The Walls Close In: Raids, Rants, and Political Violence in a Single Week

It’s not paranoia. It’s pattern recognition.

In the span of just a few days, three deeply troubling events unfolded across America—each a signpost along the road to something darker. Alone, they are worrying. Together, they spell out a bigger truth.

1. The Raids Resume — ICE Returns with a Vengeance

The Associated Press reported this week that the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown is surging once again. ICE agents are actively planning new waves of arrests and deportations, targeting thousands—including families with children—with no regard for due process or the consequences on communities already living in fear.

This is more than policy. It’s terror as governance. And it's happening right now, while headlines are full of distractions. The raid playbook perfected under Trump’s first term is being dusted off for a second, more brutal round. Expect midnight knocks. Disappearances. Broken homes. Fear-driven silence.

And local sheriffs—like Bruce Zuchowski right here in Portage County—are eager partners in the machine.

2. Trump’s Darker Turn — The MAGA Rant Heard ‘Round the Country

As if on cue, Donald Trump himself unleashed what The New Republic rightly called a "crazed, hard-right rant," urging supporters to prepare for the fight against a supposedly “radical leftist” uprising that doesn't exist. His language is sharper, darker, less coded than ever. There is no wink, no nod, no plausible deniability.

He tells his base to expect war. To see the enemy in their neighbors. To treat dissent as treason.

If you're wondering whether he's testing the waters for more street-level violence, more political intimidation, the answer is clear. The old strategy of "plausible deniability" is gone. What remains is the open invitation to crack skulls.

3. Bullets in Minnesota — Political Violence Comes Home

Two Minnesota lawmakers—House Speaker Melissa Hortman and Senator John Hoffman—were shot at this week, the bullets shattering windows near where they stood talking outside. Police say it was random. That it wasn’t political.

But you know better.

The culture of violent political grievance has seeped into everyday life. Trump rages. Far-right forums seethe. Guns flood the streets. And sooner or later, as history always shows, words become bullets. Whether this was intentional or "just" reckless violence doesn't matter: the environment created this moment. And there will be more.

It’s All Connected. The Fire is Spreading.

ICE raids. Presidential incitement. Gunfire near elected officials. These are not isolated events. They are scenes from the same unfolding drama—a government turning inward on its own people, a culture addicted to rage and fear, an authoritarian movement growing bolder because no one stops it.

And here in Ohio, the pattern reaches us too.

Sheriff Zuchowski is ready to serve ICE. The National Guard trains nearby. Police patrols grow more aggressive. The machinery is already humming, quiet but deadly, just like it did in LA. Just like it did in Kent State, 1970.

What Can You Do? Stay Loud. Stay Present. Stay Dangerous.

  • Document everything. Every ICE raid. Every protest crackdown. Every far-right rally.
  • Spread the word. Share this zine. Print copies. Leave them where they’re needed.
  • Watch your local officials. Zuchowski. Your school board. Your mayor. Hold them in the light.
  • Organize quiet networks. Neighbors who check on each other. Lawyers on call. Protest buddies.
  • Mock the oppressors. Never let fear silence laughter.

Trump’s rant wasn’t a fluke. ICE’s plans weren’t an accident. The gunshots in Minnesota weren’t "random."

This is the shape of the future—unless you stop it. Unless you build something else.

Hell is real. But so is rebellion.

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