The events of Jan. 7, when an ICE agent fatally shot an American citizen in Minneapolis after she dropped her child off at school, demand our attention. The available videos of this incident raise serious questions about the use of force.
Within an hour, and despite conflicting evidence, both the DHS secretary and the president attributed blame to the victim. The aggressive posture now evident among some ICE agents is troubling, particularly given reports that individuals pardoned for their participation in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack have been hired by the agency.
We face a critical moment when Americans are being told what to believe rather than being allowed to trust their own observations. Some issues involve genuine moral complexity, but the use of deadly force against an unarmed citizen is not a matter of partisan interpretation.
What concerns me most is the wall-to-wall media coverage that vilifies victims and frames legitimate criticism as sedition. As Jimmy Kimmel asked, “How stupid do they think we are?” That question deserves an answer.
David Black
Bayfield