ICE Crackdown Turns Violent in Chicago

Tear gas and pepper bowls. ICE crackdown in Chicago. Shocking new footage from Broadview, Illinois shows federal agents using tear gas, pepper balls and physical force against protesters, members of the clergy and journalists outside an ICE processing center. According to the Guardian, the confrontation is a part of Operation Midway Blitz, the Trump administration's new immigration enforcement surge. Videos show peaceful demonstrators dragged to the ground, including Reverend David Black, who says he was hit seven or eight times while praying. Local officials, including the mayor of Broadview, accused ICE of making war in our community. Even nearby businesses reported tear gas leaking into their workplace. Civil rights groups say the crackdown marks an escalation of violence against non violent protest and a disturbing warning for how federal power can be used against dissent. So what's the real message here? Trump is sending a message to America. If you don't like me, if you don't support me, you are now a criminal and I will come arrest you, crack your skull if that's what it takes. And don't even think about showing up at a voting booth next year unless you're on Team Trump. Let's dig a little bit deeper here. I hope I'm wrong on that last part, but I fear that I'm correct because, look, there are times in a country's history where there is genuine civil unrest. And you have governors of states and mayors saying, please, we need help. Call in the cavalry. That's not what's happening here. You have Trump going to cities that have, in some respects, the lowest crime rate they've had in years and years and years. Typically, most of the time, crime is low and lower. And he's using this as a context to crack skills, be tough, be macho and intimidate people. And you know what? It is intimidating. It's easy to talk tough if you're in a studio, as I am, or you're just pontificating. But when someone's there and they've got the guns and they've got the clubs, it is intimidating. There's no doubt about it. Let's look at some more of the facts here. This Reverend David Black struck eight times while kneeling in prayer because he had the temerity to be out in public in a way that wasn't holding a Trump sign. That's essentially what what his crime was. Tear gas is being used. Legal observers wearing green hats were targeted. So there were, there were people there specifically saying, I'm not a part of this. I'm here to observe. For legal monitoring reasons, they were targeted. That's extraordinarily unusual. The Guardian Reporters documented detained media chemical exposure. Illinois has seen 4,900 detentions this year, most of them under Operation Midway Blitz. The Department of Homeland Security claimed public safety, but footage shows there was no provocation by protesters. Civil rights attorneys warned repeated use of military style tactics shills free speech. Well, no kidding. If you think that if you're going to go to a no Kings Day protest, for example, but that you could be body slammed and had your have your skull cracked and you have children or family responsibilities, you're going to think, eh, maybe I'm not going to use my constitutional right, free speech, maybe I'll stay home. And that is what dictators and far right authoritarian leaders want. They want you to stay home. Because Trump is smart enough, he is savvy enough to look at history and see there's a certain threshold when enough people take the streets, whether it is toppling Marcos, whether it's toppling the Shah or any other far right leader. When there's a certain threshold of people in the streets chanting, demanding that you leave, you have no choice. But if you can chill dissent, if you can scare people, if you can intimidate them and make them so fearful that just stay, oh, I'm going to stay, you can make it like Russia. No one is willing to go out and speak against the dictator there. There is too much fear. I mean, that's how the Soviet Union stayed around for decade after decade, after decades, decade dissent was stifled. And that is exactly what's happening.