Tanks in DC
From Sanctuary to Siege
As tanks rolled into DC, the tension has been palpable. People are sharing videos taken from their balconies, and there is broad consensus that anyone protesting in the District tomorrow will not be safe.
Today a lot of folks left town, not wanting to be here for the spectacle and crowds tomorrow. Who can blame them?
Yesterday’s footage of FBI agents forcing Senator Padilla to the ground and cuffing his hands behind his back during a DHS press conference was also a chilling reminder: law enforcement doesn’t discriminate. Their training is precise, their force indiscriminate—whether it’s against a sitting U.S. Senator, or workers being rounded up by ICE in major cities across the nation.
I remember the “force field” that surrounded Kristi Noem as she swept past me in a hallway at the House of Representatives, on her way to present the first draft of her budget request for DHS. She might look like Homeland Security Barbie, but she’s really Maleficent—emerging from political obscurity to cast calculated curses in the form of cruel policies.
And of course there is threat-by-Twitter: Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO), in his role as Chair of the Committee on Anti-Terrorism, sent an official letter to the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), accusing them of “funding the LA protest, abetting criminal conduct, and escalating mob action.”
The letter demands that PSL preserve internal communications, travel records, donor lists and financial documents—and ends with an ominous threat: “Failure to comply will result in … potential referral for criminal investigation.”
If they don’t get us in the streets, they’ll try to get us in the courts.
It’s serious. And scary. And clearly designed to distract us from the Big Beautiful Bill….
So how are we staying courageous here in the nation’s capitol?
Making the walls of our city speak for us—with posters, stickers, and street art.
Celebrating the quartet of DC drag queens who glammed it up to attend Trump’s debut Kennedy Center appearance, Les Misérables.
Taking our wins: only 11 House Democrats voted to repeal our Sanctuary City law — our lobbying efforts convinced 17 Dems who voted against us the day prior!
Honoring the freedom of a woman whose case received intensive Court support & jury education - she won her case and is being released today!
Amplifying voices like @Frankieeccentric_ who lead with clarity and heart.
Watching videos of everyday people like us— joyfully line-dancing during LA’s ICE protest.
Taking a break to get a street haircut in front of riot shields in Dallas.
Defiantly occupying Maersk offices in NYC to disrupt the flow of weapons to Gaza.
Friends, together we are building something they can’t tear down: a future rooted in joy and solidarity. Aṣẹ, àṣẹ, ashe.