Minneapolis Labor Organizing Against ICE: Momentum, On-Ramps, and a Closing Guided Meditation

Week three, part two of Propaganda Loves You focuses on Minneapolis-centered labor and community organizing in response to ICE actions, with an update on rapid national solidarity mobilization. The hosts cite NationalShutdown.org’s report of January 30 solidarity actions in all 50 states, totaling over 300 actions and involving more than 1,000 organizations and businesses, and MuseumOfProtest.org’s figures describing large Minneapolis crowds and coordinated actions elsewhere, including arrests of clergy in San Francisco, rallies in Dolores Park, and student walkouts. The episode centers on reading and discussing an Eric Blanc LaborPolitics.com article that distinguishes between social-media-driven “general strike” framing and actual general strikes, arguing January 30 did not materially disrupt major industry while January 23’s “Day of Truth and Freedom” in the Twin Cities showed substantial but still limited workplace disruption and mass participation. Key themes include the need for momentum, organization, and risk-tolerant leadership; the danger of calling general strikes that don’t materialize; the importance of winnable campaigns targeting corporations that enable ICE operations (such as airlines and hotels); and expanding participation through accessible “on-ramps,” highlighted by Unidos training 30,000 legal/constitutional observers and neighborhood chat coordination. The discussion emphasizes that major private-sector corporations ICE depends on were not seriously disrupted, and argues for more private-sector worker organizing, petitions, trainings, and consumer pressure campaigns, referencing examples like “Ice Out Tech,” Sunrise’s Hilton pressure campaign, and a South Korea 2024 pro-democracy labor response. A satirical sponsor interlude introduces “Veritas Vision,” a fictional required platform that stabilizes and “enhances” reality footage by removing “raw data” and ensuring compliance. The hosts briefly mention a New York Times The Daily episode, “The Secret Plan to End US Climate Regulations,” about conservative activists’ long-term effort to undermine EPA climate regulatory authority. They then review six takeaways from a Mother Jones piece, including coalition-building between labor and broader movements, asking employers to close, starting community power-building now, micro-level organizing, offering ways to participate for those who can’t strike, and connecting movements. The episode concludes with Joe leading a short guided meditation focused on comfortable posture, relaxed breath awareness, non-striving attention, and a subtle smile technique, followed by listener reflections and a resource recommendation.

00:00 Welcome Back + What This Episode Covers (Minneapolis, Labor, ICE)

00:58 Rapid-Fire Updates: Nationwide Shutdown & Minneapolis Numbers

05:04 Reading the Labor Politics Analysis: What Counts as a ‘General Strike’?

10:23 Momentum vs. Organization: Lessons from Past General Strikes

20:26 Strategy Shift: Target ICE’s Corporate Enablers (Avelo, Hilton, etc.)

21:41 Satirical Sponsor Break: ‘Veritas Vision’ and Manufactured Reality

23:18 Organizing On-Ramps: Legal Observers, Signal Groups, Building Majorities

29:17 Private-Sector Power: Campaigns Inside Target/Amazon + South Korea Example

34:32 Who Will Lead? Replicating Minneapolis & Taking Initiative

36:24 Bonus Recommendation: NYT Daily on Ending US Climate Regulations

37:49 Group Takeaways + Mother Jones’ 6 Lessons (Quick Checklist)

44:54 Guided Meditation to Settle the Nervous System

54:15 Meditation Reactions, Resources, and Closing Thanks

Resources used for this episode...