“What we’ve got here is failure to communicate”
I’m not sure I wrote this as I would like and I apologize for the length, but tonight I am sad. I’m sad because our country is at a point where we have lost trust in our government and the officials entrusted to serve and protect and defend us. It has further pushed the divides where we cannot have a dialogue; it has pushed the divides where there are those on “both sides” who use the moment to not solve the problems we must, but rather use it to inflame the tensions and where no room exists for discussion but only “fuck xxxx”. In the absence of dialogue…in the absence of honesty and transparency…we are instead left with physical force which seems to be the only lever by which the government (and some citizens) act.
I say this after having been at the events that unfolded tonight in Bend, Oregon. What transpired today — from what I understand in both being there and second hand information — is that two ICE buses (see pictures) came into town and detained two individuals who evidently had warrants (unknown as to what) for their arrests. The local community responded and the buses were blocked from leaving. More citizens, community members, and City of Bend, Oregon Government leaders arrived to express their outrage of, once again, our Federal Government tearing families apart. It culminated this evening with Federal Border Patrol officers arriving in full riot and tactical gear.
Here’s my net (without fully digesting from this evening’s events):
1. We are already in a situation broadly where we have all seen ICE rip families apart, detain children, commit horrific acts in the name of enforcing immigration. Moreover, the current administration is doing whatever it can to denigrate immigrants and make it harder for legal immigration. Add to this, our immigration system is broken and has been broken for some time through multiple administrations. Even more pointedly, our legal immigration system is broken and this administration and Congress show no signs nor aptitude to fix it, but instead are inflicting cruelty in making it worse. And instead we’ve put bandaids on it and created an agency and a agency culture where everything looks like a nail via military-type force.
2. We have no transparency and no honesty (see above) as to why an individual is being taken; what is their crime; what have they done; how long have they been here; what have they contributed to this country. Instead we have a force that takes them off the streets, separates them from their families, and says trust us…they’re a criminal and we need to remove them. And we, rightly so, assume the worst.
3. Around this we have created the border and immigration industrial complex (that is a post that Chris Van Dyke can lend a hand to separately).
4. At the same time, trust is eroded in local law enforcement. In part because people seem afraid (and they don’t know how) to sit down and talk and instead view each other through the lens of “them” / “the enemy” or paint everything with a broad brush instead of examining each situation through the nuanced lens that it is. This them vs us mentality was palpable tonight and I saw fear and uncertainty of what to do in the eyes of the City of Bend Police Department, in the City officials and equally of the citizens. Moreover some of the protestors were yelling slurs intended to antagonize (and perhaps they have experiences that have made it so that’s all they can see or do). The majority, however, were peaceful (see the attached picture of the woman knitting next to the ICE bus). Many I saw simply wanted to understand and get information as to the full picture as to what was happening and what to do. Local law enforcement did not have information from ICE nor did the District Attorney John Hummel…again zero transparency; zero communication; zero trust.
5. The Federal Law Enforcement officers arrived in force in riot and tactical gear with both non-lethal and lethal rounds. They made a statement on the loudspeaker that they were there for a medical emergency of an individual on the bus, however, local officials were not aware of any such medical emergency and stated “that’s a lie”. Meanwhile, the officers that went through the crowd had their own fear and it was clear and present. There’s plenty I want to say as to how can you work for an agency that intimidates; that rips families apart; that violates everything I believe the “shining city on the hill” should stand for. But it’s also nuanced and we can’t paint everything and everyone with a broad brush stroke the way the media and social media would like us to.
How did we get to a place where we immediately send in “troops” and we don’t communicate; we don’t talk openly? Perhaps I am naive (and I’d rather die naive than a cynic), but we have to be better. We have to be decent and not tolerate us moving to our corners in our communities. What could and should have happened was that the new Bend Police Chief and our elected officials should have sat down in a cohesive and joint dialogue with the citizens and when Federal Law Enforcement arrived, served as the mediators and facilitators to address the situation and to ensure that honest and transparent information was provided and the appropriate due processes adhered to. If that meant an escalation occurred between our local law enforcement, government officials and the Federal officials so be it, but we have to act cohesively in our community.
I am of the mindset that people want honesty; they want open communication; and if there’s bad news, deliver it candidly and empathetically, but deliver it. I am of the mindset we all generally want the same thing; we want good lives for our kids; good health and happiness. It’s what this country was founded on and it’s why so many have tried to come here from all around the world. It’s what makes us who we are. Now, however, we are missing the dialogue that is needed at so many levels and instead everything looks like a nail. It’s our job to change that and do things differently…
PS: how have we come to a time where a Federal Surveillance aircraft (see attached pictures) was over the skies of Bend Oregon? It’s a facetious question because we’ve been on this path for a long time in the “militarization” of everything in ‘Merica. As Bob Gates outlines in his new book, our strength is not just through our hard power, but more so in our soft power we have for so long neglected and denigrated.
