{"id":81876,"date":"2026-01-26T10:25:46","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T15:25:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/?p=81876"},"modified":"2026-01-26T12:41:37","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T17:41:37","slug":"america-becomes-a-horror-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/america-becomes-a-horror-show\/","title":{"rendered":"America Becomes a Horror Show"},"content":{"rendered":"
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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers stand off against protesters amid ongoing, escalating violence (on ICE’s part) in Minneapolis. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

It has been a tough few days for America. No matter where you stand on the political<\/a> spectrum, there seems to be a sense that a tectonic shift has fractured the most fundamental underpinnings of the country \u2013 with repercussions we have yet to fully understand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Images of the callous, taunting murder of Renee Nicole Good, the bewildered face of a 5-year-old, Liam Ramos, by himself in the freezing cold as he tried to process what was happening, the angry shooting<\/a> of ICU nurse, Alex Pretti, ICE agents piled on top of him, have blanketed the news and social media, leaving many heartbroken and angry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is this America, people ask? And the answer is: \u201cYes.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n

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Related<\/h4>\n <\/div>\n \n
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\n \n \"ICE\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n
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\n \n ICE Violence Against Women is Increasingly Visible \u2014 and Largely Untracked\n <\/a>\n <\/h3>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n

As ICE defenders give predictable, hasty, unsubstantiated justifications for their actions, those of us who watch in horror must understand that this government-sanctioned assault is intentional and purposeful. We cannot sugarcoat it \u2013 it is a blatant attempt to deprive citizens of their constitutional rights and, probably, the next election. The violent unravelling of citizens\u2019 lives and rights in cities across the country, not just Minneapolis, signals the end of a world order, an American-led order that, however deeply imperfect, has been the global stabilizing status quo for nearly a century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As millions of us shiver through the worst winter storm in years, as we huddle inside glued to our phones (perhaps watching with empathy and awe, the brave citizens of Minneapolis as they face this long assault on their city) we can worry, with much justification, about just how long it may be until the sun returns, the ICE melts, and people – of all backgrounds – can walk their neighborhoods without worrying that their lives may be ended in just a quick minute, by masked, armed goons sent by the federal government to create terror in the lives of ordinary, law-abiding Americans.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For now, we have no answers. But the shift is happening; the plates are moving. The ground is being shaken by more protesters refusing to accept ICE\u2019s invasion. There will be more friction, more violence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How many more will die and how this crisis will reshape us, as individuals and as a country, remains to be seen. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Related<\/h4>\n <\/div>\n \n
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\n \n Following ICE Shooting of Civilian, Women Leaders Express Outrage\n <\/a>\n <\/h3>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It’s impossible to sugarcoat the violent killings in Minnesota, Sue Williams writes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":85,"featured_media":81877,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"autoblue_enabled":false,"autoblue_custom_message":"","autoblue_shares":[],"autoblue_post_url":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19648],"tags":[20318,21351,19645,20186],"class_list":["post-81876","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinion","tag-civil-rights","tag-government-accountability","tag-opinion","tag-social-justice"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAmerica Becomes a Horror Show<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It's impossible to sugarcoat the violent killings by ICE agents in Minnesota, Sue Williams writes in this op-ed.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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