For a brief moment last year, Benicio del Toro became the unlikely face of the resistance to massive deportation raids. In the Oscar-nominated One Battle After Another, his character Sergio St. Carlos helps immigrants evade an ICE-like force with quiet confidence.

You might have seen the meme: St. Carlos during a traffic stop, deadpanning to the cops that he’s only had “a few small beers.” The image resonated because it captured a specific yearning: the desire to remain calm, cool and collected while the world feels like it’s catching fire.

That viral moment feels like a lifetime ago, especially given the current reality in Minneapolis (check out all of NPR's reporting here). The city is now the epicenter of resistance to federal immigration crackdowns — and new faces have come to define this movement. Like Liam Conejo Ramos, the 5-year-old in a bunny-eared hat detained on his way home from preschool. Or Renee Macklin Good and Alex Pretti, who were both shot and killed by federal agents.

Despite the lethal violence that claimed their lives, The Atlantic’s Adam Serwer reports that the protestors on the ground remain focused on peaceful, civil action. In a recent, eye-opening episode of It’s Been A Minute, host Brittany Luse sits down with Serwer to parse how a decentralized network of Minnesotans has been showing up with whistles, mutual aid and phone cameras. 

Serwer traces the effectiveness of the movement to a simple call to action: Won’t you be my neighbor? It’s a familiar question for those who have internalized Mister Rogers’ enduring mantra… and perhaps a helpful reminder for anyone looking to tap into Sergio St. Carlos’ unflappable resolve.

​​​​​​Listening in from my own block,

📍 Luis