I’m walking back from errands tonight after a good burger. I’m walking back to me apartment. I’ve walked this route hundreds of times. But there was an anti-ICE protest in my way. For whatever reason.

Think what you will of Trump or ICE or whatever. But don’t get the fuck in my way when I’m just trying to walk home in peace.

I thought about going around them. But then, like, I’m an American. This is how I get home. I’m just going to walk on. So, I walked thru their formation keeping my eyes straight forward. Any time I was blocked I just stood there staring forward and said nothing. Not matter what they said to me. When a body window opened, I just walked on like I’ve done hundreds of times.

But then this kept happening. Eventually (to their credit) the protest organizers told the others to let me pass. Like they owned the sidewalk, as in a medieval castle gate. Even though I hadn’t said a word. Then I walked home.

On one of the crosswalk signals I saw later on the way home, somebody had written in sharpie, “FUCK ICE”. I chuckled a bit. The person who wrote that probably felt a bit of happy in their spine when they wrote that. I made them feel good. Even though what they wrote means essentially nothing.

Our modern Western culture is about words and outrage and cultural conquest. Actions are irrelevant. As long as you say and write what you think (on either “side”) that’s enough. Then they go home and feel happy about themselves. Even though they have accomplished absolutely nothing.

I was just trying to walk back to my apartment.