NATIONAL STATE OF EMERGENCY

ON THE GROUND IN MINNEAPOLIS, AND CALLS TO ACTION

Monday, January 26, 2026

ON THE GROUND IN MINNEAPOLIS: A REPORT FROM DIANE JARVENPA, CHAIR OF WDA-MINNESOTA

Minnesota is now a land of vigils. Since June 14th, we have seen assassinations of a MN senator and her husband, an attempted assassination of a MN representative and his wife, a school shooting, the murder of a poet, mother, and wife Renée Good. And now Alex Pretti, brutally murdered on January 24th in the heart and soul of this city, a neighborhood that is rich in people from all backgrounds that celebrate life. We are also a place of rallies to help each other and to give voice to those taken away by vans and planes or by violence. Silence is not an option. Is our country watching? Is the world watching? Can we as Eavan Boland says in her poem “Child of Our Time” –“make our broken images rebuild” ?

Who knew our daily vocabulary would include words such as tear gas, smoke bombs, pepper spray, shackles, rubber bullets, steel bullets, chokeholds. My good friend shared this on social media—”Just for perspective, our city officials now offer guidelines on what to do if I am attacked by tear gas while out living my normal daily life here. I never thought I would be advised to outfit myself for a possible gas attack from federal agents in order to go to the grocery store. But this has become the reality for my community now. This is not normal. This is not a democracy.”

And there are words that ring out—like these —spoken by the woman watching the execution: “I don’t know why they shot him. He was only helping.”

They don’t want us helping, they don’t want us watching, they don’t want us going to school, working, eating, driving in our cars, standing on a sidewalk. They don’t want those whom they assume are not citizens of this country. They don’t want our elected officials to do their jobs that align with the rule of law and the Bill of Rights. They continually fail to comprehend compassion and empathy.

They do hear us saying “What have you done? What have you done?” They hear those witnessing, in these moments, murder on our streets.

They do hear whistles, and the banging of pots, and our singing. All the organizations, churches, Indivisible groups, restaurants open for donations and delivery of meals. Young people at the Renée Good site giving away free pizza, elder Somali men giving away free sambuus. Getting the word out for all those in need, all those who can help. Yes, Minnesota home of the hotdish, symbol of sustenance and love, upholder of the Constitution. There is fleeing and shadow, falling to breathe slow prayer, but we are not anchored there as we tenderly pick each other up and continue to carry all that they think they have broken.

— Diane Jarvenpa

AND NOW - WHAT YOU CAN DO TODAY

A CALL TO ACTION
from the WDA-MASSACHUSETTS Chapter

We need to work fast to get out the message that we will not stand for the murderous and illegal actions being taken against our neighbors, family, and friends across America.

We can take action.
We can send a tsunami of outrage to our representatives.
It matters!

Congress must vote on funding for the Department of Homeland Security (which ICE is a part of) by January 30th. (Explanations of the upcoming deadline can be found here.)

See the Step-By-Step Guide at the link below for guidelines:

Take action before January 30th. It matters!

WDA-MA Steering Committee

Jabari Asim, Delia Cabe, Josh Barkan, Jenna Blum, Kathy Crowley, Andre Dubus III, Amy Ferris, Alex George, Lise Haines, Michelle Hoover, Gish Jen, Jessica Keener (co-chair), Caroline Leavitt, Helen Elaine Lee, Marianne Leone, Stephen McCauley, Reverend Irene Monroe, Randy Susan Meyers (co-chair), Therese Okokon, Tom Perotta, Jayne Anne Phillips, Rishi Reddi, Elizabeth Searle (director, theater projects), Rosie Sultan, Katherine Vaz, Julie Wu. In memoriam, Charles Coe (1952-2025).

THE EMERGENCY CONTINUES:

CHECK OUT THE WDA SUBSTACK FOR MORE UPDATES FROM OUR WRITERS.

Thank you for reading today's Substack, which is the first in a series we'll be publishing this week on the emergency taking place in America. Please stay tuned for more installments over the next few days, and please write and tell us what is happening where you are, what actions you and your communities are taking, and how we at WDA can support and amplify your efforts: thewriters@writersfordemocraticaction.org

Rachel DeWoskin & Bella Rotker for WDA

In solidarity,
Writers for Democratic Action

The National Steering Committee
Paul Auster (1947-2024) / Sophie Auster / Peter Balakian / Jericho Brown / James Carroll / Cathy Caruth / Sarah Chayes / Robin Davidson / Rachel DeWoskin / Carolyn Forché / Todd Gitlin (1943-2022) / Dan Hunter / Siri Hustvedt / Mitchell Kaplan / Jacki Lyden / Jill McCorkle / Askold Melnyczuk / Jo-Ann Mort / Bella Rotker / Roberto Tejada / Katherine Towler / Natasha Trethewey / Doug Van Gundy

As supporters of democracy, WDA seeks to create a literary platform that provides a safe space for differing opinions and voices. We may not always agree with each other, but we deeply believe in the value of civil discourse as a means for reaching a greater understanding about ourselves and the world. We encourage you to share your thoughts and responses in the comments. Comments that are slanderous or disrespectful will be removed.