On the ground in Minnesota
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Hello, everyone. I'm Kimberly Adams. Welcome back to Make Me Smart, where none of us is as smart as all of us. Thanks for joining us, whether you're watching the YouTube live stream or listening to the podcast. It's Friday, which means it is time for Economics on Tap. And today we're going to be talking about what all of us have been following in the news all week long. What's been happening in Minnesota in the wake of last week's ice shooting in Minneapolis, continued ice raids in the area, protests in response to it and more. I know a lot of us have been watching these videos and paying attention to what's going on. So we wanted to get some on the ground perspective. And thankfully, we have a wonderful local reporter here with us who has been covering this.
This story, joining me to talk about this is Dana Ferguson. She's a political correspondent for NPR News, and the whole team at NPR News has been doing just an incredible job covering what's been going on in Minnesota. And I'm not just saying that because we have the same parent company. It's because you guys have been really doing amazing work under incredibly difficult circumstances. Dana, welcome to the show, but how are you holding up?
Thank you, Kimberly. I'm hanging in there is what I would say. It's been a week.
It has been. But hopefully, you know, it is so important, especially in times like this, to take a minute to rest, to decompress. Hopefully we can do that here. What did you bring to drink?
Oh, I brought with me – it's kind of boring, but I brought some water. Not boring at all. I need to hydrate this week. It's been a lot, so just trying to make sure that – taking care of myself so I can keep doing the best job I can. I love that.
What recent events in Minnesota have sparked community concern?
But I hope people have more fun beverages than that.
Well, you know, that's really fun, though, because taking care of yourself is so important, especially in such high stress situations. You're working long hours. I'm sure your immunity is taking a hit. So good on you for drinking water. And I know that economics on tap is supposed to be a happy hour, but like, let's be real. We can't be upbeat all the time. What's been going down in Minnesota has been just awful. awful. St. Paul, where you are, is right next to Minneapolis, hence the Twin Cities moniker. What has it been like in the community over the past several weeks?
I mean, I think for me and for a lot of people here, it's very it's like stepping back in time a little bit to 2020. There have been a lot of situations that are pretty similar to both COVID lockdowns and also a lot of the unrest and protests that happened after George Floyd's murder. There are a lot of schools that are going to virtual learning because folks are afraid of ICE enforcement. A lot of small businesses are closed for the same reasons. But also there's a lot of feeling of community sort of coming together and neighbors supporting each other, similar to what it was like back then. Folks have signs put up in their windows, just expressing support for one another. And a lot of folks come out and just say, you know, we're very proud to be Minnesota and to all be here together.
And so just trying to stick in there through the really tough times.
You know, as I mentioned at the top, a lot of us are seeing these viral videos of ICE arrests. And watch out for AI deepfakes on those, y'all, because not all of these are real. But what are people not seeing online?
Yeah. I mean, to be sure, these videos are everywhere. There are many of them. I think there are not as many of the folks who are just standing in their neighborhoods kind of patrolling, trying to make sure that if ICE officers come into their community, that they're letting neighbors know they're blowing their whistles or honking their horns. Recently, a lot of this has filtered. It's still Minneapolis-St. Paul, but it's also enforcement out in the suburbs. It's enforcement out in smaller towns around the state. So folks that really weren't prepared for some of this because it's Operation Metro Surge are seeing ICE officers come to rural gas stations, ask people to see their papers and scaring folks out of going to work or different things.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:06–1:48
2
What recent events in Minnesota have sparked community concern?
1:48–14:12
3
How are small businesses in Minnesota reacting to ICE enforcement?
14:12–14:31
4
How has the sense of community changed during recent events?
14:31–16:08
5
What are the community responses to the ICE raids in Minnesota?
16:08–23:34