Sunshine, Solidarity & 280 Strong

From food donations to whistle alerts, we showed up.

An update from Judith:

Saturday the sun was out, and so were 280 of us.

We had a few people in amazing costumes, including a pink axolotl and the Cartman character from South Park.

Several people took Trump’s “quiet, piggy” comment and ran with it, wearing pig noses or carrying great signs referring to Trump’s comment to a female reporter.

Doug Chapin passed along the results of our food drives on Saturday:

• 322 pounds of food at Waconia,

• 1,381 pounds at Chaska, plus $460, and

• Bountiful Baskets were especially happy to see the diapers and feminine hygiene products because they literally had none until our donations were delivered.

Form a Crowd. Stay Loud.

Andie and I passed out whistles to everyone. Here are the directions for what to do and how to use them:

On the streets, whistles guide people to:

• Follow ICE caravans

• Catch up with the crowd

• Alert neighbors to join in

Noise = Visibility.

This works because whistles are loud, recognizable, and impossible to ignore. They serve as an instant alert system. Blowing a whistle is faster than posting on social media. Whistle transforms silence into community action.

Wear your whistle around your neck when out in public. Teach family, friends and neighbors the different types of whistles (below).

Use them when ICE is spotted. Always protect one another.

Types of Whistles

There are two different types of whistles you need to remember.

ICE Nearby

Blow a series of three sharp whistle blasts: - - -, - - -, - - -. This alerts the community that ICE agents are in the area.

ICE Is Detaining Someone

Blow a long, unbroken, continuous blast: ———————————-, ———————————-. This alerts the community that ICE is detaining someone.

• Form a crowd

• Stay loud

• Stay nonviolent

• Don’t stay silent

Your Stories

Last week, David shared Monique’s story about testifying before the Carver County Board of Commissioners.

We plan to continue to introduce you to your fellow protesters and our amazing volunteer staff with photos and a short note about why they attend the protest.

I love talking to all of you, and everyone has their own reason for showing up week after week. We want to share those stories and hope it helps you get to know more of the people standing with you in line.

There is a lot happening this week. The national economic blackout starts on November 25 and runs through December 2. Money talks, and not spending money is causing businesses to change their practices. During this time, shop local or do not shop at all.

Winter Rallies

Some people have asked me whether we will continue during winter. The answer is a resounding YES.

Because ICE is not stopping. Because the regime is not stopping. Because our Constitution is under attack, and every day Trump continues to dismantle the USA piece by piece. So we are not stopping.

Our protests are one hour long, and we all know how to layer clothes. We will continue to provide hot cocoa and coffee and show up.

If there is an ice storm or blizzard, of course I will call things off and we will send out an extra notice to announce it. On those days, I hope you make calls, write letters, or simply recharge, because the fight goes on.

I hope you all have a good holiday with friends and family. I will see you Saturday!