Editor’s Note: Sophie Callahan graduated from PLNU in 2010 with degrees in sociology and theology. She is an ordained elder in the Church of the Nazarene and is completing her doctorate in practical theology. She serves as the director of community engagement for the Center for Faith and Justice. She lives in her hometown of Minneapolis with her husband, Jared (PLNU class of 2005), and their two children. The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of The Point.
When we head to church on Sundays, we sometimes stop at Glam Doll Donuts around the corner, at the request of my two young children. It’s on a strip affectionately called “Eat Street” for the outstanding restaurants that showcase the cultural and culinary diversity of Minneapolis.
Recently, that block became a site of death, as federal agents shot 37-year-old Alex Pretti, a Minneapolis resident, after restraining him on the ground.
I can’t tell my kids what has happened yet. I can’t bear to share any more scary news. I am lying when I tell them Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents can’t hurt us. But they see our tears and stress, and they see the concerned adults as we stand watch outside their school or drop groceries for sheltering neighbors.
Our city’s safety has been shattered by those who claim to enforce it.
People keep calling Alex a protester. He was against the presence of federal agents who have occupied our city of Minneapolis. But there was no organized protest where Alex was, nor where they killed Renée Good, just a few minutes away.
Federal agents cover our city, so our neighbors have been ready to use their rights and document their presence. We are on our streets when ICE shows up, because these aren’t targeted operations to find “the worst of the worst,” but street sweeps and paper checks operating on racial profiling. They have detained citizens, Native Americans and preschoolers, deported legally present refugees and asylum seekers, and harassed and assaulted thousands more.
Local businesses are struggling, and local law enforcement has expressed deep concerns about this militarized agenda. Many people are afraid to seek medical care, go to work, attend school or run errands.
This week, one of my neighbors tracked a license plate after witnessing an abduction from a car. When he visited the home two days later (merely wondering if his footage would be helpful), he found an 8-year-old waiting alone. These horrific stories pass through our community hourly.
You can want immigration enforcement and reform, but it doesn’t have to look like these inhumane tactics used on the ground in Minnesota. Regardless of documentation status, no person made in the image of God should be treated this way.
However, while our safety is shattered, our spirits are not.
I came to love California as a Point Loma Nazarene University student, but I have always been a Minnesotan. Truly, we are obnoxious in our state pride. When we sensed the Holy Spirit nudging our family to move back to my hometown, it was a surprise and yet felt deeply right. We never imagined this would place us on the frontlines of a resistance against authoritarian assault.
Minnesotans are hardy people. We are willing to march in sub-zero temperatures, but unwilling to let our neighbors be harmed by government agents. In light of the theatrical brutality of ICE, we are showing up with moral clarity.
Across the city, I have witnessed a Christ-like outpouring of love in ways that could fill hundreds of sermons. Small, tiny, faithful acts — mustard seeds, if you will — are keeping our neighbors alive. People are drawing on every skill, from storytelling to legal support, spreadsheet making, prayer circles, prenatal care, carpooling, sewing diapers, fundraising and songwriting in response to the needs of the most vulnerable.
We are living out Matthew 25 in tangible ways, by offering our meager loaves and fishes and seeing God multiply them. Yet this beautiful surge of neighborism is, regretfully, all in response to a manufactured crisis causing immense trauma.
While Minnesota is at the center right now, each of us can be faithful where God has placed us. San Diego is a border town. Immigrants are woven into the fabric of your beautiful city. If you want to stand in solidarity with Minneapolis, get to know your neighbors. Learn your rights. Sign up for rapid response networks. Talk to your church about their preparedness plan. Watch the movement in Minneapolis and be ready to courageously show up as faithful witnesses of God’s abiding love for all our neighbors.
To support the people of Minnesota, follow @minnesota_neighbors on Instagram, started by Claire Spence, my sister and 2017 PLNU alumna, for donation opportunities.
