What’s Happening in Chicago Right Now Should Terrify Every American
Chicago is the warning sign the nation cannot afford to ignore.
I’ve gotten into a bad habit lately—waking up every morning and checking to see what new horror ICE has unleashed on the people of Chicago.
Yesterday, it was a video of an agent shooting a priest in the head with a pepper ball. This morning? Two guys just having coffee, standing there—when suddenly, ICE agents come running at them. They had to sprint into a building just to avoid getting snatched off the street. Horrifying.
A few hours after I saw the priest video, Trump threatened to arrest Governor Pritzker and Mayor Johnson. ICE raids are ripping through this city. Federal agents in helmets are hunting kids outside schools. And now the President of the United States is openly talking about jailing elected officials.
This isn’t law enforcement—it’s harassment. It’s fascism.
What we’re seeing right now is some of the worst this nation has to offer. The violence, the fear—it’s intentional. It’s part of the strategy. But there’s another side to it. There are good people in this city fighting hard to keep our brothers and sisters safe. To protect our kids.
Moments like this show you the worst of society, for sure. But they also reveal the best. And I choose to try to see the best in us.
Yesterday, I met with some local elected officials to talk about protecting the school around the corner from my house. It’s 40% Hispanic. I’ll keep the details private, but my alderman told me attendance is way down among Hispanic families at public schools. Local restaurants are getting crushed. Immigrant workers are too afraid to go to their jobs. Families are running out of money. Their kids are at risk.
What the hell are we doing?
National Guard trucks. National Guard troops. Rolled into our city from Texas. Soldiers and ICE agents patrolling Michigan Avenue. Entire hotels in the suburbs commandeered by ICE. Helicopters circling at night. Schools being targeted at drop-off and pick-up.
It’s intimidation. A show of force. A reminder of who holds the power—and who doesn’t.
And of course, the communities bearing the brunt of this terror are the same ones this country has always forced to carry its weight. Once again, they’re being punished—for wanting a better life. For wanting to earn that life here, in Chicago, and across the country just like the rest of us.
And that’s not right.
I’m still figuring out what role I want to play in all this—how I can be useful beyond just going live on Substack and posting these rants. I believe that work matters, but there’s got to be more. For me, right now, it’s about showing up in my neighborhood.
There’s this idea that what’s happening in Chicago is isolated to a few areas. It’s not. ICE is getting bolder, expanding everywhere. Families and kids are at risk on the North Side, South Side—all over. No place is safe.
Like I said: there’s a school down the street I’m involved with. It has a sizable Hispanic population. Those parents are scared. Those kids are scared. They deserve to feel safe at school, if nowhere else—so they can learn, grow, thrive.
If they don’t get that support, those kids are going to be set back forever. And I’m going to do what I can to stop that.
Right now, national Democrats are focused on the shutdown, which is understandable. But we need more attention from Washington and the media on what’s happening in Chicago—and, I assume, a lot of other cities.
Donald Trump and his ICE agents are manufacturing chaos. Trying to provoke more violence from protesters so they can escalate. So they can invoke the Insurrection Act. So they can declare martial law—and then God knows what.
How else are we supposed to interpret this? The images we’re seeing, the stories I’m hearing—from neighbors, friends, elected officials?
The nation’s got to turn its attention here.
And maybe Trump and Mike Johnson are so obsessed with the shutdown not just because they don’t care about your tripling healthcare premiums. Maybe it’s not just about stalling the Epstein discharge petition.
Maybe it’s also a distraction from what’s happening on the ground.
I don’t know. I don’t know what it’s going to take for this country to wake up and act.
Do I need to beg Pope Leo to come home and stand up for our people? He’s put out statements. He’s directed the bishops—and I applaud that. But do we need him here physically in order for people to pay attention?
I don’t know.
And remember: the fear, the rage, the anger—that’s the point. They want people scared enough to stop organizing. Overwhelmed enough to stop caring. They want apathy. But like I said the other day, anger and rage without action is just rot.
They want to rot you from the inside. I want you to feel that anger—and turn it into peaceful and meaningful action. I want you to figure out how to be useful in your community.
Because right now, I’m watching parents build carpools so kids get to school safely, so they don’t get snatched by ICE on the way. I’m watching teachers and principals refuse to let ICE into school buildings. I’m watching group chats light up with info, people coordinating in real time. I saw a video of South Side Chicago residents chasing off ICE when they tried to snatch a man. I’m seeing neighborhoods stand up and look out for each other.
Those acts of resistance are what’s holding Chicago together—and I am damn proud of this city.
But we need more. We need structural accountability. We need the city and state to keep stepping up. We likely need legal defense funds. Independent oversight. We need Democrats in Washington to hold hearings, drag this into the light, force media coverage—force the public to look.
We need people loud online—and we need people physically present here. In this city. In your city.
And we need to elevate the voices of those most impacted.
I want to hear from the families whose doors were kicked in. From the people hogtied in the middle of the night after a Blackhawk helicopter attacked their apartment complex. From the teachers watching kids break down in class because they don’t know what’s going to happen to their parents—or to themselves. From the kids who don’t know where their parents are.
People need to hear these stories. To understand: these are not faceless, undocumented immigrants. These are not criminals. These are kids. Workers. Neighbors. People who love. People who bleed the same as the rest of us.
We need that.
And yeah, some Democratic strategists will say, “Stay focused on the economy. On healthcare premiums.” And sure—I’ve said that too. Democrats have largely done well messaging the shutdown around healthcare.
But we’ve got to walk and chew gum.
Because this abuse of executive power isn’t just about Chicago. It’s everywhere.
You think Trump is going to stop?
He’s the definition of “give a mouse a cookie.” He’s taking the whole damn box.
If you think he’s only sending 300 National Guard troops to Chicago to “protect” Broadview, I’ve got a bridge to sell you.
It’s going to get worse. It’s going to spread.
We’ve seen Democratic leaders in Illinois stand up and organize. That’s good. We need more. We need better.
And we have to keep showing up—for our kids at school. For each other.
What I saw in the protests downtown last night was powerful. We need that kind of energy at the No Kings Rally on October 18th. We need people showing up at detention centers. We need them to know we’re watching. That we’re documenting. That we’re holding them accountable—and we will not back down.
Democracy is a verb, right?
It takes action. Beyond the conversation. Beyond the retweets and quote posts.
You’ve got to find your way to be useful.
What are you good at? How can you help?
If you’re doing that, you’re part of the million acts of resistance that’ll get us through this. That’ll help save lives.
Do it with love. With compassion. With empathy. With joy in your heart.
Don’t let the rage eat you. Let it fuel you.
Be a joyful warrior—for the people who are scared.
Especially the kids.
Your commentary, like many, has hit the nail on the head. I like your comment, "be a joyful warrior." It might be a little hard, but it can be done. Resist peacefully as long as you can.
I recently read a story about how food banks are struggling to keep the shelves stocked as they try to meet increasing need. I may not be able to do much physically anymore but I'm going to help out community, even in a small way, by increasing my contribution to the Greater Chicagoland Food Depository.