The black-bagged prisoner. An image seared into the collective consciousness of many growing up during the Iraq war. The torture victims at CIA black-sites became an emblem for the soulless cruelty and hypocrisy of a nation posturing as a champion for democracy and civil rights. It’s been said many times before, that the colonial tactics of dehumanization pioneered and refined abroad will eventually manifest in a police state back at home.
Fascist thugs terrorize our communities with guns and tear gas, with seeming impunity. The rights set out in the constitution meant to protect us from exactly such despotic abuses are collapsing like wet cardboard. The judicial system is compromised. The house and senate are feckless.
But while national leaders continue to evade accountability, there is hope. With a united voice, we have the power to affect change at a city and county level. ICE relies on cooperation from local departments to operate efficiently. We can call out our local representatives for their complacency or complicit engagement with forces threatening our rights to due process.
