It’s hard to imagine a bigger or more damaging situation than what Minnesotans went through this year with Operation Metro Surge.
But Minnesotans showed up for one another during the heightened chaos of the winter — and again on Thursday, May 28, during a special live event.
That night, Sahan Journal and Mixed Blood Theatre co-hosted, “I Got Your Back,” a live community storytelling event. The program featured performances of short narrative by local playwrights, commissioned by Mixed Blood Theatre. And it included a panel with community advocates discussing ways that folks can deepen their community engagement and connections for the future.
This was the first event in a new collaboration between Sahan Journal and Mixed Blood Theatre. For decades, Mixed Blood has staged productions that start conversations about complex topics and build community on the West Bank.
The conversation centered on Operation Metro Surge: the federal immigration-enforcement action that inflicted family separations and losses for workers and businesses.
To address those difficulties, Minnesotans formed new connections and collaborations through food drop-off, rideshares, group chats, GoFundMe’s and more.
The spirit of that togetherness is what sparked the night’s theme of community networks.
Monologues reflect on the scope of Operation Metro Surge
To set the stage, Mixed Blood commissioned original monologues from local playwrights to take us back in time to the tensest moments of Operation Metro Surge.
“You’re a Lover Not a Fighter,” written by John Heinbeck and performed by Alec Berchem, evoked the day-to-day lives of constitutional observers.
Minnesota actor Mik Alan Motta started her reading of “Mayday People” with an invocation: “Justice can’t bring back the dead.” Here, playwright Elle Thoni reflected on the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
Do you remember talking about ice in Minnesota before the ICE surge this year?
The final performance of the show, “Minnesotans Know” by Carson Kreitzer, took the audience back to all those Minnesota winters when we used salt – not human protesters – to clear the ice off our sidewalks. Actor Joy Dolo drew from that irony: “Minnesotans know how to deal with dangerous ice. On our front steps, our sidewalks, our streets. It takes salt and grit.”
A time for reflection
After the performances, audience members spent time reflecting in small group discussions. They wrote and then talked about their experiences during the chaos of the surge and what they hoped to carry forward from that time.
During the group shareback, many people discussed a sense of togetherness; others talked about feeling new levels of support.
Preparing community for what comes next
After that activity, community leaders discussed ways they built community networks during the surge – and how they’re preparing for whatever lies ahead.
Fahad Mahamud, operations lead at the Cedar Riverside Protection Alliance, spoke about the ways the alliance responded to community needs during the surge.
“We set up four-hour shifts and everybody basically chose an hour, like a shift period, to execute patrols,” Mahamud said.
The faces of this work felt right at home in the community. The “Mamas of Cedar,” for example, brought “light” to the situation: The patrol group shared smiles, hugs, Somali tea and sambusas with community members.
“It reminded us of home,” said Mahamud. “Because a lot of the mothers … fled to come to this country from a civil war of dictators.”
Luis Argueta, communications director of UNIDOS MN, spoke about the formation of Monarca MN and its work to train thousands of constitutional observers in Minnesota. And he discussed what the organization is working on now.
“Democracy defense is the next step,” Argueta said.
Monarca MN has started hosting training sessions on topics such as election protection and storytelling. The group is also assisting with The Minnesota Truth Council, an independent working group established by Gov. Tim Walz to document the impacts of Operation Metro Surge and Operation PARRIS (a federal effort to reexamine the status of refugees who have already been screened for legal residency in the U.S.).
Want to hear more about ways organizations are creating a public record of ICE’s actions in Minnesota? Listen to the panel below:
See you next time!
Like those community orgs, Sahan is continuing to respond to the presence of ICE in our state and the long-term impacts of the surge. For us, that work includes stories of Minnesotans struggling with their mental health. If you are seeking wellness tips, please check out our mental health video series with Minneapolis therapist Ana Mariella Rivera.
We’re focusing on meeting in person, too. “I Got Your Back” represented the first event in our new community series with Mixed Blood Theatre. You can catch up on all the performances and the panel here.
The next event is set for September. We hope to see you then!
