It’s said that you should kill people with kindness rather than showing them cruelty. While this logic is subjective and often flawed, there are some instances where it makes sense. For those working on good karma, fighting the instinct to lash out is worth the positivity to follow. However, when it comes to potentially saving another human’s life, not many would actively show kindness in the face of people belonging to ICE. That is, until a group of St. Paul, Minnesota locals banded together to do precisely that. The kicker? It actually worked.
When Minnesota ICE agents attempted to detain a man named Juan from a local market, locals rallied around him. In the video posted to Reddit, you can see a group of people standing outside the Centromex Market. While he remained protected by the business owner inside, neighbors peppered ICE with questions outside.
“So what is the crime?” One woman can be heard asking. To this, an agent responds, “I don’t think there’s criminal charges.” When she pushes the subject, one of the agents says, “That’s not your business.” Unhappy with this response, the woman says, “First of all, if he committed a crime in the state of Minnesota as an adult, that’s a public offense. So you all can disclose it. So what’s the crime?”
In response to the absolute power move, ICE agents falter with no reasonable justification for trying to detain Juan. After this, the camera cuts to another local who explains what they know so far from ICE. “Don Henry has the right to say no to anyone who wants to enter his business,” she addresses the crowd. “So he went inside to talk to his wife and make sure his staff are in the know [about] what’s going on out here. They have not produced a warrant. They asked Don Henry if he was a citizen. They asked him to identify himself. Don Henry showed them his passport. They didn’t ask me for my passport, but that’s okay, it’s called discrimination.”
She makes it clear that everyone is to remain in place, following the business owner’s lead. As they do, more locals begin speaking up. They ask ICE things like, “You love this, don’t you?” and “How does it feel to know everyone bleeping hates you?” To this, an ICE agent fires off, “Is that how the election went? The whole country hated us so bad they voted for this?”
He continues, saying, “Y’all believe this. I’m going to be here until this stops happening.” In an unpredictable twist, one woman off-camera speaks up. “Do you have a heart?” She says. “You seem like a nice guy. We actually love you.” The ICE agent has no retort, but stands silent as more people chime in. “God loves you. So let’s be together,” she continues. “Let’s be family. Let’s treat each other good. Let’s show the media that we care for one another,” she adds.
Not long after this, the agents received orders to stand down and move on. As they walk away, the same pleas for love and kindness echo through the crowd. The woman who started the act of kindness says, “I’m glad y’all were not violent.” This is echoed by sentiments of “We love you” and “We’ll pray for you,” to which the agent responds, “Stay safe, y’all.”
While it would be naive to believe every run-in with ICE will end this way, many are praising the St. Paul crowd for their strength in kindness. In a situation that could have so easily turned violent, they shared messages of unwavering love for other humans. By doing so, they kept the peace and likely protected a legal citizen. While they found kindness, some on Reddit are angry with the peaceful protestors.
“I respect all of them, but no. If god is real, He doesn’t love ICE. They wouldn’t deserve it anyway,” one user says. Another says, “I love the unmasked ICE guys. When this is all over, let the trials begin. I hope.” Even still, some praised the St. Paul locals for their actions. “What a response to hate, I love you! How can they respond to that? What thoughts does that generate as they fall asleep or hug their loved ones?” One user comments.
