Trump Escalates Chicago Crackdown by Indicting Illinois Democrats for Peacefully Protesting ICE
The DOJ's latest move is designed to scare Chicagoans into silence
The Trump administration ramped up its attacks on Chicago this week by indicting several prominent Illinois Democrats and elected officials for peacefully protesting ICE. Their reasoning? These individuals somehow “broke the law” by standing in front of an ICE vehicle that tried to barrel through them during a protest.
It’s yet another grotesque abuse of power from Donald Trump—a fascist who has never hesitated to use the federal government as a weapon against his political enemies. And sure, I could turn this into another rant about lawfare and authoritarian overreach. Those things are real. This is no different than when he went after James Comey, Tish James, Adam Schiff, or literally anyone who dares to challenge him.
But I think this is something even darker. This is about scaring the people of Chicago into silence. About making an example out of those brave enough to stand up. So let’s say it out loud—because it needs to be said every time: masked federal agents are snatching people off the street based on the color of their skin and throwing them into unmarked vehicles.
That’s the level of chaos we’re dealing with. Just last week—while I was out of town—ICE tear-gassed peaceful protesters a block and a half from my house. People trying to stop an abduction. In my neighborhood.
They want a show of force. They want to go after elected officials and community leaders to make regular people think, “If they’ll do that to someone like them, what will they do to me?” They want to create just enough fear that people second-guess showing up, second-guess organizing, second-guess protecting their neighbors.
But let me tell you something: Chicago doesn’t bow to tyrants. We don’t suffer fools or bullies. I’ve never been prouder of this city I now call home—the city I plan to grow old in. Trump, Tom Homan, Kristi Noem, and their ICE operatives have been trying to provoke violence here. Trying to justify invoking the Insurrection Act, trying to turn this city into a militarized zone like it’s some war game.
But Chicago won’t bite.
Instead, the people here have responded with empathy, with heart, and with fierce, unwavering love for one another. We’ve organized. We’ve protected each other. We’ve protested peacefully. You have people who’ve never been political in their lives out here guarding schools, handing out know-your-rights kits, blowing whistles when something goes wrong. People are sharing information. Showing up. Doing the work—every damn day.
I’m proud to be one of them. Right here in my neighborhood. Doing what I can to organize, to connect, to build community. And in that process, I’ve met so many incredible neighbors—folks I used to just nod at while walking my dog or pushing a stroller. Now I know they’ve got my back. And I’ve got theirs. We’re standing together, putting our bodies on the line, refusing to accept this dystopia as normal or okay.
Because it’s not.
I’ve written about this before, and I’ll keep writing it: we’re watching the ugliest parts of humanity play out in real time. The Trump administration is targeting people not because they lack documentation, but because of the color of their skin..
And it’s disgusting.
But even in that darkness, we’re also seeing the best of humanity. People coordinating school pickups so undocumented parents aren’t abducted outside the building. People organizing food drives for neighbors too scared to leave home. People doing what they can, in their own corner of the world, to keep each other safe. That’s the beauty of this city. That’s the power of the American spirit. And I know it’s not just happening in Chicago—it’s happening everywhere.
When I get low—when I’m burned out, overwhelmed by the chaos, by ICE, by Trump, by all of it—I think about the quiet, persistent acts of resistance happening all around me.
I talk about this on the show: a rural hospital closing in Butler, Nebraska. Trump carried that area by probably 70%. And still, when that hospital shut down, people showed up for each other. Even if they don’t share my politics, they share my values: community, compassion, care. That thread runs through more people in this country than you’d think.
Right now, we’re facing some heavy shit. A federal government that’s not just corrupt, but predatory. A shutdown dragging on God-knows-how-many days. SNAP benefits are about to vanish for 40 million people. A president who refuses to acknowledge reality—whether it’s the job market, his disastrous tariffs, or the basic fact that he is not a king.
But I believe in the people. I believe in the power we have to care for one another. And that’s the spirit we have to hold on to.
I write these rants, in part, to remind myself of that. To reconnect with what matters. But also to remind you that you have power. You can do something meaningful. Maybe it’s organizing a protest. Maybe it’s packing food boxes. Maybe it’s just being a good parent, or taking a damn nap so you can show up again tomorrow.
Whatever it is—find it. Do it. Keep showing up. I see you, and I appreciate the hell out of you.
Fuck trump
UNITED WE STAND