In this episode, Paul, Carl, and Heidi discuss:
- What it feels like to live in Minneapolis amid intensified ICE and Border Patrol operations.
- The role of legal observers and rapid response networks in documenting enforcement activity.
- The power and limits of social media in organizing, surveillance, and public accountability.
- How churches, small businesses, musicians, and neighborhood groups are reshaping civil society in real time.
Key Takeaways:
- Minneapolis residents describe the current ICE presence as feeling like a “military occupation,” yet alongside fear and exhaustion, there is a profound sense of solidarity and shared purpose.
- Legal observers play a critical role in documenting law enforcement actions, providing evidence for court cases, and countering official misinformation.
- Social media has become both a democratizing force for transparency and a potential tool for surveillance and misinformation, highlighting the need for in-person organizing alongside digital tools.
- Universities and institutional leadership may lag behind grassroots movements, even when faculty, students, and community members are deeply engaged.
“Everybody just wants to figure out some way to help, and all you have to do is give them some opportunity to do that, and they will leap in happily, willingly.” - Carl Elliott
“There is so much power in people standing up for their rights and supporting their neighbors.” - Heidi Reynolds-Stenson
Episode Resources:
About Carl Elliott: Carl Elliott is a professor of philosophy at the University of Minnesota, where he joined the Center for Bioethics in 1997. Originally from Clover, South Carolina, he trained in both medicine and philosophy at Davidson College, the Medical University of South Carolina, and the University of Glasgow. A Guggenheim Fellow and recipient of a National Endowment for the Humanities Public Scholar Award, Elliott has also held fellowships at the Library of Congress, the Rockefeller Center in Bellagio, and the School for Advanced Research. His writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The New York Review of Books, The New York Times, Mother Jones, and The American Scholar. He lives in Minneapolis with his wife, Ina, and their three children.
About Heidi Reynolds-Stenson: Heidi Reynolds-Stenson earned her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Arizona in 2018 and soon after joined the faculty at Colorado State University Pueblo. Her research focuses on social movements, protest, and policing, and she is the author of a book and several scholarly articles on these topics. Her current projects examine the impact of Black Lives Matter protests on police reform, historical shifts in protest policing, and legal consciousness surrounding family responsibilities discrimination.
Connect with Carl Elliott:
Website: https://www.carl-elliott.com/
More Information: https://cla.umn.edu/about/directory/profile/ellio023
Connect with Heidi Reynolds-Stenson:
Website: https://www.dr-hrs.com/
More Information: https://www.csupueblo.edu/profile/heidi-reynolds-stenson/index.html
This is a link to download a PDF that includes Rapid Response Phone Numbers for all 50 states if you ever need assistance: https://www.cliniclegal.org/file-download/download/public/80156
Connect with Paul Ryer & School for Advanced Research:
Website: https://sarweb.org/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@sarsantafemultimedia
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-ryer-4a4889156
Show notes by Podcastologist: Francine Poblete
Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.
