Minneapolis Roadblocks Spark Ironic Protest Backlash

Adriana Stone 0 1 min read

Minneapolis Roadblocks Spark Ironic Protest Backlash

People in a Minneapolis neighborhood built makeshift checkpoints. They say it’s to keep their streets safe. They’re stopping cars. They’re watching who comes and goes. It looks a lot like enforcement.

CBS News ran a short piece on the effort. The neighbors call it a safety move. They call it resistance to federal immigration officers. But the tactics are striking. Volunteers are standing in intersections. They slow traffic. They ask questions. Some drivers honk. Others stop to talk.

One participant put it bluntly: “We are literally creating a place that we know who’s coming and going in and out of our neighborhoods.” That line landed. It’s hard to miss the irony. People protesting immigration enforcement are effectively checking cars, watching movement, and controlling access.

Supporters say it’s grassroots safety. They say they’re protecting kids and neighbors from surprise encounters with ICE. Some residents report feeling reassured by the monitoring. That’s real for them. But the optics are clear. If you oppose a federal agency for enforcing borders, setting up checkpoints looks contradictory.

There’s a broader pattern here. Remember calls to defund police? The public push forced communities to figure out who would fill the gap. In some places, activists tried to step in. That’s happening again with ICE. People want the agency gone — and then act like the agency on the streets. Critics call it zero self-awareness. Supporters say it’s civic action. Both sides are digging in.

The debate raises questions about law, safety, and community control. Who gets to stop cars? Who decides what’s allowed? When neighbors take enforcement into their own hands, the line between protest and policing blurs. That’s not just symbolic. It affects daily life.

Read the original report to judge for yourself. Decide if this is protection or performance.

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