The Minnesota National Guard is being activated for the stated purpose of protecting our communities from the disgusting violence and fear being inflicted on us by federal government agents.

While this intent is promising, historically National Guard troops activated for “public safety,” have been utilized to protect property, corporate interests, and law enforcement actions above the true safety and needs of the community. Now, as Governor Walz activates the Minnesota National Guard to coordinate “safety” with local and state law enforcement, it is urgent for us to ask the members of the National Guard, who do you truly protect and serve if not the communities you come from and will return to?

As Veterans and active military members, we call on members of the Minnesota National Guard who are being mobilized to reflect on the values they swore to uphold and remind them that their duty is to first and foremost protect Minnesotans. You may be asked to protect our neighbors against other state and federal agencies. Or you may be asked to turn your weapons on your neighbors. You must be prepared to act with clarity and loyalty to your moral compass and in service of the actual people of this state.

The violence in our communities right now does not come from protestors standing up to lawlessness and tyranny. It comes directly from federal agents clearly working to terrorize and intimidate us into backing down. It was not immigrants nor community observers that fired multiple rounds on Tuesday at Renée Nicole Good earlier this week, killing her in cold blood and broad daylight. It was not immigrants nor community observers that blocked a physician from providing potentially life-saving care, or attacked community members, responding to the scene out of grief and horror, with chemical agents.

Just hours after terrorizing and re-traumatizing the same neighborhood as the site of George Floyd’s murder by Minneapolis Police in 2020, fully-armed ICE agents attacked students and teachers alike as hundreds of community members attempted to evacuate Roosevelt High School after an early dismissal due to valid public safety concerns over ICE presence.

For 6 weeks, despite the mass use of chemical agents, dangerous driving, false police reports, unlawful detainments, and now the use of deadly force – our communities have only deepened their commitment to protect the most vulnerable among us. Members of the National Guard must carry that commitment with us if they truly want to be of service.

Every individual and collective action, or inaction, matters. You have a chance to normalize this violence, callousness, and immorality, or to stand with your community. You will have to live with your choice in this historic moment for the rest of your life.

What decision will you make? You’re not alone. If you have concerns about mobilizing against civilians, reach out here for confidential support and information about your options.