Standing in the Gap Without Carrying the Whole Weight
Sisters,
Let’s talk about what’s going on in Minnesota. Two people have been killed by ICE.
Federal agents killed Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse who devoted his life to caring for veterans at the Minneapolis VA hospital. Video footage shows him holding a phone, not a weapon, when agents pepper-sprayed him, tackled him from behind, and shot him ten times. His final act was trying to help a woman who had been pushed to the ground by agents. His parents describe him as kind, compassionate, and deeply committed to making a difference in this world.
Just hours later, another U.S. citizen, Matthew James Allen, was pinned to the street by federal agents as he cried out that he had done nothing wrong—while his wife sobbed and pleaded for them to stop.
I know many of us are tired. Not just tired, but bone-deep weary. We have been carrying so much—personally, collectively, historically—and the persistent state-sanctioned violence is relentless. As Audre Lorde reminded us, caring for ourselves is not indulgence; it is survival. Rest is not disengagement. It is a necessary form of resistance. If what you need right now is to step back and protect your peace, that is not failure. That is wisdom.
And—because both things can be true at once—I also want to encourage those who can to engage because there is something concrete we can do.
Congress controls the funding for ICE. Nearly $75 billion has been allocated through 2029—and Congress still has the power to change course. Funding decisions are policy decisions. Without that funding, the scale and reach of harm can be reduced.
So, today, WE CAN asks you to stand in the gap—not out of obligation, not to save anyone, and not to perform moral labor for a country that routinely fails us. We stand because we are clear about what unchecked power does. Because we recognize the warning signs. Because we know that violence sanctioned against one community will inevitably reach others.
Call your Members of Congress (find your member of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senators HERE) and demand that Congress act—now—to stop the killing. Tell them that continued funding for ICE is unacceptable. You do not need the perfect words. You do not need a script. One call. One message—STOP ICE OCCUPATION!
That is how we protect our communities.
That is how we honor those already lost.
In solidarity,
Dr. Stephanie, WE CAN Founder