We Are All Peackeepers
“For every Peacekeeper you see, there are ten more you don’t.”
If you’ve ever come up to one of us at an event, if you’ve ever said “thank you” to a volunteer on our team, then there’s a good chance you heard those words. They’re true, and nothing proved it better than what happened at Crane Shed on Wednesday.
Wednesday was supposed to be our “day off”. We were all exhausted from the last several months of non-stop work organizing safety volunteers at protest events, round the clock surveillance of violent counter protesters, investigations into local politics and law enforcement, all in addition to our regular jobs. We genuinely believed that Wednesday was going to be a day of rest.
But then we started hearing the whispers.
“ICE is in town.”
“They are taking people.”
“They brought two buses!”
We didn’t expect to find anything, but we mobilized our team. We got out and we started searching. None of us were prepared for how little time it took. Our boss, Luke Richter, sent out a message to the team. All it said was…
“Should I go live?”
And that’s how we knew. That’s how we found out that the rumors were true. Federal agents were in our town kidnapping our neighbors. They only had two people grabbed so far, but they’d brought two BUSES. ICE has sworn repeatedly that this wasn’t part of a sweep, but there will never be a day when we believe that naked and transparent lie. You don’t bring two buses for two working family men. You bring buses when you plan to take busloads of people.
Luke went live, and people started showing up. One by one, the people of Bend took action. They came to the parking lot of the Crane Shed Commons to say “No” to faceless, nameless federal agents seizing our neighbors without warrant or explanation. One man called, and then hundreds answered.
“For every Peacekeeper you see, there are ten more you don’t.”
If you’ve ever talked to us, there’s a good chance you heard those words. Every day, we get tips and intel from the behind-the-scenes Peacekeepers in this community who want to keep their neighbors safe. Every day, we get assistance from good, kind people who want to help by donating their time, effort, or even their hard earned money to make our community more welcoming and decent.
“For every Peacekeeper you see, there are ten more you don’t.”
If you know us, you’ve heard us say it. Maybe you thought it was hyperbole. Maybe you thought it was boastful. After Wednesday at Crane Shed, it’s safe to say that it’s always been true. The folks you see in the “Peacekeepers” t-shirts with the walkie talkies are only one very small part of this team. It’s the rest of you that make it work.
We are all Peacekeepers.
You are all members of the team. When members of your community were in trouble, you showed up for them, and for peace. You said “No” to the faceless agents abusing their power. You made them stop for 13 hours. You made the whole country take notice. The story of what you did went around the world.
We are all Peacekeepers
Because of you, those men’s family’s had time to talk to them. Because of you, it’s known where they were taken. Because of you, they have legal counsel. Because of you, they have a chance. What you did on Wednesday at Crane Shed matters. Yes, the federal riot cops came, they attacked the crowd, and they took our neighbors. But you used your passive resistance to show the world how brutal and corrupt these people are, and the viciousness they are capable of.
We are ALL Peacekeepers!
And we know that this team is ready to stand up again. We know that your eyes are open, and that you’re ready to keep fighting for your neighbors. You’ll fight for your Black neighbors who can’t feel safe out in Prineville, because the police work alongside the racists to terrorize them. You’ll fight for your Latinx neighbors who can’t even go to work without being afraid some unmarked vehicle will grab them off the street and take them away to one of Trump’s concentration camps. We know you will stand up for your LGBTQ2IA+ neighbors who just want to live and love according to their own truth.
WE ARE ALL PEACEKEEPERS!
Welcome to the team.