We keep us safe

We join our friends in Minnesota and across the country to demand an end to ICE’s ongoing violence.

At Stonewall, we are clear-eyed about the reality in front of us: we are living under a repressive regime that treats our lives as disposable. Disposable if we dare to speak up to defend our neighbors. Disposable if we aren’t the right race, skin color, or gender. Disposable for demanding full autonomy over our own bodies. 

All the while, frontline organizations pushing back against the terror in our neighborhoods, the controlling of our bodies, and the disappearing of our families are fighting back against increasing levels of violence. 

Most recently, we witnessed the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, and the brutalization of immigrants, people of color, and organizers, by federal ICE agents unleashed in Minnesota. Renee was a mother, a wife, a poet, and a member of the LGBTQ+ community. Her last words to an ICE agent before her tragic murder were, “I’m not mad at you.” Those words reflect both the fear she carried and the humanity she never relinquished, the kind of humanity that compels someone to put their body on the line to protect those who cannot protect themselves. 

Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse, was killed in broad daylight for daring to observe and for having the courage to intervene when another community member was being attacked by ICE. These killings are not isolated incidents; they are the continuation of a long legacy of state-sanctioned violence. Violence meant to send a clear message to all of us: none of us are safe if we dare to stand against this regime’s authoritarian tactics. The deaths of at least eight individuals killed by ICE this year, and the ongoing trauma inflicted on their families, friends, and communities, demand nothing less than full accountability and justice. 

What’s happening in Minnesota is our fight too.

Our communities know state-sponsored violence all too well. Homophobia and transphobia are deeply embedded in the culture that seeks to justify the brutality we are witnessing. Reports tell us that shortly after Renee Good was killed, ICE agents were quoted as saying, “You guys have to stop obstructing us. That’s why that lesbian bitch was killed.” 

This is the reality we cannot run away from. This is the reality that calls on us to struggle together. We must do everything in our power to ensure we are strong enough to resist and to hold the line as it moves ever closer toward us. 

This next chapter of Stonewall will be one of fortification. We were created with community at the heart of our mission, both in how we build and strengthen our resources, and in how we redistribute them. Community foundations like ours are uniquely positioned to meet moments like this: to respond to the fierce urgency of now while building power for the future. 

Stonewall stands in unwavering solidarity with community in Minnesota.

We demand an end to the terrorizing of our neighborhoods that has forced families to live in fear. We demand an end to the demonization of our immigrant neighbors who contribute so profoundly to the fabric of our society. 

We are inspired by the leadership of our friends in Minnesota, including their call for a General Strike tomorrow, Friday January 30—no school, no work, no shopping. As the leader of Stonewall, I will be supporting our staff who have chosen to participate in tomorrow’s strike, and I urge others to do the same. The message we must send if we are to end this reign of terror, is that we the people hold the power. 

During this time, we also encourage you to support our friends and sister organization, PFund Foundation, a community-led foundation by and for LGBTQ+ people supporting organizations across the Upper Midwest. You can also directly support families, mutual aid networks, and organizing collectives in Minnesota by visiting standwithminnesota.com. 

In my heart, I believe we will win. But I also recognize what it will take to get us there. Each of us has a role to play in this moment, and Stonewall is here to be your strategic partner in channeling your rage, grief, and frustration into collective power. 

We keep us safe. 

In community, 
Elisa Crespo 
Executive Director, Stonewall Community Foundation