on my behalf right now. Save that energy to drive you toward concrete, tangible action.
(There are a lot of typos in this thread. I'm upset. Sorry if that bothers you.)
When I say act now, I hope every single person liking, RTing, or replying to any part of this thread does everything outlined in this link as a FIRST step: https://twitter.com/ifcla/status/1280280631663099905
