STRATEGY AND LEVERAGE—NOT VIBES—ARE WHAT WE NEED NOW.

The article focuses on the mass strike and community resistance in Minnesota following the Trump Administration’s deployment of approximately 3,000 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents under "Operation Metro Surge." In response to the killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents, thousands of workers, unions—including SEIU Local 26—and community groups coordinated a general strike on January 23, 2026, involving widespread work stoppages, business closures, and public demonstrations. The piece emphasizes the significance of material solidarity and organized labor action in confronting state violence, contrasting these efforts with less effective social media-driven calls for action that lack the risk and disruption inherent in true strikes. It also highlights the importance of long-term organizing infrastructure combined with rapid mobilization to sustain resistance under conditions of federal occupation and repression. [Extracted from the article]