This Machine Kills Fascism
A simple tool in all our pockets can help push back against tyranny
Despite years of hyperbolic rhetoric, it’s quite clear that “patriots” armed with assault rifles were never going to fight a tyrannical federal government. But “woke” Americans armed with cell phones still have a chance to stop creeping authoritarianism.
The New York Times recently published a must-read article about Minnesotans who are documenting ICE abuses with images and videos taken on their cell phones. Joe Walsh has also compiled a series of cell phone videos of the same sorts of abuses (scroll down the page of his post to see the videos).
Given the well-documented lies coming from the Trump administration about encounters between ICE agents and immigrants, protesters, and bystanders, it is essential that members of the public document as much as they can about the un-American conduct of this newly massive federal police force.
Transparency is essential to maintain freedom in a democracy. In a political atmosphere in which many corporate news outlets are hesitant to cross paths with the Trump administration for fear of retaliation, documentation by everyday Americans has an important role to play to educate the public. It must be said that all Americans should exercise caution in such a role, as the recent killing of Renee Good demonstrates. But we can’t let such threats to our safety prevent the peaceful and legal documentation of abuse by federal forces.
Recent polling suggests that a slim majority of Americans think ICE is making cities less safe. Another poll finds that a majority of Americans do not think the ICE shooting of Renee Good was justified, although there are stark partisan differences: “Republicans (77 - 10 percent) think the shooting was justified, while Democrats (92 - 4 percent) and independents (59 - 28 percent) think the shooting was not justified.”
As more Americans become aware of what their government is doing not only to immigrants, but to average citizens who are standing up for democracy and the rule of law, the tide may continue to turn against the authoritarianism of the Trump administration. It may turn out that in the hands of Americans, the cell phone is a more powerful weapon than the gun.
