One of the men goes for her phone. The other grabs at her hands. Ozturk screams. Shock and fear ripple through her voice. Two masked women join them, tugging at her backpack, peeling the straps from her shoulders. “I’m going somewhere, I need to call someone,” she pleads. “We’re the police. Relax,” one of the men says in response.
They surround her. Then, one by one, they pull their neck gaiters up to cover their faces. “You don’t look like police,” a voice off screen says. “Why are you hiding your faces?” The questions continue, but the figures don’t respond. Instead, they cuff Ozturk, cross the street, and put her in an unmarked SUV. She is gone.
This is horrifying. This person broke no laws. If Trump is doing this to valid green card holders for exercising their first amendment rights, then we are one degree of separation from Trump doing this to U.S. citizens who criticize him.
It’s only going to continue getting worse. Make an exit plan if you haven’t already.
Starts with green card holders, then it progresses to those who weren’t born in the US via denaturalization (as the administration has already started with), and finally it gets to all citizens. The people cheering for this are the ones who don’t realize that the leopards will eat their faces sooner or later as well.
I don’t know if it’s related to the culture of American exceptionalism, that people are so used to the idea that they’re special and that they won’t be affected, that they never even stop to consider the possibility.
My one viable exit plan went up in smoke today. Then I spent a while crying because I don’t know what to do. I’ve made a list of what to pack if I had to leave at a moment’s notice and I keep searching for other potential avenues out (before it gets extra-crazy), but it is not easy.