Will Stancil: The Heroes of Minneapolis
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Hello and welcome to the Bullwark Podcast. I'm your host Tim Miller. We've got some good news about the Minneapolis live shows coming tomorrow. So if you were hoping to get a ticket but it sold out too quick, keep a close eye on your email tonight and tomorrow morning. Go to thebullwark.com slash events. We are, you know. Trying to give people more opportunities is an awesome response. We really appreciate you all. So we'll have some more news on that tomorrow. But you see, tickets went fast. So keep an eye out on thebork.com slash events. Also, stick around to the end of this show for a little monologue about a bunch of stuff, but particularly the Texas Senate race, which might end up being my 13 threes and why if something doesn't change down there.
So I've got some thoughts on that. But first, he's a Minneapolis-based attorney, an anti-ice activist, a former state legislature candidate, a researcher on housing policy, a social media firebrand. It's Will Stancil. How you doing, man? Welcome to the show.
All right. Glad to be here.
You got a little shiner? What's happening there?
I do. I face-planted on the ice, and so I've got half my face is a little swollen up. But that's a normal Minneapolis winter hazard, and of course, we have a different kind of ice that's a bigger hazard here lately, so...
We obviously spend most of the show talking about that. But for people who are not social media sickos like me, who maybe aren't familiar with your work product, with your, you know, really the artistic canvas with which you take, you know, short form text based social media. Tell us a little bit about you. You know, first date stuff. Where did you emerge from? I don't even know. Like, you know, you just kind of like emerged into my vantage point sometime on social media. Like, what's your story?
I mean, I'm a pretty ordinary guy. I live in Minneapolis. I'm an attorney. I work mostly on civil rights and housing law, school policy. And then I've been involved in local politics up here to a reasonable extent. I ran for office, didn't win. I, you know, involved a lot in my neighborhood and my community. And I'm pretty vocal on social media about national politics. I'm a No fan of the current administration, the current president. I think that I've got some criticisms of both sides, but ultimately I would describe myself as primarily someone who's pretty fanatically fixated on the threat posed by Trump and all of his minions. And unfortunately, they have come to us.
You're in a good place. I think people have said the bulwark's fanatically fixated on Trump and his minions. Why did people start following you on social media? Like what happened to you? Did you have a moment? Did you have a breakout tweet that went viral or did it all just kind of happen gradually over time?
I think there's been a few different things, but the main thing I think in 2016 to 2020, I was pretty singularly fixated on the idea that Democrats were not doing enough to obstruct Trump, to investigate him, to impeach him, and to hold him accountable after he left office to ensure that he couldn't come back. I have been fairly convinced from day one that Trump is, by all practical considerations, a fascist and a authoritarian, and that all of the people who want to downplay him is just joking around or Trump being Trump. That's reckless and dangerous, and he would do any of this stuff if he was given half an opportunity. And I think that as time passed, that view has unfortunately been somewhat vindicated.
Who is Will Stancil and why is he in the Minneapolis spotlight?
I have some more thoughts about some of your big social media moments of yore, maybe at the end. But obviously, we have some more pressing matters. So, you know, the reason I reached out is like people kept seeing you. You know, you were you're like in the background of these videos of things that are happening on the ground of Minneapolis. And all of us have been kind of watching it with such great interest. Yeah. Part of the reason for that, I guess, is you've been tracking ice in your 2011 Honda Fit. Best car ever made.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:12–3:26
2
Who is Will Stancil and why is he in the Minneapolis spotlight?
3:26–13:21
3
How did local rapid‑response car patrols to spot ICE agents originate and operate?
13:21–17:37
4
What tactics do observers use to document ICE activity and why?
17:37–58:53
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from The Bulwark Daily
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