Chicago Fights Back Fascism
Women showing up to a rally inspired by Margaret Atwood’s novel "The Handmaid's Tale,” against immigration enforcement in Chicago, Illinois.
The shrieks of young children, hugging their moms, pleading while being mercilessly dragged by ICE agents, haunt me.
Another visual that haunts me is the picture of a little girl dressed in her best outfit with a bow on her head, standing with her immigrant parents at their immigration hearings. In no time, they were arrested and zip-tied by ICE agents for trying to follow the law.
The harrowing fear in the eyes of the construction worker who is in the custody of ICE agents is piercing.
The day laborers in front of Home Depot waiting to get some work have now “disappeared”.
Small business owners are feeling the pinch. Parents and the elderly are at a loss without their caregivers!
The broad sweeping strategy of targeting, arresting, and detaining anyone who remotely looks like a Latino or is brown skinned under the pretext of undocumented aliens is becoming normalized.
Our teen daughter, my husband & I are naturalized citizens. Our teen, 16, is free to go anywhere with her friends in Chicago’s downtown. Now, when she steps out of our door, my heart pounds, worried that her skin color would make her an accidental target. I sense my fear when I keep telling her to stick to neighborhood coffee shops and not venture farther.
Is this the country that we hoped to raise our children in when we migrated from India to the US?
FORCEFUL SUPPRESSION
I started going to the Broadview ICE detention facility in Chicago regularly to protest the inhumane treatment unleashed upon the detainees. The absence of due process by the current administration is a grave violation of human rights. When my colleague asked me to get a mask and other protective gear to protect myself from teargas and pepper bullets, I laughed at him and said, “Sure!” I thought he was joking.
Sept 26th stands out in my memory. We were peaceful protestors singing songs and chanting “No justice, no peace!”; Love, not hate, makes America great!”. We were nowhere close to the fence surrounding the detention center. As we started walking towards the fence peacefully, I felt pain above my knees. I was confused. Was it a real bullet? I had been shot with a pepper bullet.
People started screaming. “Put on your masks!” someone shouted. As I tried to put on the mask my friend had given me, I was coughing uncontrollably. Tears started rolling down my face. I realized that the air was filled with pepper spray and tear gas. It was a harsh realization that my right to dissent, to just peacefully disagree, would be suppressed with chemicals!
That day passed. But Chicagoans were not going to be repressed that easily. As more tear gas and pepper bullets were sprayed, it invigorated more people to show up at the Broadview facility. The faith leaders from all congregations and religions organized and came together at the facility to host prayer services. Some groups called people to come with mats and meditate together as a silent protest. Seniors, veterans, youth, families with kids on the stroller, activists, elected officials, and people who have never protested before started coming regularly to call attention to the abject cruelty.
On Oct 3rd, I went to the protest again. It was different! The roads were all blocked with hundreds of State police cars. Specific areas were assigned for people to protest. The road that split the two grassy areas was filled with disproportionately large numbers of Border Patrol (CBP), ICE agents, and State police. All building rooftops had armed men with guns pointing at us. Drones were flying above us, scanning our faces closely. The whole environment was quite intimidating, sending a strong message to the protestors saying, “don’t you dare question us.” It felt as if we were in a war zone. Quickly, we realized Kristi Noem was on top of the roof along with the snipers taking her photoshoot. The drama was just unfolding. None of us flinched. We kept protesting and continued with our chants and songs.
At one point, I saw a doubling of the police force shoulder to shoulder in rows. An officer came and whispered in their ears to put on their masks. I will never forget the next scene. The fence of the detention facility opened. Without any announcement or warnings, an armored vehicle, along with an army of ICE agents, charged at us. As a protester asked the agents what they were doing, he was thrown down onto the ground. In a moment, the agent’s knees were on his neck.
It was unbelievable! I texted my colleagues in Women Forward: “We are being surrounded.” That is the moment when I realized that democracy has died in our country. The authoritarianism was no longer anticipatory. It was right there before my eyes, with the militarized force using all its chilling power to quieten every little sound that was raised against them. My belief in democracy in the land of freedom was scarred in that moment.
Despite the fear we felt, we all continued to stand together for many more hours. I thought this would be the end of the protests and that people might not turn up again. Thankfully, the repeated message that “We are the media” helped us in our persistence. All the video footage of forceful intimidation and repression of protestors went viral, which enraged people yet again.
Chicagoans were not going to be silenced!
STRENGTH IN COMMUNITY
Whether a person has broken the law or not, the international human rights law has established that every person has a fundamental right to due process and a fair legal proceeding. Tragically, the ongoing ICE arrests represent the trait of a rogue state. We have pointed our finger at the gross violations of human rights across the world, and now we have the other four fingers pointing right back at us.
Last week, we, the Illinois Democratic Women of Cook County and Illinois Handmaids, organized a silent protest at Broadview with 40+ women dressed as handmaids. The Handmaid’s protest symbolized how the voices of people are being stripped off by the current fascist regime, especially those of immigrants. We must rise and protect our collective rights!
The dehumanization of immigrants, the arrogant display of power by the ICE mercenaries, have aroused rage among a majority of the population who refuse to justify cruelty in their name. The latest reports tell us the deplorable conditions inside the facility. The anecdotes of people having no space to sleep, even on the floor, and the stench of human waste and the lack of hot meals have been coming out. The current administration has forgotten the concept of humanity and basic human dignity. The audacity with which they are targeting blue states like Illinois for political vengeance has dire consequences on thousands of human lives, especially children who are traumatized by this entire venture. The moral fabric of our country, built upon the toil of millions of people who upheld righteousness and ethical consciousness, is being trampled without remorse.
Yet, I remain an ardent optimist. My hope lies in the power of people who have risen every single day to distribute the whistles as weapons of protection! People who spot ICE agents in the vicinity; People who’ve created human chains around the churches, schools, construction areas and other vulnerable places to protect immigrants from being arrested; those who have been taking out their phones, despite their fears, to record the lawlessness of ICE agents; those who have been protesting across the country, refusing to bow to repression. The situational irony is that the divisive tactics of the current administration have backfired completely. Our communities are all the more emboldened. Our care for our neighbors and for each other has been reinforced.
Chicago has made it loud and clear that people united can never be defeated!
