This is not a drill
At least once a day, I'm struck by the dissonance between whatever I'm doing in the moment – reading, cooking, walking on the street – and the full scale destruction of democratic norms happening all around us.
That's been especially true this week. My kid has been home for Spring Break, and we've attended a show of all female comics curated by Kutti Gang, shared many home-cooked meals, and watched Deli Boys. It's felt so … normal. And yet, we're not in normal times.
That's why, In addition to all of the above, we stood with protesters in Foley Square to protest the detention of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian American Columbia University student. Mahmoud is a permanent resident, married to a U.S. citizen, who also happens to be eight months pregnant. Mahmoud was a spokesperson and mediator for student protesters last Spring, and the Department of Homeland Security is explaining his arrest as being "in support of President Trump's executive orders prohibiting anti-Semitism."
Photo by Sayu Bhojwani on March 12 in NYC at a protest in support of Mahmoud Khalil’s release
There's that famous poem that begins "First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out…" It encourages speaking out before you're the person they come for. But what about speaking out because it's just plain wrong to come for anyone?
These are early days…Mahmoud is first among many firsts. Deportees have been accepted by countries to which they don't even belong. Attempts at disappearing trans people from public visibility abound.
As of this writing, Mahmoud will remain in Louisiana as a judge weighs arguments for his release. Unfortunately, revoking visas and green cards will continue. This is not the time to pretend that's not possible. Or the time to pretend that some of us will not be targets. It can and will happen.
What I want to do is just rant. But let me try to offer three things you can do. You've heard them before, if not from me, from others. They still matter.
Don't look away. Engage in the action that appeals to you - calls, protests, organizing others, giving money. Just don't pretend it's not happening. For Mahmoud, you can sign this petition demanding his release.
Make a plan for yourself and vulnerable people in your orbit. Have a lawyer you can call, have cash on hand (for yourself or a friend), have your papers in order or make sure your friends and relatives do.
Speak and seek the truth. You might lose a lot if you do. But you might lose a lot if you don't. As an immigrant from a family of immigrants, believe me when I say, I understand the risks.
It's okay to find the little joys, like I have with my friends, my partner and my kid. But it's also essential to stand guard.
Onwards,
Sayu