A few days after the horrific killing of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis by an ICE agent, I stepped off the bus at Jefferson Avenue and El Camino Real in Redwood City to the cacophony of honking car horns. Dozens of drivers traversing El Camino Real in both directions were loudly honking their horns in support of the hundreds of people who had gathered to … well, that was the question I decided to ask wearing my Daily Journal columnist hat. Why were people there? What were they hoping to accomplish?
One woman told me this was the first time she had ever participated in any kind of protest. Why today, I asked.
“He killed her, shot her three times, just after she smiled at him,” she said. “She tried to pull away and he just shot her!”
There was anguish in her voice and pain in her eyes. Another woman said, “Maybe more people will start paying attention because they shot a white woman this time.”
By now, most people reading this have seen the videos of the shooting and drawn their own conclusions about whether the shooting was murder, self-defense or just a series of unfortunate events. Her last words to the CBP agent before he shot her were “I’m not mad at you.” His parting words after killing her were “F—ing b—.” Despite the White House and the DHS secretary claiming the agent was “run over,” The New York Times frame-by-frame analysis of multiple videos disproves that and he is seen briskly walking away.
Back to Redwood City. A young man carrying an upside-down American flag told me he was there because he was seeing “democracy dismantled” and a “country in distress.” I mention that he was young because one of the frequent laments I’ve heard from other people at gatherings like this has been that not enough young people are participating.
“For the next one of these the price of admission for each person our age is you’re going to have to bring someone under the age of 50!” one silver haired woman said.
Just then, a young family with three little kids passed by, carrying their own hand-made signs. By the way, speaking of signs, the president has claimed that the signs at protests like this are professionally printed and paid for by George Soros. Take a look at photos from this gathering (bit.ly/rwcjan10) and you’ll see that’s an easily debunked lie. Oh, and (sarcasm here), there was no pay station where protesters could get paid for their time. Dang.
One person told me she was there to “build momentum towards the mid-terms, to flip the House and Senate. Congress can rein in the administration from all of the harm they’re doing.” I asked if they could actually do any of that without a veto-proof majority.
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She said that it was her hope that “Enough Republicans will join with Democrats to do the right thing. I hope that protests like this across the country will get politicians everywhere to realize their constituents disagree with what’s happening, with what the president is doing, and stand up against it all.”
James Talarico, a Texas state representative running for U.S. Senate, told a gathering of people about to go canvassing Jan. 10 that “A little hope is a dangerous thing.”
He admitted sometimes he loses hope but seeing millions of people across the country, and there in Texas, giving up their Saturdays to get out, and be with him to knock on doors, gave him hope. Person after person I spoke with at the Redwood City gathering shared similar sentiments, that being out there with hundreds of other like-minded people gave them hope.
I spotted one man I’ve seen at other protests over the last year and asked him how he felt about what he was seeing.
He said “I feel really good!” I asked why. “It’s the coefficient of honkification! Stop, listen.”
So we did. The honking was nearly nonstop. Car after car, truck after truck, little toot, big horn, beep beep, El Camino Real was wall-to-wall sound with hands waving through the windows, and lots of thumbs up.
“There’s always honking by cars passing by but I’ve never heard anything like this, so much support and encouragement,” he said.
Indeed.
After Good’s death, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller told ICE/CBP personnel that they have “federal immunity,” implying that local authorities can’t prosecute them, individuals can’t sue, and he further said that “no leftist agitator or domestic insurrectionist” can stop them. One line from Renee Good’s widow’s statement may sum up where we are at right now as a nation: “We had whistles, they had guns.” I think we’re gonna need a whole lot more whistles. Onward.
Craig Wiesner is the co-owner of Reach And Teach, a book, toy and cultural gift shop on San Carlos Avenue in San Carlos. Follow Craig: craigwiesner.bsky.social.
Correction please. The Gestapo went after legal German citizens who were then tortured and murdered. ICE is attempting to round up illegal, criminal aliens and deport them to their country of origin. No comparison whatever but what would one expect from a severely afflicted TDS patient.
No, Dirk! You are ill informed. Gestapo in Nazi-occupied Norway went after Norwegian citizens who had done nothing wrong, including my father, and many others I got to know when I grew up.
Jorg - my father was summoned by the Gestapo in The Hague after he had made a comment about Hitler in front of his employees. It turned out that, because of his fluency in German, he got away with a stern warning. But, the vast majority of Gestapo victims were Jews, or those who helped Jews or were in the resistance. Most Jews in the Netherlands, over 100,000, were murdered, but the number of other Gestapo victims was small in comparison. Again, they were active in anti-Nazi occupation pursuits which was according to the Nazis specifically outlawed. ICE is targeting individuals who should not even be here and have committed more crimes while here. A fine line perhaps in your mind, but that is not how most legal residents see it. Don't forget that the riots started in Minneapolis after the Feds had discovered major welfare fraud to the tune of $$billions. The Governor used the riots as a diversion from what is really at stake. He is evil and cynical. There is always another side of a story, stay tuned.
So, Dirk, - why do you think the ICE characters would know who shouldn’t be here? By the skin color, or what? Are they some secret police, or today’s Gestapo, appointed by whom? Please explain!
Craig continues his selective outrage and further bolsters his TDS affliction. His collection of anecdotes seems endless as he pursues stories told by a targeted passerby and uninformed kids.
Apparently, someone is offended by my previous comment and convinced the editor to censor it, even though the issues and wording I used has been published multiple times. Of course, this is not the first time some are offended by the truth and use censorship to hide it while they’re free to publish whatever they’d like, regardless of how controversial or offensive, because everyone else believes others shouldn’t be censored.
Highlights of my previous comment…Mr. Wiesner, as described by Mr. van Ulden, continues to cherry-pick examples while completely ignoring the fact that anyone crossing our border illegally is a criminal. Mr. Wiesner also continues to fail to explain why so-called Democrat leaders have failed their oath to support and defend the U.S. Constitution. In addition to failing to write about the numerous incidents of violence against ICE, the folks enforcing law and order.
So, MissTY: let me try to understand: Your most admired and preferred occupant of the WH is an impeached, multi-convicted rapist, twice divorced (so far!), selfish liar and cheater, bragging about his p-grabbing, who has used the US presidency to enrich himself with billions? On the other hand, you had nothing good to say about scandal-free President Obama, elected twice with a comfortable margin both with primary votes and the EC. Any bias here?
MissJorg, my friend, you’re boring us with your oft-repeated stale comments. If we assume your allegations about our (yes, our) great President Trump are true, he still beat all of the competition. So what’s that say about the quality of his competition and voters who preferred unqualified candidates? I rest of my case. As for your idol Obama, didn’t he say the following:
1. “Over the last 15 months, we’ve traveled to every corner of the United States. I’ve now been in 57 states? I think one left to go.”
2. "We're the country that built the Intercontinental Railroad."
3. “If you like your plan, you can keep your plan. Period.”
And Obama scandal-free? Hilarious. I was worried but it seems you do have a sense of humor. If you’re serious, take a gander at the following from The Heritage Foundation (https://www.heritage.org/political-process/commentary/obamas-scandal-free-administration-myth). Let’s not forget treasonous Obama and his failed attempts to keep our (yes, still our) great President Trump from becoming the greatest President in our lifetimes, twice. Have a Trump-tastic day! BTW, if you want to spend some quality time, go see the new Melania movie.
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(10) comments
America today reminds me of the Nazi-occupied Norway I grew up in during WWII, where Gestapo worked pretty much he same way as ICE!
Correction please. The Gestapo went after legal German citizens who were then tortured and murdered. ICE is attempting to round up illegal, criminal aliens and deport them to their country of origin. No comparison whatever but what would one expect from a severely afflicted TDS patient.
No, Dirk! You are ill informed. Gestapo in Nazi-occupied Norway went after Norwegian citizens who had done nothing wrong, including my father, and many others I got to know when I grew up.
Jorg - my father was summoned by the Gestapo in The Hague after he had made a comment about Hitler in front of his employees. It turned out that, because of his fluency in German, he got away with a stern warning. But, the vast majority of Gestapo victims were Jews, or those who helped Jews or were in the resistance. Most Jews in the Netherlands, over 100,000, were murdered, but the number of other Gestapo victims was small in comparison. Again, they were active in anti-Nazi occupation pursuits which was according to the Nazis specifically outlawed. ICE is targeting individuals who should not even be here and have committed more crimes while here. A fine line perhaps in your mind, but that is not how most legal residents see it. Don't forget that the riots started in Minneapolis after the Feds had discovered major welfare fraud to the tune of $$billions. The Governor used the riots as a diversion from what is really at stake. He is evil and cynical. There is always another side of a story, stay tuned.
So, Dirk, - why do you think the ICE characters would know who shouldn’t be here? By the skin color, or what? Are they some secret police, or today’s Gestapo, appointed by whom? Please explain!
MissTY: Didn’t you understand even a fiber of Craig’s column, or didn’t you even try, - for a change?
Craig continues his selective outrage and further bolsters his TDS affliction. His collection of anecdotes seems endless as he pursues stories told by a targeted passerby and uninformed kids.
Apparently, someone is offended by my previous comment and convinced the editor to censor it, even though the issues and wording I used has been published multiple times. Of course, this is not the first time some are offended by the truth and use censorship to hide it while they’re free to publish whatever they’d like, regardless of how controversial or offensive, because everyone else believes others shouldn’t be censored.
Highlights of my previous comment…Mr. Wiesner, as described by Mr. van Ulden, continues to cherry-pick examples while completely ignoring the fact that anyone crossing our border illegally is a criminal. Mr. Wiesner also continues to fail to explain why so-called Democrat leaders have failed their oath to support and defend the U.S. Constitution. In addition to failing to write about the numerous incidents of violence against ICE, the folks enforcing law and order.
So, MissTY: let me try to understand: Your most admired and preferred occupant of the WH is an impeached, multi-convicted rapist, twice divorced (so far!), selfish liar and cheater, bragging about his p-grabbing, who has used the US presidency to enrich himself with billions? On the other hand, you had nothing good to say about scandal-free President Obama, elected twice with a comfortable margin both with primary votes and the EC. Any bias here?
MissJorg, my friend, you’re boring us with your oft-repeated stale comments. If we assume your allegations about our (yes, our) great President Trump are true, he still beat all of the competition. So what’s that say about the quality of his competition and voters who preferred unqualified candidates? I rest of my case. As for your idol Obama, didn’t he say the following:
1. “Over the last 15 months, we’ve traveled to every corner of the United States. I’ve now been in 57 states? I think one left to go.”
2. "We're the country that built the Intercontinental Railroad."
3. “If you like your plan, you can keep your plan. Period.”
And Obama scandal-free? Hilarious. I was worried but it seems you do have a sense of humor. If you’re serious, take a gander at the following from The Heritage Foundation (https://www.heritage.org/political-process/commentary/obamas-scandal-free-administration-myth). Let’s not forget treasonous Obama and his failed attempts to keep our (yes, still our) great President Trump from becoming the greatest President in our lifetimes, twice. Have a Trump-tastic day! BTW, if you want to spend some quality time, go see the new Melania movie.
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Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
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